In 2013, the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the Board of Education was no longer obligated to fund the libraries. Later in 2013, the Board agreed to host a levy that would include one-eighth of the total, or $3 million for the libraries. The levy failed, undoubtedly in part because of the ironic twist that the acting school board president campaigned against the levy, saying people were taxed too much as is.

The results of these losses have been severe. Engelbert said that keeping up the strong tradition of services has been the primary goal during these lean times, but it has meant big challenges for a barebones staff, which is shaved down to 42 from a former 160 positions. “If somebody catches a cold,” says Englebert, “we have big problems.”

The reach and workload of the library is vast; they serve a population of 192,000 residents in Kanawha County, including 127,000 library card holders. (Students are automatically issued library cards.) There are 10 branches of the library and a traveling bookmobile that serves rural areas.

Kanawha County Public Library

The close, critical relationship between the libraries and the schools, which includes 46 school libraries, can be labor intensive. For example, teachers can request supplementary teaching materials like books, DVDs, and other extras for lessons and projects, which librarians assemble and pack up for deliveries to the schools. And last summer, the library ran a comprehensive Farm-to-Table program for 3,000 kids. You can see lots more of the library activities on their Facebook page.

The libraries are also a pillar of tech support for adults. A U.S. Department of Commerce commissioned report from 2013 demonstrates that West Virginians need that support. Some 35 percent of West Virginia households do not have a computer at home (trailed only by Mississippi). And some 41 percent of West Virginia households do not have broadband internet connections (trailed by New Mexico and Mississippi). Furthermore, more Internet users without computers at home report going to the public libraries for access than anyplace else.

If you need more convincing that these services are necessary, listen to this human story: One early morning before the library opened, a man was spotted settled in outside over behind the dumpsters—the dumpsters!—working on his laptop. He had found a strong library wifi signal right there, and was getting some work done while the library was still closed.

And there is more to do: Maintaining the holdings of the library, like data bases, magazines, music, foreign language learning programs, not to mention books—and staffing the ask-a-librarian general research help. Conducting classes, clubs, events, and demos of all sorts. The list is so long; you can find it on the newly-launched website.