All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

UCPL, Gibson libraries detail plans to expand services, resources

BUCKHANNON – The Upshur County Public Library and the Charles W. Gibson library are hoping to expand their resources and services for the community.

Paul Norko, director of the Upshur County Public Library and Catherine Norko, director of the Charles W. Gibson Library, attended the May 18 Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur meeting to update the members on upcoming changes and additions to their programming.

“We are trying to reach people of all ages, all reading levels and trying to get everyone to enjoy the reading and have a verified and trusted source of information,” Paul Norko said. “We’ve also started doing a few new things. Just recently, we started a hotspot lending program for mobile internet, and we also just restarted our in-person story times, although we’re doing those outdoors. Our first one was last Thursday, so those are every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. weather permitting, of course.”

Paul Norko said the Library Board recently designed a new five-year plan, with an emphasis on working with the Upshur County Board of Education.

“I really want to see every school-aged child have the ability to utilize and access the library; I want them all to have library cards,” Paul Norko said. “We’re also hoping to bring other technology, if we can get some sustainable funding, we’re hopeful to increase digital services that we provide, such as ancestry.com or tutoring.”

He also hopes to expand the selections at the Upshur County Public Library.

“What we’ve been buying is great, but not everyone reads the same thing, so we’re trying to find new authors, different topics that are timely and relevant to our patrons, because it’s really what the patrons want but I’m not a mind reader, so I don’t know what everyone wants,” Paul Norko said.

The Gibson Library has revamped their space since the initial lockdown transpired last year.

“When I started in 2019, we were having a difficulty with too many materials – we had books in the aisles, books in the walkways, books in crates and books in the windows,” Catherine Norko said. “If there was a new book, we probably had it, and it was a great feel for our library, because it feels like that bookstore that you go to, but it’s not so great with the fire department, so we spent the last year-and-a-half slimming ourselves down so now we can walk around the building and feel comfortable.”

She said her main goal since reopening was reconnecting with the community and offering programs in which local children would be interested.

“I have a neighborhood of school kids, and I think the very first day I was here, I watched all of them get off the bus and all of them just kept walking right on by the building, so I’m working on building collections and programs that will excite kids and bring them in, which we’re just now we’re getting ready to unveil in the next month or so,” Catherine Norko said. “We’re working on improving our computer public computers, as well as our internet access, too.”

She also announced that Gibson would offer its first summer reading program beginning June 14.

“I asked around and nobody could remember the last time we offered a summer reading program, so apparently we’ve been letting Upshur County (Public Library in Tennerton) do the work and get all the credit,” Catherine Norko said. “Their program is great, but what if you can’t get out to Tennerton? But now you if you can get out to Tennerton and you can come here – you can do both.”

Stay tuned to the UCPL’s Facebook page as well as the Charles W. Gibson Library’s social media.

Share this story:

RECENT Stories

B-U tennis teams earn split in road outing with Fairmont Senior

The Buckhannon-Upshur tennis teams split matches against Fairmont Senior, with the boys falling 5-2 and the girls securing a 6-1 victory in Big 10 Conference play at East Marion Park.

Lady Bucs gain three wins at weekly home track meet

The Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Bucs secured three event victories, including two relays and the long jump, and finished second overall at their home track meet with 141 points against seven competing teams.

Track and Field Bucs win five events in weekly home meet

The Buckhannon-Upshur track and field Buccaneers won five events, including three individual and two relay victories, during their weekly eight-team home meet, with several athletes also earning runner-up and top-six finishes.

Lacrosse Bucs have easy time in 21-3 win over Preston

The Buckhannon-Upshur boys lacrosse team dominated Preston 21-3, with ten Bucs scoring and a decisive 40-5 shot advantage, improving their season record to 4-3.

Moss has five goals as Lady Bucs down Fairmont Senior 12-1 in lacrosse action

Mallory Moss scored five goals to lead the Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Bucs to a dominating 12-1 lacrosse victory over Fairmont Senior, improving their season record to 4-2.
WVWC Track - Wesleyan Sports

Wesleyan softball gets split with West Virginia State

West Virginia Wesleyan softball split a doubleheader with West Virginia State, winning the opener 5–1 behind Kendall Stoffel’s dominant pitching before dropping the second game 8–7 after a late comeback effort fell short.

City considers using opioid abatement money to support new Wesleyan addiction counseling initiative

Buckhannon City Council agreed to partner with West Virginia Wesleyan College to support a new online graduate certificate in addiction counseling, potentially using opioid litigation settlement funds to provide scholarships for local professionals.

Sheriff of Upshur County accepting applications for part-time Courthouse Security positions

The Sheriff of Upshur County is looking for individuals interested in part-time / fill-in courthouse security positions, with applications available at the courthouse until positions are filled.

Softball Lady Bucs rally past Bridgeport in seventh-inning for 9-8 win; Abel grand slam lifts them to 13-7 victory over Elkins

The Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Bucs softball team earned Big 10 Conference wins over Bridgeport with a dramatic seventh-inning rally and Elkins with an Abel grand slam, improving their season record to 8-6.

Baseball Bucs beat Lewis County 7-3; put 20 on the scoreboard in victory over Elkins

The Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneers baseball team went 2-1 this week, beating Lewis County 7-3 and Elkins 20-10 after falling to Bridgeport, bringing their overall record to 6-5.

Baseball ‘Cats rally to sweep Bluefield State in doubleheader

The West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats swept a doubleheader against Bluefield State, winning 10-2 behind a dominant offense in game one and rallying for an 8-7 comeback victory in game two.

Woman arrested for allegedly stealing jewelry while cleaning homes in Upshur County

A French Creek woman was arrested and charged with multiple counts of burglary and grand larceny after allegedly stealing more than $70,000 in jewelry and cash while cleaning homes in Upshur County.