By A. Lee Chichester

Andrew Carnegie once said, “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert.”
And so it can be said by many who have found themselves travelling all over America. No matter how far they roam, and no matter how remote the area they visit, noting the location of the nearest library can often mean the difference between being disconnected, or being able to reach out to loved ones. Using a library’s free wi-fi, or even their computers, allows many travelers to rest in comfort while reassuring their loved ones that all is well.
Within communities, these same services are crucial to impoverished families and individuals who may need to connect digitally with utilities, special services, and medical facilities. Whether travelling or exploring closer to home, a public, community library is so much more than books.
Now called the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library (JPML), Floyd’s local public library would not exist if not for the members of the 1969 Floyd Woman’s Club who first explored the pros and cons of creating a library to serve the county. Mrs. Homer Robinette chaired the committee, appointed by Woman’s Club President, Mrs. Warren Lineberry.
Their research lasted three long years, during which they learned how other library systems worked, how they were funded, what they offered their communities, and by whom they were staffed and organized. Much of their time was spent living up to the club motto, ‘Who Faints Not, Achieves’, as they covered many miles and hours, seeking sources of funding and explaining the potential benefits of a library to the citizens of Floyd County. To grow county-wide awareness, they not only attended but also hosted many meetings on the subject of establishing a library.
The group’s efforts were rewarded in the Autumn of 1972 when the Town of Floyd Council members offered a portion of the Town House, then located behind the fire station, to be used as temporary headquarters for the nascent library. (Left: Town Council’s Town House, the location of the first library in Floyd County, opened in 1973. Credit: Floyd Press, March 13, 1986, pg. 6)
But a building does not a library make. Donations of books, desks, chairs, shelves, and carpet, as well as volunteer time from countless locals, helped to create Floyd County’s first library. It opened in March of 1973, operating twenty-one hours a week, managed by volunteers. Soon, however, the volunteers asked for assistance from the Virginia State Library (VSL). The VSL sent a consultant to help with cataloguing all the new books and materials that had been donated to the growing collection.
(right: Photo in the Floyd Press showing Mrs. Warren Lineberry and Mrs. Homer Robinette unloading the first box of books donated to the library.)
Because the library was able to stay open twenty-one hours a week, the unpaid staff were eligible to access Commonwealth resources, such as their film library and the inter-library loan system. In 1974, through its ongoing affiliation with the VSL, Floyd’s library was able to join the existing Regional Library System which was based in Montgomery County. In 1975, the Floyd library moved from the Town House to the basement of the Floyd County Courthouse.
Local ceramics artist and voracious reader, Silvie Granatelli, moved to Floyd in 1981. Her mother had been a research librarian, and so a love of books was very much part of her upbringing. This, along with her extensive library experience, is what made Floyd’s courthouse basement offering one of the first stops she made after arriving in her new community.
“As a creative person,” says Granatelli, “libraries have always been critical to my life and work. I met [librarian] Pamela Cadmus, who asked what I was looking for. I told her I liked historical fiction set in foreign countries. She introduced me to ‘The Sea, The Sea’ by Iris Murdoch. I loved it and kept going back for everything by that author. Knowing what kinds of things I’d be looking for, Pamela always had a stack of books waiting for me.”
At that time, Cadmus was Floyd Library’s third paid librarian. The first had been Lucy Berry, followed by Sue Davis. Cadmus continues her involvement with the library through her current position as President of the Floyd County Library Building Fund, Incorporated (FCLBF), which is a nonprofit funding group supporting the library’s activities, not limited to buildings and expansions.
“When the library moved out of the courthouse basement in early 1986,” says Granatelli, “they began to do more children’s programming. Pamela asked me if I could present a talk on cooking. I asked what kind and she answered ‘Hawaiian’. I had to use the library to figure out how to cook Hawaiian, since I knew nothing. I found a dish called a ‘pu-pu platter’, and thought the kids would love the name, at least. They did and it was a hit!”
Like many new residents in communities across the country, Granatelli discovered connections to people and places, not only through visits to the local library, but also though the programs they offered.
“It turned out to be a way for me to integrate into the wider community,” she says. “I still go to the library as a treat for myself. Everything is quiet and orderly, and while I rarely check out novels any longer, I typically do research on gardening, travel, cooking, and art from foreign cultures, especially when I feel frustrated with my work. I feel better almost immediately at the library, and I get inspired there.”
Today’s Jessie Peterman Memorial Library proudly occupies its own building at 321 West Main Street, and rests on 2.37 acres of land that was once the location of Jessie Peterman’s former home. Her niece, Marguerite Tise, donated the land in 1982 as part of the library fundraising effort.
Jessie Peterman was born the 26th of July 1879. Early in her life, Jessie earned a teaching degree in 1897, then taught school for five years. She then went back to college, attending National Business College and School of Shorthand in Roanoke. On June 30, 1904, she became the first female graduate from that College, and for several years afterward, she was employed at the Floyd County Clerk’s Office. After that, she became a secretary at the law firm of Joseph E. Proffit and Kyle Weeks.

Jessie was also active in the Floyd community, helping to induct Floyd County draftees in WWI and WWII. She also played a major role in setting up the Office of Economic Opportunity during the Johnson administration, making sure that newly created jobs were made available to those who needed them. She also served as secretary of the County Electoral Board for more than thirty years and was also involved with local Red Cross blood drives.
In addition to her career and civic activities, Jessie Peterman was also a noted county historian. She had an outstanding memory and knew Floyd County like a book. The information she collected and shared has proved invaluable to even current local historians.
Jessie Peterman died on June 2, 1977, at the age of ninety-seven. Marguerite thought it would be a fitting tribute to her lifetime of activities and achievements to have Floyd’s library built on the spot where Jessie had spent a portion of her life.
Construction on the new building was completed in December of 1985, and Floyd’s new Jessie Peterman Memorial Library opened its doors to the public early in 1986. The existing building was then expanded in 2007, and the expanded building was dedicated and opened in June of 2008.
(From Left to Right: Back Row: Lisa Thompson, Rachel Belcher, Linessa Wheeler, Ann-Margaret Shortt, and Cheryl Mackian. Front Row: Joann Verostko, Debbie Munzing, and Eydie Clifton.)
Now just a few blocks west of downtown Floyd, the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library boasts 5,823 registered library users, sixty-eight of whom were newly signed up during July, alone! They circulated 7,316 items during July of 2022, as compared with 1,457 during September of 1978. July of 2022 also saw the library go officially fine free! This means the library no longer charges fines for late returns.
Floyd’s library has also joined another initiative sweeping across the nation. Food pantries and refrigerators are being set up at many of the country’s libraries, offering free food to children and families in need. In Floyd, the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library partners with Plenty! in this effort. The program is called the Floyd Free Fridge, and during its first month of operation, 933 pounds of food were given away. This included locally grown fresh vegetables.
During the shutdowns, library staff began a ‘Take-and-Make’ crafts program for both adults and children. Continuing to this day, the program first involves the design of a craft project. Materials and instructions are then collected in take-home bags. While supplies last, anyone who asks may take the kit home and enjoy the project.
Among adults, the library’s gardening and houseplant programs are especially popular. They are offered in partnership with local professionals, as well as through peer ‘swap’ events. For the younger crowd, Jessie Peterman Memorial Library is partnering with the Master Gardeners/VTExtension to deliver a three-month program that will certify Junior Master Gardeners. At this time of this article, eleven Floyd youngsters are enrolled.
In partnership with the Floyd Drug Court, which offers alternatives to incarceration for folks with substance issues, the library also offers a major outreach program for underserved citizens. The purpose is to inform participants of resources available through the library. For example, by partnering with the Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley, the library is working to offer financial literacy classes to Drug Court participants.
A program further seeking to assist this underserved population is offered every Tuesday at 3:00 pm, involving the 401 Peer Center in Radford. It provides certified Peer Recovery Specialist counseling to those with a substance use disorder and/or mental health challenge.
Of course, the Department of Motor Vehicles also offers their services at Jessie Peterman Memorial Library, two days out of every month.
“It’s a wildly popular partnership,” says Assistant Branch Manager, Lisa Thompson. “Of all the questions we take over the phone, the days and hours when the DMV will be working out of our Community Room are the most frequent.”
Digital services have also been made available to library patrons. There are free apps on the eLibrary tab of the JPML website where patrons can listen to and read books, as well as borrow films. Also via the website, anyone with a library card number can access free legal resources, homework help, and in some cases, live homework assistance. There are genealogical resources, foreign language tutelage, and much, much more. The Jessie Peterman Memorial Library has brought resources and programs to Floyd County that match the needs of 21st century living.
Throughout the history of Floyd’s library, the organization that has made most of the progress possible is the Floyd County Library Building Fund, Inc. (FCLBF). Just last year, that group also supported the digitization of Floyd Press issues from 1902 through 1982.
(right: Board of the Floyd County Library Building Fund Back row: Susan McCrea, Laurel Pritchard, Gino Williams, and Dale Profitt. Front row: Pamela Cadmus, Geri Mattern, Betty Lineberry. Not pictured: Bill Gardner)
In addition, the FCLBF consistently supports various community needs, such as outreach, material acquisition, and digitization. FCLBF will be launching their annual donor campaign this fall and has its own tab on the JPML website where supporters can learn more. Visit online at www.mfrl.org/floydendowment.php.

Jessie Peterman Memorial Library • 540-745-2947
321 W. Main Street, Floyd VA • Branch Manager Joann Verostko
Pamela Cadmus • sgd@swva.net