Project Overview
Imagine a community with a rich fabric of arts, culture, and education; a community where each member’s imagination is stimulated by endless opportunity to learn and grow; where lifelong learning becomes the foundation for each member’s personal and professional development. Is it such a great leap to imagine all of this in Berkeley County? Not at all! It is also possible to imagine the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries at the heart of this vibrant community. During our 83-year history of service to Martinsburg and Berkeley County, the Martinsburg Library has been lauded as one of the most successful ‘people’s libraries’ in this section of the country; it is also the largest in the state in terms of volumes shelved in 1979.
Hedgesville represents one of the two rapidly growing areas within the county. Steady growth in the number of families living in this community increases the need for a larger branch library with more staff, materials, services and programming, longer hours; and expanded community centers.
Naylor Memorial Library in Hedgesville is currently housed in a building listed on the National Historical Register. The facility is shared with Town Hall which limits the times that the library can be open to the public and the adaptability of the space to serve the library’s needs. Collection growth and programming are impossible. Story time is limited to not more than a dozen children. Parking is also limited to street parking, which is difficult to maneuver given the steepness of the road.
Artist Rendering of Planned Hedgesville Library Circulation Area
Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries seeks community support for a $1.2 million, capital campaign that will focus on developing our system of libraries with a new library in Hedgesville. You can invest in that future through your gift to the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries capital campaign. To make a gift or learn more about the campaign, please contact Ms. Kelly M. Tanksley, Director of Development, Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries, at 304-267-8933 or kelly.tanksley@martin.lib.wv.us
