The Fort Chiswell Library hosted a blood drive to help raise money for the library.

In 2022, The American Library Association documented 1,269 requests to remove books from libraries across the United States – the most the organization ever recorded.

Bedford County opened its libraries for curbside service on May 18 and opened their doors June 1. Whether its social distancing signs, plastic dividers protecting employees or disabled computers to create distance, Bedford County libraries look different from before. Theres nothing quite like the interaction with the audience to make the program better and weve missed that, weve missed our regulars, weve missed our events, weve just missed everybody, said Golston. Upcoming events include the Mill Mountain Zoo bringing animals to the different Bedford County library branches. Roanoke County is taking a different approach when it comes to reopening libraries.