New Lynchburg Public Library downtown branch opening

Lynchburg, Virginia – Are you prepared to check out books and discover a vast array of options? After shutting its City Hall branch at the end of May, the Lynchburg Public Library is hosting a grand opening event on Saturday, June 8, to welcome patrons to its new downtown location.

To better serve the community, the Lynchburg Public Library is reopening in a new location. Now, people can discover their favorite writers tucked away at 216 12th street, the old location of the Visitor Center. One of the city’s busiest corners.

“This is a 6-month pilot so we can try and see how successful we are in this space, what it looks like, get some feedback from people on what they’d like to see here and move forward with that plan. I hope that it expands people’s minds about what the library is and what libraries in Lynchburg can be. So, reinvigorating some life into our library system as a whole. So, hoping that we get more visibility, and we can connect more with people and bring them a library that they need and that they want,” said Library Director, Beverly Blair.

Storytime at the neighborhood market, collaborations with downtown groups, and other new initiatives are planned.

“We’re going to do a silent book club for adults here. So that’s a fun program that brings people together to read the book they’re reading together in a space and then we can talk about it and have discussion based on everyone’s choice of reading. We’re going to do chess on Saturday mornings. We’re going to do a teen program on Thursdays, where teens can come in and have snacks and games and just community together here,” said Blair.

Blair claimed that the relocation will enable longer library hours and bring in a distinctive book collection that will interest readers of all ages.

“This library has all new books. So, the focus in this space is trending titles, best seller lists, celebrity book club books. What you see on book-tok and book-stagram. So, kind of trendy titles. We also have a youth section and it’s also focused on very new titles. We have graphic novels; we have lots of great picture books. I do have a lot of classic literature for children as well,” said Blair.

Do you need assistance remembering which pages you have read? The subject of the library’s summer reading program for children of all ages is “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” On Beanstack, you can record readings, accrue incentives, and participate in prize drawings!

The library is open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate its grand opening. It will include speeches by prominent members of the community, daylong special programming, and light refreshments.