The West Virginia Archives and History Library Reading Room in the Cultural Center on the Capitol Complex in Charleston, WV, is scheduled to close June 8 through June 19, 2009, for painting and for installation of new carpet and window blinds. A bank of lockers and a restroom for Library patron use will also be installed outside the Library entrance door. The Archives and History Library staff will be available for telephone and e-mail consultation during this time. Keep an eye on our Web site at http://www.wvculture.org and your local media for announcements. Plans are subject to change. Particularly if you are making a special trip or traveling a distance to visit us around these dates, we urge you to call us at (304) 562-0230 before coming to ensure that the Library will be open to serve you that day.

The addition of the lockers will allow some changes in Reading Room usage policies for the greater security and preservation of West Virginia Archives and History Library collections. As in most archival libraries, patrons will be required to leave personal items in lockers while researching in the Reading Room. Patrons will also be requested to wash their hands in the adjacent new rest room before handling collections. Once the new policies have been finalized, they will be posted on our Web site, http://www.wvculture.org/history, and published in Archives and History News.