Good news! We are reopening on Tuesday, June 16. Many of our regular services will resume. We have made a few adjustments with health and safety in mind:
We encourage you to make an appointment for curbside!
Masks will be required of staff and patrons.
We moved around furniture and stored away some of our chairs to encourage social distancing.
Many of our hands-on items, such as children’s toys, headphones, and magazines have been temporarily removed.
We are not accepting cash. Prints, copies, and faxes under $2 will be free. Other transactions must be handled with either a debit or credit card.
Patrons are encouraged to continue to use the outdoor book drops before entering the library.
Public computer stations have been spaced apart, and patrons are limited to one session per day.
Libraries will open 30 minutes later than usual to allow opening staff time for extra cleaning.
Meeting rooms are being used to quarantine returned materials and are not available to the public.
In-person programming and adult literacy tutoring is on pause.
We are cleaning high contact surfaces multiple times each day. In addition, plexiglass shields have been installed at the circulation desk.
Notary services are by appointment only. Please call your branch for details.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jordan Welborn at 434-332-9657. We look forward to seeing you again!
Update: We opened back up on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Details here.
CCPLS Family,
We have missed you terribly! During the closure, we have been steadily working to make improvements at your libraries! In addition to the online offerings you’ve seen on social media, here’s a sampling of how we’ve been hard at work:
So much cleaning!
Weeding, shifting, reorganizing, labeling, cataloging, and mending the various collections at all 4 branches
Finished painting the children’s area in Rustburg, added fun murals to the wall at Timbrook and Altavista, and painted the Brookneal bathroom and back hallway
Audiobook swap, so there is fresh content for those of you that browse the audiobooks
Updated signage, book displays, and reader’s advisory resources
Planning for a virtual Summer Reading Program
And, we are really excited to begin thinking about reintroducing some library services to you! The Library Board of Trustees, Library Director, and CCPLS staff have collaborated to create a reopening strategy with health and safety at the forefront.
We would like to introduce to you the CCPLS Reopening Story…
Chapter 1: CCPLS Trustees meet to finalize and the approve plan. Check! (5/18/20)
Chapter 2: Book drops reopen 24/7. All items will have a 72 hour quarantine before check in, so expect a short delay before items disappear from your account. There will be no late fees assessed for items in your possession during the closure. Did something go haywire with your account? Then give us a call- we are happy to waive your fine! A helpful video can be found here. (5/19/20)
Chapter 3: Holds system turned back on. In preparation for curbside service, the holds system will be activated a few days prior to the first appointment. Patrons may place up to 10 items on hold to be picked up the following week when curbside service begins. (5/22/20)
Chapter 4: Curbside!Details available here.This service will be contactless, but we still can’t wait to see your smiling faces through the window! Hours for pickup will be M-F 9:30am- 5pm for Rustburg, Timbrook, and SRML-Altavista and T-TH 9:30am-5pm for PHML-Brookneal. (5/27/20)
Chapter 5: Summer Reading begins. This year’s theme is “Imagine Your Story.” We are going virtual! Detailshere. (6/1/20)
Chapter 6: CCPLS Trustees meet to re-evaluate plan and affirm a path forward. (6/15/20)
Chapter 7: Libraries reopen physical spaces on an amended schedule with reduced services. Did we mention that we’ve missed you? (6/16/20)
Chapter 8: Gradually phase back in services when safe and appropriate. (Ongoing)
Words can change worlds. Perhaps not on a global scale, but definitely on a personal level.
Lynne Wheeler, the Program Manager for Campbell County Public Library System’s Literacy Program, has witnessed this on more than one occasion.
Lynne, who has been the Literacy Program Manager since 2010, was recently recognized by the Virginia Literacy Foundation for her efforts as a leader among literacy program directors in the Commonwealth.
L to R: Lynne Wheeler and Lisa Harris
On July 12, at the Blue Ridge Conference Center in Roanoke, she was commended as the 2019 award recipient of the Nancy Jiranek Outstanding Director of a Nonprofit Literacy Program in Virginia.
“I started as a volunteer,” said Lynne. “After completing the tutor training, I was matched with a student with low-level reading skills. It was an eye opening experience to realize the sorts of difficulties she faced.”
Prior to her employment with the Library, Lynne had worked in varying industries, including retail and education. She knew first-hand, exactly how difficult life could be without the basic literacy skills necessary, which is what led her to become a literacy advocate and ultimately, funnel her energies into creating a top volunteer program in our locality.
“I also volunteered to help a couple from Mexico improve their English skills,” Lynne shares. ”He had been experiencing communication problems at work, so we worked on work-related terminology as well as other “survival” English. It is incredibly rewarding working with adults. For them, it’s not, ’I want to make an A on this test.’ It’s more likely to be, ‘If I don’t learn this, I’ll never get/keep a job.’”
The award, named after benefactress, Nancy Jiranek, is dedicated to her memory and her lifelong passion for helping those without basic literacy skills succeed.
Award recipients are chosen by Mrs. Jiranek’s family and members of the Virginia Literacy Foundation Board of Directors and staff. Lynne’s family, coworker, Lisa and, Library Director, Jordan, came to celebrate her acceptance of the award.
“I cannot think of a more deserving individual,” notes Jordan Welborn, Library Director. “Lynne embodies the very spirit of our library’s mission: to meet – and exceed – the educational, informational, and cultural needs of our many publics. Our county literacy program is thriving, due to her shining example.”
Congratulations, Lynne, and thank you for all you do!
Our goal is to make a unique and engaging destination for young children in Rustburg. The Friends of the Rustburg Library have pledged $5000 to give the children’s area of the library a facelift and to purchase new furniture and toys. They are the BEST friends!
As if this weren’t reason enough to get excited, there is more! The CCPLS Foundation wants to take it a step further and provide our young citizens with an Everbright. What is an Everbright, you ask? Watch the video below. Go ahead… we’ll wait.
Cool, huh? The Foundation needs your support to bring this creative and engaging light wall to Rustburg. The two zany sisters, Fizz and Boom are back to help with the fundraising, and guess what? They’ve written a book. Check out a sneak peek of the artwork below, and click through here to read about our tiered giving campaign. Hint: You many even get to party with Fizz and Boom!
As a vital service in the community, the Campbell County Library in Rustburg is pleased to re-open on Friday, February 15, returning to normal operating hours and program schedules. No fees will be charged for Rustburg Library materials due during this closure.
The Library team also thanks patrons for their patience and cooperation over the past week as well as the Campbell County Maintenance staff and consulting teams who helped identify and resolve the mold issue.
Public Works has continued to work with area professionals to assess the mildew/mold issues at the Rustburg Library. To that end, the closing of the Rustburg Library has been extended to at least Thursday, February 14. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to seeing you soon!
Gale’s Career Transitions provided to you free through our website is an extremely useful starting point for any person seeking a job. This step-by-step electronic tool gives users hands-on guidance to support their job searching. It also provides high-quality tutorials and advice articles for resumes, cover letters, and interviews. Through Career Transitions, you can receive immediate help with both job-seeking and navigating the economy. When it comes to job-seeking, this resource provides insight on making resumes, writing cover letters, and applying for job positions as well as offering interactive interview practice. If you are undergoing career exploration, this resource actually helps you through providing ways in which you can discover your career interests. It tailors the experience to you by identifying new opportunities based on your past work or military experience. Not only that, but it also allows you to explore growing career paths and find education and training for the path you are interested in.
Powerful job search functions, guided resume and cover letter creation, interview preparation, and interactive practice activities are just a few of the features and benefits that Career Transitions offers. In addition to this, it helps users identify measurable details about their own personal accomplishments and successes that may help them when looking and applying for a certain position. Internships and entry-level jobs can be found through multiple job-search options and job tracking. Education and training options are available and sorted by career, program, and location. Hundreds of career overview videos can be found through the resource, including a series that features real people working in various occupations. All of these features are constantly kept up to date with expert advice and industry-leading content.
Career Transitions gives its users the best insight possible through visual reports that detail what features users find to be the most valuable. This service works closely with libraries in order to improve their ability to help each of their users. The Career Transitions resource is conveniently located under the “Learn” tab on the Campbell County Library website. This tool’s slogan, “Helping people find their life’s work,” rings true by its innovative, accessible, and unique approaches to helping users find the most rewarding and sustainable employment possible. Let Career Transitions help you navigate through the difficult employment environment today!
Credo, formerly known as Literati, is an online reference service that provides the perfect starting point for any researcher. Credo’s system is easy to navigate and learning how to use it is fast and simple. The Campbell County Public Library System, through the Library of Virginia, has access to over 1,000 encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and documents from over 100 publishers of reference content – and all of this content is accessible and searchable to you in a search box through Credo! All content is full text and includes a full citation, ensuring that you are getting reliable resources. Content is fitting to anyone from age nine all the way to adulthood.
With the Credo Online Reference Service, you can find many sources; from books used to help kids with homework, to articles that can be used to fact check your research. The credibility of the resources and publishers partnered with Credo make it the perfect place to build background information for those beginning research.
You can also treat Credo like a bookshelf. It has over 1,000 references that are updated automatically to save you the hassle of finding the latest edition. Credo is very simple to navigate: it’s homepage offers topic pages that go directly to articles relating to a certain topic. If your topic can not be found within the topic pages, Credo’s search bar offers options such as basic search, image search, and title search to help you narrow down your options within the four-million full text articles they provide. The service offers “Mind Map” which is a visual search tool, and standard tools like saving, sharing, and downloading.
Along with all of these resources, Credo offers an amazing service called “Homework Help”. Homework Help is accessible through the Credo website and serves as an after school tutoring service from state certified teachers. It is offered Mondays through Thursdays from 3 PM to 9 PM. With this service, any child from 3rd grade to 12th grade may receive help with math, reading, writing, science, and even SAT preparation. Summer Hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm.
The Credo Online Reference Service is located here. With Credo, researching is made simple with millions of organized credible sources at your fingertips. The Campbell County Public Library System encourages you to give wings to your research with this wonderful and easy to use resource. Happy researching!
Children mimic what they see and hear. While sometimes that can be scary and a tad embarrassing for guardians, it can also be really positive, especially when it comes to reading.
In the “You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You” series, the short stories are broken into three different colors. One color is for you to read, the next can be for your child, and the third color is to read together. Each color is only about two lines and setting a pattern is pretty quick when you both are reading back and forth.
We strongly suggest taking turns and reading the short stories/poems over and over again to build fluency. By the adult starting off, you can set the correct expression in your voice that can be mimicked by the child. Once they read through their color a few times, switch and let them read your color! Make sure to enjoy the time together and the memories being made.
This book is one of our favorites and the series can be checked out at your favorite library system, CCPLS!
All CCPLS locations will be distributing solar eclipse viewing glasses on a first come, first served basis, beginning Wednesday, August 16th, limit two per family (sharing is great!), along with activity and information pages. Rustburg, Timbrook, and Altavista will also have glasses available on the day of for impromptu viewing parties! Join us for this spectacular natural event.
Here is a bit of background about the upcoming Solar Eclipse:
On August 21, 2017, the shadow of the Moon will sweep across the Earth, producing the first total solar eclipse visible from the continental United States since 1979. The partial phases of the eclipse will be visible throughout Virginia and are well worth watching. (about 86% coverage).
The last solar eclipse across the USA was about 100 years ago (1918). Next solar eclipse in USA will happen in 2024.
Viewing will start around 1:15 and last till 4:00 (maximum viewing will be around 2:40).