Bassett Library will see major renovations through $2.25 million fundraising campaign

BASSETT, Va. (WDBJ) - The Bassett community is celebrating the plan to nearly double the size of its library, which will provide added space and convenience for visitors.

The Blue Ridge Regional Library announced its $2.25 million fundraising campaign Friday.

The ‘Build a Better Library Book by Book’ campaign will increase the size of Bassett library from 6,000 to 10,000 square feet.

“This library is smaller than our other libraries and it is one of the most utilized,” said Betsy Haskins, President of the Blue Ridge Regional Library Foundation. “The programming here is absolutely incredible for little tots, for young people, for children, and for adults. It obviously is not suited to have large numbers of people to come and use the libraries.”

After noticing the benefit during the pandemic, a drive-through will be added to make checking out books more convenient for visitors such as the elderly, disabled, and mothers with sleeping children.

There will also be a separate children’s department and a community meeting room large enough for 50 people.

“If you look around this library, there is hardly a spot that 10 people can gather. So, it is for the library, but it is also for our Bassett community because there’s no large meeting space closer than Martinsville right now,” added Haskins.

The Harvest Foundation is starting off the campaign with nearly a $400,000 grant.

“It’s a tremendous amount of energy in this particular community around the library and the activities that they carry out,” said Dewitt House, Senior Program Officer for the Harvest Foundation. “It’s an opportunity for us to be a partner with them in terms of their expansion and their continued growth.”

“To have this huge pat on the back from Harvest really means that this is an important entity that needs to be contributed to. It should make our fundraising go faster so that we can make this dream a reality sooner,” explained Haskins.

Donations can be mailed by check to the Bassett Branch Library at 3969 Fairystone Park Highway, Bassett, Virginia.

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