County’s first library turns 45 Saturday

Amherst County will celebrate the 45th anniversary of its first library on Saturday, which was heralded back in the day with a 1,000-strong audience and 1,000 books checked out from among the 14,000 volumes.

“That’s the actual, actual, actual anniversary date,” said Lyl Wray, a longtime library supporter and member of the Friends of the Library.

The commemoration of the Nov. 14, 1964, grand opening will be 2 to 4 p.m. at the library at 382 South Main St.

The library first was established in a building that still stands on Second Street, which is beside a structure that now houses Amherst Nelson Publishing Co., home to the Amherst New Era-Progress and the Nelson County Times.

A fire destroyed a tire company that was on Second Street before the newspaper building was built, which is across the street from the Amherst Fire Department.

The library moved in 1972 to the former Continental Telephone building, which had been the home to the Town of Amherst offices, and has since been expanded twice. The town offices were moved to a former bank on South Main Street downtown, where they remain today.

In the years before the library existed, informal book-loan locations appeared, such as at the Ascension Episcopal Church and even at a downtown barbershop.

At one point, books were delivered on horseback, Wray said, and before the establishment of the main library, “There was no formal thing at all,” Wray said.

When the bookmobile was introduced, also in 1964, the vehicle made stops throughout the county.

“I think the fact that there were 1,000 people there when it opened showed a strong interest in the library,” said library Director Steve Preston. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, the library circulated 222,180 items, and that does not include items used in the library or computer use there, Preston said.

More than 1,000 people sign up annually for new library cards, including 1,331 in the last fiscal year.

“While all of the (county) departments have their place, I think the library is one of the most-used resources in the county,” Preston said.

More than half of the county’s residents live in Madison Heights, and the library there beside U.S. 29 Business near Lowe’s is used even more frequently, Preston said.

“I think the library is the community center now, in Amherst and a lot of other communities,” Preston said. Many patrons apply for jobs, write resumes and use computers to seek unemployment benefits, so many so that the Virginia Employment Commission trained library staff members in how to use that department’s Web site to assist library users.

The Friends of the Amherst County Public Library, which has a 12-member board, also advocates for library improvements.

“The goal to raise funds so (the group) could supply needs the library has that they can’t get from the county,” said board President Susan Strubhar. “We want people to take advantage of what’s there. The staff is constantly trying to improve and add to what they offer to the public.”

The Amherst library is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

For information, call (434) 946-9488 or visit http://www.countyofamherst.com and under the “government” link, select “library.”

If you’re going

-What: Commemoration of library’s grand opening

-When: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday

-Where: 382 S. Main St.