On Monday, Feb. 8, the City of Roanoke held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Crystal Spring EBranch. Located at 229 Crystal Spring Ave., the EBranch is Roanoke’s first 24-hour, 7-day-a-week library. This new library service point is the culmination of years of planning. More than 15 years ago, Roanoke Public Libraries asked neighborhoods in the City to identify areas in need of additional library services, and South Roanoke was one of those areas. Because of this, the Libraries’ capital improvement plan, which resulted in renovations of library facilities across the City, has included a library service point for South Roanoke from the beginning.
It was only in recent years that innovative technology brought a new option for the neighborhood: The LibDispenser. This revolutionary device, created by MK Solutions, a company based out of Germany, is the first of its kind anywhere in Virginia. The LibDispenser allows users to check out books and DVDs from its collection of new and classic items. Users may also request items from other libraries around the region, and Library staff will deliver them to the EBranch for pickup. All of these services are available at any time, allowing residents to stop by the EBranch on their morning walk, on the way back from dinner, or after finishing a late shift.
For more information about the EBranch, contact Sheila Umberger, Director of Roanoke Public Libraries, at [email protected].
