ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 21, 1996 TAG: 9609230029
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
Readers in this town, it would seem, have a taste for the morbid. Or at least an avid interest in local history.
Either way, the most popular book at the Christiansburg library is the tale of the three sisters who operated Montgomery Female College in the 19th century in what is now Christiansburg Middle School.
Noted for always wearing black, the sisters were reported to frequent cemeteries where they would recite incantations, lurk around students' beds while they were sleeping and even, perhaps, to have murdered close relatives to collect insurance. The ghosts of the sisters are said to haunt the middle school to this day.
"Three Sisters in Black" by Norman Zierold was published in 1968 by Little, Brown. The library has nine copies of the book, and on Friday seven were checked out, said Jo Brown, assistant director of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library system, who seemed a little surprised that even two copies were available.
The system's headquarters library on Sheltman Street in Christiansburg will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its 15,100-square-foot building at 3 p.m. Sunday with remarks by Library Board members and local officials, and a teddy bear tea party for children. The anniversary comes a month after the completion of the renovation and expansion of the Blacksburg branch library.
Home to about 68,000 volumes, including periodicals, the Christiansburg library plays an important role in the town, Brown said.
"The library is the hub of information for the community. People traditionally think of the public library as a place where you can go for pleasure reading and informational materials, like how-to-do books," said Brown, who has worked for the system for 11 years.
The library plays that traditional function but also is in tune with current trends and technologies, she said. Its computers that provide access to the Internet are popular, and audio books on all types of subjects are in demand.
The library also has an important role to play in a democracy, she said. "We are an information provider. We try to provide a base of information on all subjects." To that end, Brown said, "We take a lot of care in the materials we select so that we can provide the best reading for the community."
The branch has a special large-type section, and it recently started a small-business development collection. The Christiansburg headquarters specializes in local history, though up to half of the books that are checked out annually are children's books.
Close to 5,000 books a year are added to the branch, at a price of $68,000. The library receives a discount of up to 40 percent for some of its books, thanks to a competitive bidding process. Out-of-date books, especially science texts, are removed from the shelves.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB