Library board moves toward establishing temporary Clendenin branch

Board member Anne Silbernagel said the board’s public services committee toured several potential locations before landing on the former middle school property.

The building is owned by 25045 A New Clendenin Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to the recovery of Clendenin.

“We have a lot of support and a partnership with a lot of the groups that are already out there,” she said. “There is an interest with a lot of other entities out there to build a joint senior living facility with a library. We want to be in the planning from the ground up.”

The former middle school space is slightly smaller than the former branch, which was destroyed in the June 2016 floods. The middle school space is approximately 3,300 to 3,400 square feet, Silbernagel said.

Despite having flooded in 2016, Silbernagel told board members that flood insurance can be obtained for the contents of the new temporary branch.

Library Director Alan Engelbert said the lease would cost the library system $1,500 in monthly rent, with all other terms and conditions subject to negotiations. The library has already factored money to pay branch employees at Clendenin into its budget, he said. The staff members who worked in Clendenin prior to the flood had been moved to other facilities, he said.

Several branches throughout the county have been saving and dividing books, AV materials, shelves, tables, computers and other supplies to be given to the temporary branch.

“We’re very excited to get back into Clendenin,” he said. “It’s going to take us a little while, but this is the first step.”

Also at the meeting, the board voted to request sponsorship from the Kanawha County Board of Education to renew its existing excess levy.

The levy — which supports the Kanawha County Public Library, the South Charleston Public

Library and the Nitro Public Library — makes up 40 percent of the library system’s budget, Engelbert said.

Engelbert said the board will now ask the county school board to sponsor the levy and put in on the ballot in May 2018.

The levy, which was originally passed in November 2014, helps fund projects like extending the St. Albans branch’s Saturday hours and bringing back the Clendenin branch.

“All of those things — in the end — are dependent on the funds from the levy coming in,” Engelbert said.

The board will now undertake the necessary steps to work with the school board to “hopefully” put the levy on the ballot again, he said.

Board members also voted Monday to adopt a new policy regarding wheeled devices, bags and personal items brought into the Kanawha County Public Library.

Effective Feb. 1, 2018, all wheeled devices will be prohibited from inside the library and on library property with the exception of: wheelchairs, walkers and similar devices to assist those with medical needs; wheeled carts smaller than 24-inches by 36-inches; strollers for use in transporting babies and toddlers accompanied by an adult; wheeled musical instrument cases that contain a musical instrument; wheeled cases or devices needed to transport equipment, publications, etc. belonging to people presenting programs in reserved meeting spaces; and wheeled devices that have received prior approval from library staff.

Bags include suitcases, backpacks, breifcases, duffel bags, sleeping bags, bed rolls, plastic bags, purses, diaper bags, courier bags and computer bags.

Under the new policy, patrons may not bring more than three bags of any sort into the library. Bags’ total size may not exceed 24-inches by 24-inches by 24-inches.

Some bags will be excluded from the policy, only with prior approval from library staff. The policy is modeled after similar policies from libraries across the country.

“We have a lot things coming in the doors besides backpacks and baby carriages,” Silbernagel said.

The next regular board meeting will be at 4 p.m. on Jan. 8.