Local librarians met with the Wetzel County Commission at the commission’s regular Feb. 13 meeting. The librarians expressed appreciation to the commission for the county’s continued funding.

Joanna Casto, of Paden City Public Library, said she has been able to install dusk to dawn lights which has been helpful to both her, and the patrons of the library. She went on to thank the commission for funding the library’s updated book selection.

Casto explained, “We are still in the process of replacing or adding to our juvenile fiction and juvenile biography section they were woefully out of date. The teachers will make assignments go to the library and get a biography, and read on anything. Well they don’t want to read about Alexander Graham Bell because they don’t know what a land line is. They want to read about Steve Jobs; they want to read about Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates. So we were pitifully out of date.”

Casto continued, “Fortunately most teachers still require that they cite a book, so they can’t just go online and get the information; if they’re doing a biography, they need to cite a book.”

Cathy Easton, treasurer of the Hundred Library board, explained that Hundred’s library had been using funds renovate the library’s bathroom, and they also updated some of the equipment. The library now has a charging station, and most of the furniture has been replaced.

Tina McBee, director of the Hundred Library, explained she has been utilizing volunteers from Hundred High School’s work service class to help with moving books and cleaning. McBee explained that the library was helping juveniles get community hours to fulfill scholarship requirements, as well as filling the requirements of juvenile probation.

Janet Conn, of New Martinsville Public Library, indicated that the funds granted to the library allow her to help many people in a variety of ways. The library has provided services to juveniles in need of guidance, as well as published authors, and oil and gas workers from all over the country searching for information.

Conn noted, “It’s really nice that you support us in all these endeavors, because it gives our budget enough money; we do not really worry about things, and we can go do that service. We don’t have to say no…”

She continued, “You know a lot of the services that you support I’ve said this before you have to qualify for this, and qualify for that, but the funds that you give us are used for people without reservation, without qualifications, and that is really community.”

Commissioner Lawrence Lemon praised the librarians for their work.

Lemon remarked, “We appreciate all that you’re doing and making the most of what you have. It’s great the public is responding by using your services too that’s important.

In other news the commission voted to donate $850 to Relay for Life. This money will be used to provide speakers and sound systems for the event.

The commission went on to the approve a request from the Wetzel-Tyler Advocate Center to use grant money for a forensic interviewer and child advocate’s wages.