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The Cumberland County Public Library is committed to serving the residents and visitors of Cumberland County. Whether you are checking out books or DVDs, stopping by to use a computer or the free Wi-Fi or dropping in to see if the library has any information about your ancestors, the library staff is here for you. The library welcomes your questions and requests as well as your suggestions and comments on how it can continue to make improvements to meet your needs.

As part of that commitment, the library is restructuring its staff to ensure that a library staff member is always on hand at the circulation desk during business hours to assist any volunteers who are working, to provide specific support in using library technology and to ensure that your visit doesn’t take any longer than it should. To help with this, the library is adding a new, part-time circulation specialist position to service the desk during the afternoon and is currently advertising that open position. By the end of the fiscal year, the library hopes to have all staff placed in strategic roles based on their interests and strengths.

The library has made several changes to its operations during the pandemic to serve the community better. There is now a space for teenagers with tables and chairs as well as electricity. The library has created a more open space for its children and has purchased many new books to update the children’s collections. Workers have pulled classics and older award winners from all collections and created special locations for each one. The graphic novel collection is growing and includes both fiction and nonfiction titles. Library staff are also in the process of moving the library’s Chromeboxes to one location and will be purchasing additional computers for public use.

Programming changes include the use of Beanstack to log reading and set up challenges for the annual summer reading program. This summer alone, participants read over 100,000 minutes during the course of the program. Staff will be establishing fall reading challenges to begin in early October and participating in January’s Winter Reading Challenge sponsored by Beanstack. Other special challenges will be added for the library’s award-winning Diversity Collection with books selected by local Girl Scouts for their Bronze Award and a yearlong challenge for those who want to branch out to read different types of books.

The library has continued its Checkers Library TV Presents the Reading Road Trip subscription and is sharing links to its online “Full STEAM Ahead” episodes each week. Join Checkers the Inventor and his pal Snoozer for 12-minutes adventures involving science, technology, engineering and math as well as book reviews and a craft. To view these, visit the Checkers page under the Classes/ Events menu on the library’s website. While you’re there, you can also view the summer program episodes on animals found in different habitats around the world and print copies of the crafts from each week.

The library’s upcoming classes are being held in-person with a Zoom option available for those who wish to use it. Classes include a Windows 10 Basics and an Internet Safety & Security class to be held in October and financial management classes to begin in January. Keep checking the library website and its Facebook page for more information on these programs as well as other events and activities being held at the library. The Cumberland County Public Library thanks you for your past support and looks forward to seeing you soon.

For more information call the library at (804) 492-5807 or reach out by email at cumberlandlibraryva@gmail.com. To find out more about the new part-time position, check out the Employment Opportunities page at https://wp.me/ P7icIm-Ac or drop by the library at 1539 Anderson Highway in Cumberland.