JAMESTOWN – The Fentress County Library will be expanding, thanks in part to a recent grant from the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA).
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston) were in Jamestown last week to present the grants. The Fentress County Public Library received $100,000 to add an additional 2,250 square feet of space – space that will be used to create a new children’s area and staff workspace. The existing children’s area includes 14 computers, but weekly story times, summer reading programs and other events make it difficult for patrons to use the computers. Library staff is generally forced to block off workstations, while attempting to make room for more than 100 people attending programs.
The expansion also means the current space will offer librarians more shelf space to expand book and audio visual collections as well as add two new computer workstations. The $100,000 grant will cover a portion of the estimated $355,800 project. The balance will come from Fentress County as well as a donation from the estate of the late Wilma Pinckley.
“I am so thankful TSLA chose Fentress County to receive such an important grant that I know will be used to better the lives of every person who uses the library,” said Rep. Kelly Keisling (R-Byrdstown).
“This money could have gone to any Tennessee county, which is why I truly appreciate Secretary Hargett ensuring that the people of Fentress County have a library that fosters learning and offers increased access to precious public resources,” added Rep. John Mark Windle (D-Livingston).
The library, which located at 306 S. Main St., Jamestown, has seen increased traffic over the years. In 2014, there were more than 152,000 visits to the facility. There are currently more than 8,000 library cardholders, which is nearly half of the county’s population.
