Leesburg library director reports busy month of exhibits, talks, donations and new cataloging

The Town of Leesburg Library Board heard a report from the library director covering recent exhibits, programs, donations and staffing changes.

The director said the library replaced exhibits this month, including a new photography exhibit and an upstairs display of Oakland-related archives. Staff also ran pop-up exhibits at Middleburg Public Library and elsewhere; the director said Middleburg logged about 53 visitors to the pop-up display. The library hosted a full Revolutionary War walking tour (attendance reduced by poor weather) and a well-attended author talk by Taylor Chamberlain that drew about 40 people, several of them new to the library. A virtual lecture on Quaker genealogy by Annette Little was recorded and briefly shared on YouTube, the director said.

The library received several material donations in March, including an 1873 letter attributed to S. Balch and an early 18th-century note from Nathaniel Adams, along with a substantial donation of military-history books from the American Battlefield Trust. The director said the Friends of the Library will run a book sale on the library lawn on April 26; excess sale items may be sent to Federal Books, a vendor that handles discarded library materials, if the Friends agree.

Staffing and collections work is also underway: a new cataloger has cleared a backlog left after a staff departure and resumed catalog projects, the director said.

The director encouraged board members to promote the library's programs and noted the library will participate in the regional "2 Lights for the Future" commemoration in April, which will include exterior illumination at the library and other locations.

Board members asked logistical and outreach questions; the director said staff will follow up with additional information as it becomes available.