
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 20, 1991                   TAG: 9102200050
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium

PULASKI BOARD SEEKS AN END TO DUBLIN COUNCIL'S LIBRARY STATUS

One of the most-used rooms in the new branch library at Dublin has no books in it, but it may become filled with controversy.

The community room at Charles and Ona B. Free Memorial Library is open to civic organizations, Brownie Scouts and many other groups for meetings on a first-come, first-served basis.

Even nearby New River Community College has used the room for meetings when it has run out of space on its crowded campus.

Dublin Town Council now meets there. The town had donated $20,000 toward the library's construction, apparently with the understanding that its council meetings would take priority in the community room.

But the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors revised a new draft agreement it was considering last month to strike that priority clause and another provision that council could use the reading area for its executive sessions.

The agreement must now go to Town Council, which may have more to say about it.

The Charles and Ona B. Free Memorial Foundation - named for a Dublin couple who left all their assets to establish a community trust - gave $150,000 toward the library project. Another $50,000 came from the state for equipment and books, and Pulaski County added $75,000 for furniture, equipment and the first-year operating expenses.

Before the branch library opened last April 22, Dublin residents had to drive either to Radford or Pulaski for the nearest library service.

The library already is seeing some changes. For one, it has expanded its hours to better serve people who want to drop in during lunch.

It had been closing for an hour on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays but now is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on those days.

The Dublin library hours on other days are Monday, 1 to 7 p.m.; Friday, 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The library also has a story time for preschool children Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

The library still is adding to its basic book collection.

"We're working on 7,000," Librarian Sue Barton said. "We're getting pretty close to that now."

Barton, a Radford University graduate, worked for five years in the Radford City library processing department before taking the Dublin job.

by CNB