New 24-hour library planned for Clendenin

Nine feet of floodwater swept through the Clendenin branch library during the June 2016 flood, destroying the contents and leaving the building a total loss.

In 2018, the branch reopened in the former Clendenin Middle School.

The EnvisionWare 24-Hour Library is a kind of vending machine, a big metal, rectangular box about the size of an SUV. It’s as sturdy as an ATM and loaded with library materials, but doesn’t require staff onsite to manage it.

Connelly called it a “library enhancement” for the Clendenin branch, not a replacement.

“There’s a real need for us to have bigger space for programming and for a training lab at the physical location,” she said. “This will offset some of our routine circulation and give us a little more room to work with.”

Using a library card, patrons will be able to check out books, CDs, DVDs at their convenience, day or night. They’ll also be able to access Wi-Fi, pay fines and return materials, like at any other branch.

The unit won’t have the same number of physical selections as a brick and mortar library, however.

According to EnvisionWare’s website, the model KCPL plans to install can hold 340 items for checkout and has a 1,000 item return capacity.

There will be less to choose from, but the director said it would be tailored to the community’s tastes.

“We’re going to treat it like any other library location,” Connelly said. “Whatever people take, we’ll put back, so if we get a lot of checkout for science fiction or romance or non-fiction, that’s what we’ll put into it.”

The director explained that KCPL used tools to help develop collections for the different branch locations.

Patrons will also be able to request items to be sent to the 24-Hour Library for pickup.

Connelly said the plan to get the 24-Hour Library has been in the works since June.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the plan but moving forward is pending final review. If that goes as expected, she said KCPL should be able to move forward with demolishing the old, damaged structure in Clendenin in January or February in preparation of the unit.

“That will take the bulk of the time,” Connelly said. “About seven months.”

The unit will be anchored into the ground with concrete and surrounded by a protective shelter.

The director said she wasn’t worried about criminals tampering with the library or trying to steal it.

“You’d need construction equipment to dig it out of the concrete,” she laughed and then added, “And there are cameras. We can monitor the site from here.”

Connelly said the EnvisionWare 24-Hour Library would cost just under $200,000 but wouldn’t require any special additional costs. Current KCPL staff would be able to maintain and stock it.

This will be the second 24-Hour Library in West Virginia.

Connelly was responsible for the first being installed in Marion County, where she served as library director of Marion County Library before taking the top job at KCPL.

“We got a really good response out of that,” she said. “We had 500 to 600 checkouts per week with it. It’s really convenient — and when COVID hit, it was the only location that stayed open.”

If this installation is successful, Connelly said that KCPL would probably pursue adding other units to its system.

“I know there’s a lot of anxiety from patrons and staff that we’re no longer going to have a library, but this is more about creating convenient access to library services,” the director said.

Connelly thought it could also be used to reach into parts of the county not being served as well as they could be.

“I’d love to have more of a library presence on the West Side of Charleston,” she said. “The board is very interested in the idea, so I think if this is successful, more machines are in the future.”