The Libraries I Call Home

Growing up in a small town, there wasn’t much to do on a hot summer’s day, or on a weekend. One could go to the pool, but that was often crowded. Abingdon had several parks, but if one was by themselves, it got boring rather quickly. As a child, teenager, and college student home for the summer, I often found myself at the Washington County Public library, getting lost among its stories. Which is why, upon receiving this assignment, I knew it would be one of the libraries I chose as part of my research! 

I chose three libraries as part of this project. Washington County Public Library, the library inside Lebanon Primary School, where I teach, and the Virginia Highlands Community College library. All three of these libraries have/had a profound impact on me in different stages of my life. 

Figure 1, WCPL Children's section

I spent the majority of my summers in elementary school at the library. My mother enrolled me in the summer reading program almost every summer, which I was more than happy to participate in. I spent many an hour scouring those shelves in search of something I hadn’t read yet, or even an old familiar book, finding friends in their pages. When I was a child, there was this big fake oak tree, with a stuffed black bear clinging to its branches. As the library has been renovated, the bear and his tree have gone by the wayside, but the charm still remains. 

Digitally, the library uses both Libby and Hoopla, both of which I take part in using on a regular basis. I use Libby to borrow books for my Kindle, and for audiobooks. The website was very useful and helpful as well, providing a vast amount of information. 

Walking up to the library, I started by looking around the outside of the building. This building was as familiar to me as my own home, so it was very cozy to look at. I don't believe that it would be intimidating to newcomers, but I'm a bit biased. Upon walking in, I began looking around, looking for new things that had cropped up since my last visit. Many things remained the same, but I noticed something new in the media room! Among the audiobooks and DVD’s, there was a “Library of Things”. In this new addition, I found cake pans, lawn games, even a soap making kit! What a fun way to learn whether or not you’d enjoy a hobby, trying it out by borrowing it, creating something, and then if you enjoyed it, going out and purchasing all the necessary items yourself! 

I walked through the children's books, as I always do. Checking in on old familiar books and seeing what's new in the children's section. I found a great many number of diverse books, even a whole section of books on different international holidays! it's so important to have these diverse books, as the article we read a few weeks ago spoke about (Bishop, 1990). The library was very well staffed, and I enjoyed speaking with the librarians.

While speaking with a longtime local of Abingdon, I learned so much about the history of the library system in Washington County. The first library was founded by Robert Porterfield, who also founded the Barter Theatre the regional theatre in Abingdon, and the State Theatre of Virginia! I found out from this local, whose mother was the first mobile librarian in Washington County, that the first library was located in the balcony of the theater! What fascinating history! 

Figure 2, Lebanon Primary School Library

The second library I visited was the Lebanon Primary School library. I teach pre-k here at Lebanon Primary, so this library was also familiar to me. The library does not have much of a digital footprint, I did include LPS' website, so all of you could get familiar with our students and our school!

The library just got a new librarian, her name is Anna Robinson. She's a former pre-k teacher in our school, she's been a teacher there for a long time! We're all excited for Ms Anna to be in the library, and I'm excited to see what changes she could make!

The library is very organized. The first shelves on your left when you walk in are all first grade Accelerated Reader books, organized by author name. Same for the kindergarten AR books. The shelves beyond that contain the easy books, and beyond that lie the nonfiction books. Since school is out for the summer, not a soul was in the library when I visited, but during the school year, the room is filled with children ranging from three years old to seven, and depending on the time of year, adults too! The library hosts the Scholastic Book Fair once a year, and we all love it! The library also holds the school's laminator.

Figure 3, VHCC Library

The Virginia Highlands Community College library was the only library I saw that was a little bit intimidating. It was a little bit hard to find, even though I'd been there before. The library and the Theatre are in the same building, and I've had the pleasure of attending a concert or two there. When I walked in, the building was fairly empty, only a few people scattered about.

I'd been in the library before. When I was a senior in high school, I took tutoring for my chemistry class in that building, but had never gotten to explore it until this assignment. I found the website fairly easy to navigate, and there were plenty of books, and not just reference books.

The building comprised itself of two stories, only one of which contains the library. The library consists of computers, including free wifi throughout the library and its building.

What a fun journey exploring the libraries that have shaped my life! I have enjoyed all of the research I conducted during this process, and cannot wait to learn more!

References

Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. 2. https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf

Home | Lebanon Primary School. (n.d.). Russell County Public Schools. Retrieved June 20, 2026, from https://www.russell.k12.va.us/o/lps

Virginia Highlands Community College Library. (n.d.). Retrieved 6 20, 2026, from https://www.vhcc.edu/library

Washington County Public Libraries. (n.d.). Homepage - Washington County Public Library System. Retrieved June 20, 2026, from https://www.wcpl.net/

Large, K (2026, June 18) Washington County Public Library Children's Section [Photograph]. Personal Collection

Large, K (2026, June 19) Lebanon Primary School Library Mural [Photograph]. Personal Collection

Large, K (2026, June 19) Virginia Highlands Community College Library [Photograph]. Personal Collection