Community Library to Open Wednesday

If College Park residents want to borrow a book, they have to turn to our neighbors, like Greenbelt or Hyattsville, where Prince George's County Memorial Library System branches operate.

That is, until Wednesday.

City resident Joe Smith noted the lack of a library in College Park, and decided to do something about it. He worked alongside other volunteers for months, cleaning up a basement room of the College Park Church of the Nazarene to get a community library up and running.

Wednesday is opening day, Smith announced on his blog, where he also answers questions about the project:

• What is a community library?
  A community library is just like any other library except that it is staffed by volunteers and does not receive regular funding from state or county government.
• Is the library affiliated with the church?
  No. The library is a separate entity. It is located within the Church of the Nazarene because the church was very supportive of what we wanted to do and was nice enought to give us the space in which to do it.

For more Q&A visit Smith's website here.

Hours of Operation (subject to change): Monday: Closed; Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.; Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.; Friday: Closed; Saturday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (first and third Sunday)

Children's Story Time: 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday

If You Want to Borrow Books: You'll need to become a "Friend of the College Park Library," by filling out a member application; show identification and proof of address; and pay a $5 membership fee. You do not need to be a resident of College Park to rent books.

Volunteers Wanted: Smith is still looking for people to help out. If you're interested, cotact him at cpcomlibrary@gmail.com.

Editor's Note: This post has been updated as the hours of operation have evolved. Joe is updating the changes here: http://www.ncpinformant.com/.