A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Alexandria branch of Campbell County Public Library enjoys brisk use during its inaugural week


Southern Campbell County residents finally have their own library and they’re wasting no time using it.

More than 1,000 items were checked out from the Campbell County Public Library’s Alexandria Branch in its first week.

The branch, at 8333 Alexandria Pike, opened its doors with a ribbon cutting, sneak preview and VIP party on Monday, Jan. 15, followed by the official grand opening on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

By Tuesday, Jan. 23, there were 1,057 checkouts and 190 renewals for a circulation total of 1,247. A total of 1,233 patrons came to the new library through Saturday, Jan. 20.

“Being able to provide a more convenient location to the county’s southern population has been an important goal for us,” said JC Morgan, director. “We are excited to take a step forward and serve patrons in Alexandria and further south. It’s been a long time coming.”

A host of dignitaries celebrated the long-awaited opening.

In August 2017, the Library signed a five-year lease for the 3,000-square-foot space that fills the entire first floor of the ADA compliant building on the west side of US 27 South next to Ken’s Auto Care. It is about six miles south of the Cold Spring Branch.

The new Alexandria Branch offers a browsing collection of popular materials for all ages including books, audiobooks, magazines, music and DVDs. Laptop computers are available to check out and use while in the library. Two meeting rooms are available for both the library’s use and for the public, one capable of seating up to 25 and the other seating up to 8 people.

Delivery service will be provided for materials that are borrowed from other locations to supplement the branch’s collection.

The Library absorbed the costs of the leased facility into its current budget without increasing taxes for operations, materials or other expenses. The Library’s current 2017 compensating tax rate for property is 7.7 cents per $100, a reduction from 7.8 cents per $100 in 2016.

Barry Jolly, the owner of the building, did a lot of the remodeling work which helped minimize up-front build-out costs.

“We have worked very hard to be able to operate the new branch within our current budget,” Morgan said.

The new library is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday and Monday.

In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, there were 571,807 visits to the Campbell libraries and more than 1.2 million items were checked out. More than 95,000 e-materials were downloaded, there were more than 2,800 programs offered (with attendance topping 58,000), and more than 24,000 calls were made to the free children’s story telling phone line.

All facilities and meeting rooms are ADA compliant.


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