We’re finally reopened and ready for you!

For more information, email boxes@mfrl.org. No calls, please.

Here are the latest pictures of the progress.

Jessie Peterman Memorial Library will close on Monday, April 14.

The Jessie Peterman Memorial Library will be closed for furniture installation and re-shelving beginning Monday, April 14th. We anticipate a two week closure, but it could be longer.

The phones at JPML will be staffed from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, 10 - 5 on Saturday and 1 - 5 on Sunday. Items will still be due on their regular due date and may be returned to our book drop or any of the other MFRL branches. In addition, you may access your account on the library website if you need to renew or place a hold. Please call (540)745-2947 if you have any questions.

Watch this webpage for updates and thank you for your continued patience as we go through this next important stage of our growth.

Now that we’ve moved into the new side of the building, it’s time to remodel the original portion:

• Left: New computer lab (was the old office). Unlit glass room on left is a new small conference room.
• Middle: New carpet and fresh paint! Windows on the left is to the new computer lab. Hallway with the fire extinguisher goes to new genealogy room (was the old community room).
• Right: Looking out the new computer lab to the new section of the building. Clock is above the circulation desk.

Thanks to a large volunteer effort, we have hundreds of boxes of books in storage. The photo below is only a portion of them! We are currently operating out of the new portion of the library; the original library area is now undergoing renovations.

During the 6 - 10 weeks that the library operates solely out of the new portion of the building, most of the materials will remain boxed. Patrons will be able to browse the DVD's, books on CD's, new adult fiction and nonfiction and a limited number of children's books. Anything else will need to be requested from one of the other branches. As soon as the new furniture and fixtures arrive, we will close for a period of time in order to install everything in both sections of the building and bring the books back out of storage. As soon as that is accomplished, the staff will take immense pride in welcoming all of you back to your new library.

Until that can happen, please bear with us. We know how confusing and, perhaps, frustrating things will be in the interim but we're sure that you'll be happy when you see the end results.

Note: The Jessie Peterman Library's Genealogy Room will close on November 5^th due to the construction. Materials will not be available until construction completion in Spring of 2008.

With the plywood wall removed, one can really get a feel of the finished product. Unfortunately, the temporary wall will reappear, as renovations begin on the old portion of the library.

Work on the Floyd addition has now reached the point of interior work. The last couple of weeks have seen the paint go on, flooring down in the staff room, rest rooms and in the Internet café and fixtures spring up all over the building. The cabinets are in place in the kitchen and we’re starting to box things up in the existing part in preparation for the big move. Doors and hardware will be installed the week of the 21st and the carpeting will go in the week of the 28th. At his time, it looks like we’ll move into the new building sometime around Feb. 9th. It’s quite amazing to see what can happen in 6 short months when you have a great construction crew working hard!

The new building has taken on its real shape now, showing us exactly what to expect when we finally are able to get in. All of the concrete work has been completed - sidewalks, curbing, and pads. The parking lot has been paved and will get its stripes on Dec. 14th. The windows and doors are in, the drywall is mudded and awaiting paint. We have a building! Once the painting is done, we’ll start seeing the more decorative touches like flooring and cabinetry. We’ll post more photos as we have more progress but we’re still on target.

It’s October 20th and we are still making fantastic progress. The brickwork is up on two sides of the building and looks great. The roof has been shingled and we’re due to get a new roof on the existing building the week of the 22nd. On the inside, electrical contractors are falling over heating and air conditioning contractors who have to watch out for the plumbers. There’s even been some drywall hung in one area. We expect some of the demolition to start very soon with all of the glass on the back end of the existing building coming out around the end of November. This will necessitate the closing of the genealogy room on November 5th. The contents will be boxed up and will remain that way until they’re moved into the new room in the spring.

It’s Week 11 and look where we are! The interior is delineated enough that we can actually see where things will be. The roof is entirely framed and nearly ready for the shingles. We expect that to start happening this week and they’ll move across to the existing roof and replace it as soon as they complete the new one. The bricks were delivered last week and will start going up today or tomorrow. It’s amazing how far along we are but we’ve been really lucky with the weather. Zero weather delays have put us within several weeks of being under roof and in great shape for whatever the winter may bring.

Here we are in week 9 of our construction and look at the difference a few days can bring! We’ve reached the point where dramatic changes spring up nearly overnight. In the last week we’ve poured the slab for the building, finished the block work and started putting the roof trusses on. In front of the building and across the street, we’ve got a couple of huge holes dug as they cut into the water line with the new pipes. We’re a mess and we love every minute of it! If all continues to go on schedule (and so far it has), we should be under roof within the next 3 – 4 weeks and that includes a new roof on the old building. We’ll keep you posted.

We're currently in our 7th week of construction and, according to the job superintendent, about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. He encourages us not to get too excited about that fact, though, since he expected to be where they are now and will probably get back on track as they move forward and winter approaches. The steel was delivered last week and is going up now. Next for delivery are the roof trusses, scheduled for 9/5. As soon as the masonry is completed, about 9/7 if we stay on schedule, the slab will be poured. We're thrilled to see the building taking shape, finally reaching a stage where we can actually visualize the new space.

The work on our addition continues to zoom along at an amazing pace. We're just 4 weeks in and all the grading has been done, footers poured and the block work is up to roof level in some spots. New sewer pipes have been laid and during this week a new pipe will be laid in place of the old one routing the stream through the back part of the lot. There has only been one brief weather delay (which helps move construction along) but the heat has been brutal for the men doing the work. According to the construction superintendent, though, we're still right on schedule.

The project is going well. The footers were poured last Friday and crews have been laying block this week. The back part of the lot is being graded for the new parking lot (once the building is finished) and should be graveled soon. Hopes are that the construction equipment and trailer will be moved to that area, freeing up some of the lot outside the front door.

Fundraising continues for the Jessie Peterman Library

We have broken ground for our expanded library and the construction started in July but we need to continue our fundraising effort. This endeavor demonstrates an outstanding effort between local government and its citizens. It may be fair to boast that our hard work represents the single largest fundraising campaign in the county's history.

We have broken ground, and we are now turning our attention to raising money for furniture and equipment. While we plan on utilizing existing furniture, we still need the following: shelving, tables and chairs, computer lab furniture, a donor wall, and outdoor benches. In other words the new library needs to be completely furnished, and existing funds are needed for construction.

We are also responding to a challenge to raise $25,000 by November 1st. When we reach this goal an anonymous donor will match it with another $25,000. It is our hope to raise much more than that to furnish the library properly.

The project not only doubles the size of the existing library, but enable us to have a separate computer lab, a much larger community room, a stand-alone genealogy and local history room, and a separate space for children. We will be able to increase the collection, and expand quiet reading areas. Your library will also be able to keep pace with current and future technology, and will be able to better serve Floyd County.

By this time next year our efforts will be realized, and we will be opening the doors of our new library, but we need your help to complete the Jessie Peterman Library Project! If you would like to contribute to this cause, please send your donation to:
Jessie Peterman Memorial Library Expansion Project
P.O. Box 567,
Floyd, VA 24091
Thank you so much for your continued support.