A few weeks ago libraries across the state were invited to take a photo “snapshot” of activities for one day. These photos were collected as a “day in the life of a library.”

I won’t go into the details of our “one day,” however I would like to share a few things that are going on in our five library branches spread about the county. I’ll start at the north and work south.

The Durbin Library Building Committee continues to work vigorously on raising funds, gaining commitments from partners, and finalizing building plans. Recently they met with Parks and Recreation  to confirm the partnership. The committee has also met with CVB, Senior Citizens, USDA, state legislators and the U.S. Forest Service. Habitat For Humanity in nearby Pendleton County holds promise to help with a “barn raising.” The Upper Pocahontas Community Cooperative as a major local partner is pursuing further funding avenues.

In other Durbin news, the interior space of the present storefront building is being cleared out and reworked with the back space used now as the children’s room. Additional book shelves are in place. 

Green Bank Library is gifted with ample yard space. This means more grass to mow, but also provides the opportunity to plant flowers. Jane Mospan, librarian,  displays pretty flowers along the entryway, a cheerful greeting to all comers. By the way, Green Bank recently did its weekly count of every person who used the library.  The total Monday through Friday was 248. This figure is used to calculate our annual attendance for library commission statistical purposes.

Linwood Community Library is awash in books. Donated books, many in excellent condition, are filling our newly constructed shelves.  Cree Lahti, our newest librarian, reports that local folks are checking out books now.  She is eager as well for community groups to use the spacious facility, the former Snowshoe Welcome Center, which houses the library until a new facility is constructed. 

Moving south to Marlinton, the McClintic Library recently hosted an “old timey music” concert for the nearby elementary school third and fourth graders. Pam Lund teaches traditional Appalachian banjo, guitar and fiddle to children and teens at McClintic during the week. Her students aptly performed the concert.

As I write this column on a drizzly Monday morning, more than two dozen adults representing numerous local community organizations are engaged in grant writing workshops in the McClintic Conference Room.  The parking lot is full. Too full, actually, so I will ask some to park along the side street during their break to give room for our library patrons. A full parking lot is a good problem to deal with, a sign of community vigor.

I just phoned Elwood Groves, Hillsboro Librarian, to see if the installers are working on the new heating/cooling system. “Yes,” I’m told, “They are hard at work.” This past winter the old system crashed, necessitating us to cobble together a conglomeration of space heaters until we could prepare plans to replace the failed system.

At our main office, we are preparing for our spring fundraiser campaign, our fiscal year budget and our annual meeting. I look out my window. The sky is gray; green leaves on the tree outside my window are dripping from the rain. I think to myself, “This is a good place to live, Pocahontas County.”