News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Clay County reopened the library this week to patrons.
Library Director Judith Cutright said libraries provide important services to the community, especially in small towns like Celina.
“A lot of people have lost their job,” Cutright said. “They need to file for unemployment, and if they don’t have computer access, they rely on the library. The same thing with the stimulus. We have assisted many people.”
The Clay County Library has been open with curbside service. It will reopen on Monday for normal operations, but Cutright said there will be limitations to protect patrons.
“At the beginning, we will be doing limited interaction with the public,” Cutright said. “We will only allow seven people in the library at a time. We will limit them to an hour, and everything will be disinfected as often as possible.”
Along with being a resource to help people access benefits, Cutright said the library is important for community children.
“We still hand out books for kids,” Cutright said. “With them out of school, we want to make sure they keep their brain active so they don’t lose whatever they learn during the school year.”
On a typical day before the COVID-19 outbreak, Cutright said the library served around 100 people per day. She said even with the limitations, they have remained busy.
“Being in a small community, the library is one of the only sources for entertainment and education,” Cutright said. “Without that, there’s not a whole lot for them to do, especially in this time when they are limited as far traveling anyplace.”
The Clay County library is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
