Things have been abuzz at the Public Library in Vidalia because workers and volunteers have been busy moving into the newly renovated Dr. Mark and Tonya Public Library!
Cameron Asbell, Director of the Ohoopee Regional Library System and Georgia’s Public Librarian of 2022, said, “We are moving into the new building now. It’s going to be a better library. I know people have always been proud of that library, but I saw several faults like a leading roof and darkness. I always said that people deserve a better library and I hope they will really like their new one.”
Asbell said the library is slated to have a soft opening in March and be fully functional and open to the public by April 13.
With the move into the new library, what does that mean for the Nelle Brown Memorial Library in Lyons? Well, there’s good news there, too! With donations from local citizens and the encouragement of Toombs County School Superintendent, the public library in Lyons will go from being open only 15 6 hours a week for a full 40 hours.
“We couldn’t keep the Nelle Brown Library open more than that in the past because it operated only about $12,000 a year,” Asbell said. “But Barry Waller said that the Toombs County Board of Education, who had never provided any funding, would contribute every year if we’d apply those funds to the Lyons library only because that’s where most of their students are. We also talked to the city and they were on board and then several local citizens including Senator Blake Tillery and his wife Ashley Nicole gave a donation so now we will be open full-time. All of the services that we’ve offered this year including Story Time will continue for the people of Lyons.”