Letter to the Editor: Pledges quality service and programs at Charles City Library

In response to the editorial “Staff and supporters must continue to promote Charles City’s Library” published in the June 9 edition of the Chronicle, I want to offer my reassurance that the library staff will continue to offer programming and materials that are relevant, current, and engaging.

The library continues to add new programs and services to evaluate the effectiveness and usage of what we offer at both Heritage Public Library locations. The Charles City Library now has the space and the schedule to accommodate more people and more programs, as well as our summer reading program schedule that will take full advantage of the new location.

As stated in the editorial, a new library will see an uptick in visitors, as we did see with the newly opened New Kent Library. We continue to see increases in its use annually. As the Charles City Library has been open less than a month, statistics are scarce. We can compare traffic since opening the new library to these dates a year ago, and the result is a 45 percent increase in visits per hour. This figure does not include the 300 visitors at the dedication nor the increased in traffic observed at the Richard M. Bowman Center for Local History. That increased use is a great start.

We will continue to build on that increase with attention to public feedback, promotion of what we have to offer, and an ever-evolving collection of materials, programs, and services.

Chandra McPherson
Director
Heritage Public Library