GLASGOW, Ky. — Community members are invited to weigh in on the future of the Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library during a public meeting later this month focused on planned updates and renovations.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the library. Organizers say the session will give residents an opportunity to share input as leaders consider improvements aimed at better serving a growing community.

“One of the main things we have seen a need for is meeting space,” Library Director Ami Sandell said. “However, we are hosting this discussion to discover what our community would like to see in their library. We want to know what needs they see as being unmet and work with the county to meet them.”

Organizers emphasize that the meeting is open to anyone, whether they are regular library users or simply interested in the community’s development.

The event is part of a broader effort to ensure the library evolves alongside local needs while continuing to serve as an educational resource.

“We have seen so much growth in our county over the past few years and with that growth has come an even bigger need for library services,” Sandell said.

Due to limited space, the library has had to reduce the size of its physical collection and rely more heavily on digital resources, a shift that does not work for everyone.

“There is still a significant portion of our county that does not have reliable internet access, so using these digital resources is not always possible,” she said.

Despite those limitations, usage continues to rise, according to the library.

“There are very few places where you can access all of these things at no cost,” Sandell said.

That demand has created challenges for both programming and space. Meeting rooms are frequently booked, and staff often have to turn people away.

“We are consistently having to turn people away who would like to use our meeting space because it is always booked,” she said.

Some programs have already been adjusted to meet demand.

“Recently we have had to split our Storytime program into two separate sessions in order to accommodate all the people who want to attend,” she said.

Library staff have also seen increased use of public computers for job searches, resumes and everyday internet access.

“We have also seen more people coming in to use our computers, whether it be for writing a resume, searching for a job, printing documents, or just browsing the internet,” she said.

In addition to public-facing space, storage has become a growing concern.

“Along with meeting room space, we also lack a lot of storage space for program supplies, books in the process of being added to the collection, and book donations for the Friends of the Library, who raise money to support our mission,” Sandell said.

Feedback gathered during the meeting will be presented to the library’s board.

“All feedback from the meeting will be presented to the Library Board of Trustees who will then begin the discussion on how to proceed,” she said.

At this stage, there is no cost estimate or timeline for potential renovations.

“The Community Forum marks the beginning of a feasibility study we are conducting to determine wants and needs and what a construction project might look like,” Sandell said. “As we are in the very early stages of the process, there is no established timeline.”

For more information, the public can contact Library Director Ami Sandell at 270-651-2824 or by email at director@weldonpubliclibrary.org.