Library Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Cabell County Public Library Approves Transition To Solar Power

The Cabell County Public Library will soon install solar panels on all seven of its locations across the county as part of a 25-year agreement to transition to solar energy.

The Cabell County Public Library (CCPL) system will soon transition to solar power.

Announced Wednesday, the library approved a project to install 853 solar panels across its seven locations across the county.

“This project will have many long-term benefits for the Cabell County Public Library and the communities we serve,” said Breana Roach Bowen, the library system’s executive director, in a press release.

“In addition to having more affordable power and being more energy efficient, going solar will save the library thousands of dollars yearly,” she said. “We are excited to put that money back into the community through library resources and programming.”

The project is part of a Power Purchasing Agreement with the West Virginia-based solar power company Solar Holler.

Through the agreement, Solar Holler will front the cost of designing, developing and operating the solar panels for 25 years. The CCPL system will gradually pay back the company by purchasing the energy generated through the panels at a lower rate than their prior utilities cost.

In 2023, the company adopted a similar plan with Wayne County Schools. Solar Holler estimated that using solar power, a lower-cost form of energy, could save the library system $1.2 million over a 25-year span.

“Public libraries play a pivotal role in building healthy communities, particularly in low-income areas,” said Dan Conant, founder and chief executive officer, in a Wednesday press release.

“From day one, Solar Holler has prioritized projects that save money for organizations like this — those working to improve the lives of Appalachians,” he said.

A timeline for the project has not yet been announced.

Note: Solar Holler is an underwriter of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Libraries, Obscene Matter Bill Debated In House

Right now, public and school libraries and museums have exemptions to West Virginia’s law against displaying or disseminating obscene material to minors. House Bill 4654 would remove those exemptions.

A contentious proposal regarding schools, libraries and obscene material went to third reading in the House of Delegates Friday.

Del. Jeff Stevens, R-Marshall, and a public school teacher, said in floor debate that the bill allows him to better protect his students.

“For students’ electronic devices, we have GoGuardian to protect them from obscene material,” Stevens said. “We have the FCC that protects children from seeing obscene material on TV. This bill gave our students and children of the community the same protection they receive from GoGuardian and from the FCC.”

GoGuardian is a program that gives K-12 teachers tools from digital guardrails to student safety support to create safe student learning.

The bill’s sponsor, Del. Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, said the bill does not ban books but protects children from being exposed to pornography.

“I’m here to protect our young people,” Steele said. “And make sure that they are not put in a vulnerable position where they are presented with pure pornography, and an effort to groom them and prepare them for a potential sexual abuse or sexual assault.”

Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, said there are already local community standards in place to determine what’s obscene.

“There’s a school board, a locally elected school board that oversees our schools,” Hansen said. “And our libraries apply local community standards when they make decisions about what books to put on the shelves.”

The bill passed along party lines, 85-12, and now goes to the Senate. West Virginia’s obscenity laws have possible punishments of fines up to $25,000 and up to five years imprisonment.

State’s Public Libraries Seek Funding For Maintenance, Expanded Services

Monday was Library Day at the West Virginia Legislature. The day was a celebration of public libraries throughout the state, but also an opportunity to request funding.

Libraries are best known for their books, but in recent years they’ve expanded their offerings to include everything from board games to power tools. They can also be a gathering place for communities.

Erika Connelly, the library director of the Kanawha County Public Library system, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries became even more critical for community connection.

“Libraries became very, very important during COVID to connect people with internet, with Wi-Fi hotspots,” Connelly said. “We got creative to get information to our communities with take-home crafts, and online storytime. These are our goals, to continue those great services to our communities.”

According to Connelly, West Virginia ranks among the lowest states in terms of funding for public libraries, and state aid hasn’t increased in more than a decade.

“We have a line item in the budget, it’s been zero for several years. It’s $5 million for capital improvements, deferred maintenance. We’re in a lot of old buildings in our communities, and in our towns,” she said. “We’re also looking for $2 million in supplemental funds. West Virginia lost a lot of population. As a result, a lot of counties lost library funding, so we’re looking to replace that with $2 million.”

According to the West Virginia Library Association, in 2017 the state’s public libraries evaluated their building needs to be more than $56 million.

Connelly said West Virginians value their freedom to read and express themselves, and libraries continue to stand for that First Amendment right.

“There’s a lot of legislation that targets libraries, school libraries in particular, that are alarming and concerning,” she said. “We just want to make sure that we’re here to uphold the First Amendment. We want everybody to have the freedom to read what they want. It’s a parent’s choice what their children read.”

December 30, 1901: Carnegie Approves $20,000 Grant to Build a New Library in Huntington

On December 30, 1901, the Carnegie Corporation approved a $20,000 grant to build a new library in Huntington. It was one of more than 2,500 libraries that…

On December 30, 1901, the Carnegie Corporation approved a $20,000 grant to build a new library in Huntington. It was one of more than 2,500 libraries that industrialist Andrew Carnegie funded around the world over nearly a half-century. In West Virginia, Carnegie-funded libraries were also built in Hinton, in Parkersburg, and at Bethany College. In addition, Carnegie provided funding for a performing arts center in Lewisburg.

Several West Virginia communities, such as Bluefield and Williamson, rejected Carnegie’s money because they couldn’t afford the required 10 percent annual maintenance fee. Leaders in Charleston turned down $45,000 because they wanted to build a larger library.

The most contentious situation arose in Wheeling, which was a major steel-producing city. Labor leaders helped defeat a library levy, stating that Wheeling was the “one place on this great green planet where Andrew Carnegie can’t get a monument with his money.” Their opposition stemmed from steelworkers’ deaths during the 1892 strike at Carnegie’s mill in Homestead, Pennsylvania.

All the Carnegie buildings in West Virginia still exist; although, none of the libraries are used as such. Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg remains a performing arts center.