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be packed to return to the Mark and Tonya Spivey Public Library. This library will reopen on February 13, and will be open for 5 days a week – an accomplishment that has never been done before. “Thanks to the City of Lyons, the Toombs Board of Education, and generous donors the Nelle Brown Memorial will be open full-time at 40 hours per week and offer programs for all ages. Prior to this, the library was limited in hours and staff; so, we are so thankful for all of the support,” Asbell commented.

It will take the month of February to move everything in and get the renovated facility set up for the public. During this time, the library will ask for public volunteers to sign-up to help move the resources. These sign-up sheets are available online on the library’s Facebook page and through calls to 912537-9283. Emails may also be sent to sign up; these emails should be directed to jonesj@ohoopeelibrary. org.

“We will sign people up for a 2-hour commitment but they can leave early or stay longer. It is just so we can stagger volunteers and make sure they have something to do. Last time, everyone worked so hard that we finished ahead of schedule and had to turn several volunteers away, but this time we are loading the shelves and it is a slower process. You spend more time singing the ABC song and putting the numbers back in the correct order so it will take longer.

Asbell elaborated, “That seems like a lot of time, but we are moving 100,000 books, 3,000 rolls of microfilm, 11 filing cabinets of genealogy research, furniture, business office files, computers as well as all of those big shelving units, so it is a massive undertaking. So, like I said, volunteers are needed and appreciated because they are life savers on a project of this scale.”

During this moving time, books will not be due, as Asbell says people can just hold onto them and turn them in when the library opens in Vidalia or drop them in the book drop at the Nelle Brown Library. People who normally pick up their holds in Vidalia can pick them up in Lyons or email the library and they will make arrangements to meet them and deliver their holds.

The Legacy Tree

People may also get involved with the renovation of the library through the purchase of leaves for the Legacy Tree, which will hang on the walls within the library. This tree will commemorate generous individuals in the community who donate in honor of themselves or loved ones. There are three leaf colors which depict a range in donation; bronze leaves are $500, silver leaves are $1,000, and gold leaves are $2,500. Leaf purchases may be done online on the Ohoopee Regional Library System website under the Renovation tab, or through contacting Asbell at asbellc@ ohoopeelibrary.org.

Grand Opening

According to Asbell, information on the library’s soft opening in March and Grand Opening in April will be shared at a later date.