Library closing for renovations

By JUSTIN HARMON/Staff

The lights of the Hayter’s Gap library went out Monday, but it won’t stay dark forever.
According to Washington County Public Library System Director Charlotte Parsons, the Hayter’s Gap branch will be closed for the next two and a half months for much-needed renovations. In the meantime, library patrons aren’t going to be left twisting in the wind.
“We’re doing everything we can to provide alternate services,” she said. “We regret the inconvenience as a result and hope the public will be understanding.”
Parsons said the library isn’t completely closing down.
The branch manager will be in on days of the week the library had found they do most of their circulation with many of the newest books on hand to check out. There will also be a cart of books available to patrons to check out on an honor system.
Parsons said the library will also be offering their books by mail program to patrons of the library, a service they usually only offer to their patrons who can’t leave the house. All that needs to be done is request a catalog of available books and they’ll be mailed out with postage paid to and from the library.
On top of that, Parsons said the Saltville library and other branches will serve the Hayter’s Gap crowd without any additional fees.
While books are the main trade of the library, Parsons also said there are a number of other services the libraries offer.
“Some folks use the Internet to take online classes,” she said. “We also have faxing, scanning, copiers and notaries.”
While Parsons said those services won’t be available during the libraries downtime, patrons can do the same at any of the other braches, particularly the closest ones in Saltville and Glade Spring.
And though the library may be somewhat out of commission for a while, Parsons said the staff is going to do everything it can to continue with their youth services. The Head Start program, a program that stresses school readiness in younger children will still be operating alongside the services for home-schooled children, but the details haven’t been worked out just yet. Parsons said they’ll be working with the schools and parents to decide the best course of action.
According to Parsons, the Hayter’s Gap branch has 480 registered borrowers and a circulation of 12,000-15,000 items a year.
Justin Harmon can be reached at 628-7101 or