Altavista Library turns 30!

Posted by jwelborn on 18 April 16

Staunton River Memorial Library in Altavista turned 30 in 2016, and to mark the occasion we celebrated on April 8^th with speakers, food, family fun, and a great performance by the Altavista Marching Colonels.  Thank you to all who helped with the event and those who attended!

Altavista’s library has changed dramatically over the years.  Our town’s earliest libraries were small, private institutions staffed and maintained by civic groups like the Women’s Club and Boy Scouts.  The first real public library was housed in the War Memorial Building, where the YMCA currently stands.  In 1986, the Town of Altavista, its residents, and its business community funded and constructed our current building on Washington Avenue, and Staunton River Memorial Library was founded as a branch of the Campbell County Public Library System.

Today’s Staunton River Memorial Library plays a huge variety of roles to our community: we are a copy center, a classroom, a tech help clinic, a genealogical and local history archive and a tremendous source of entertainment and educational materials in our community.

The one thing that hasn’t changed about SRML is our steadfast commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our community.  We believe the library is “Altavista’s Front Porch”—a place that embodies our civic pride and a space which continues to provide resources that enhance our quality of life.