In order to work towards the goals set forth in the Comprehensive Plan, Craig County applied for a Planning Grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to study the expansion of the Craig County Library. In 2016, DHCD approved the grant and the planning for the expansion of the library began. As part of the Planning Grant, DHCD held a Visioning Session on January 17, 2017, to gain public insight into the potential expansion of the Craig County Library.
The purpose of the visioning session, attended by over sixty Craig County residents, was to hear citizen input on the idea and to determine how the library can help to advance community goals.
According to The Salem Times-Register, “there were folks from every area and service of the county. These included small business owners, students, social services, the cooperative extension service, school officials, emergency services, the historical society, library volunteers, the tourism committee, workforce development, local government and other local nonprofit groups. There were new residents, transplants and those with deep family roots in Craig County.”
At the Visioning Session, The Craig County Library presented its greatest strengths as its openness to all members of the community, affordable printing services, access to technology and the visitor center. Limited business hours, staffing shortages, technology limitations and lack of meeting and program space were presented as the library’s greatest weaknesses. To adapt to the changing needs of the community, the Craig County Library put forward the concept of serving more like a community center instead of a standalone library.
The community center would provide program space that could be utilized by educators and community service providers, space for meetings and other public gatherings, quiet areas for study and learning, private areas for confidential conversations, greater access to technology in support of employment and business concerns and an expanded visitor center. With this concept, the Craig County Community Center would serve as the center of civic life in Craig County.
A draft vision/mission statement was developed at the Visioning Session which stated:
“The Craig County Public Library and Community Center will advance and serve our community by growing, convening and deploying the resources at hand to help residents live, work and learn in Craig County while maintaining a distinctive way of life-based upon the stewardship and enjoyment of our rich natural and agricultural resources.”
Craig County Community Center builds on the efforts of the Craig County Library to bring a focus for services and as a place for civic activity. The facility’s program of spaces delineates seven primary areas to provide the services stated in the public and individual meetings and the research included in this document.
The Community Center has a visitor’s center that contains visitor information, an Internet Café, a history wall, a community kitchen and a refreshment center. It is enclosed with glass to provide a line of sight into space at night. The Community Meeting Room and the Teen Center can be used when the Library is open or closed. The Library and Children’s Center have different places to read alone, meet with others and play areas for the children.
To determine financial feasibility, this work has taken a process of determining the County’s needs, the type of facility required to fulfill those needs and the necessary resources required to build and operate the facility. The leaders of this project will bring potential funding sources together to provide the needed funds for building and operating the Center.
