The children’s section of the Charles Town Library received a welcome boost recently with the donation of $500 from a local organization.
“It’s very heartening to see local groups stepping up to keep our children’s programs and resources at the levels Jefferson County deserves,” said Marcella Genz, director of Old Charles Town, Inc., which oversees the library and the Jefferson County Museum
Linda Poston and JoAnn Bailey, of The Jefferson County Community Education Outreach Service, affiliated with the West Virginia Extension Office, visited the library’s community engagement coordinator Brian Christopher, to drop off the check and explore the most popular section of the library.
The library offers daily programs and thousands of books for the county’s youngest readers. Storytimes and other programs with Clarissa Allred create a welcome space for the growing population in Charles Town, Ranson and surrounding areas. The library also adds new children’s and young adult books weekly to the collection, along with the digital offerings of the free hoopla online resource.
“Since our founding in the 1920s, we have constantly updated our collection to keep up with the latest technologies while keeping true to our core focus of being a supportive, well-rounded source of information and education for all ages,” Genz said.
Library funding in Jefferson County and West Virginia as a whole, falls behind when compared to other states. In 2024, the Charles Town Library received no funding from the cities of Charles Town or Ranson, and approximately $80,000 from Jefferson County.