January 20, 2010

Residents in Scottsville aren't ready to close the book on their library just yet.

Marianne Ransden, the branch manager at the Scottsville Library, said if officials decide to close the library, it will be devastating to the community. The library branch would be the first to close if Albemarle County cuts funds to the Jefferson Madison Regional Library.

Residents of Scottsville and the surrounding area said they are upset and in disbelief that their library could be closing.

"It's kind of unbelievable that something could come out of the blue like this," Ransden said.

"Sadness," library visitor Stefanie Newman said. "I've been coming here since we moved here in '95."

"Being a child, going to the library was a thrill for me," said patron Chris Hampton.

Hampton said he uses the Scottsville Library four times a day. He said it helps him run his business and helped him get his associates and bachelor degrees.

"The bottom line is I couldn't have done it without a library," he said.

Newman said her son has grown up in the library.

"The staff here has seen him grow up, as well as the other kids," Newman said. "We've made a lot of friends."

For many, the library is more than just a place to get books.

"There's movies. I teach art classes here on occasion, and they're free of charge," Newman said. "It's really more than a place to get books and films, it's really a community center, a social place."

Ransden said she's been bombarded with phone calls all day.

"All say the same thing -- you can't close the Scottsville Library because where would we go," Ransden said.

All she can tell them is that it will be supervisors who will decide whether this year will be the final chapter in the library's history.

Ramsden said anyone who doesn't want the library to close should contact the Board of Supervisors.