As the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System continues to lift COVID-19 restrictions, programs are returning with a mix of in-person and virtual events scheduled this summer.
“Right now, we are in phase three of reopening,” said Leah Holloway, the system’s public relations assistant.
Branches are open for patrons to browse shelves and use the computers for up to one hour at a time. Curbside pickup is still available, but people must call ahead. Books are no longer quarantined after they’ve been returned. Masks are recommended but not required, she said.
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Some popular programs are virtual, such as the annual Evenings in Appleby Gardens.
Last summer, the six-concert summer season was cancelled, she said, but this year, three concerts will be live-streamed at youtube.com/arcpls and facebook.com/arcpls. The concert line-up begins June 1 with Zanaiah Billups, a 2021 John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School graduate, who will be pursuing a degree in music from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She received the presidential music scholarship, according to a news release on the concert series.
Zanaiah Billups. Courtesy photo 
Doug Flowers. Courtesy photo 
Harcourt Waller. Courtesy photo
Doug Flowers will be in concert June 15. Flowers is a bluegrass musician and songwriter, whose “Favorites” album finished in the 2018 Top 100 list for Roots Music Report Contemporary Bluegrass.
The season winds down with Harcourt Waller, a Savannah resident, who was trained at The Peabody Conservatory of Music, The London College of Music, and St. Andrews Presbyterian College. Waller made his piano concert debut at Carnegie Hall of New York in 1987.
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All concerts will be from 8 to 9 p.m.
“The Evenings in Appleby Gardens concert series, originally known as ‘Music in the Garden,’ began in 1954 as an evolution of a former library program, a listening series for classical music at the old library headquarters,” the news release said.
Also at the library, registration is underway for the annual summer reading program, which kicks off June 1.
With a theme of Tails and Tales, the program is open to all ages from children through adults. Numerous special activities are planned at the various branches during the summer with prizes awarded. It runs through Aug. 6.
While some activities are opening, one branch is closing for renovations. The Friedman Branch Library, 1447 Jackson Rd., will temporarily close June on 7.
Upgrades include the addition of a story time area in the children’s department and a young adult space. New lighting will be added, walls will receive fresh coats of paint, and floors will receive new carpeting. Also, bathrooms will receive an update and changes will be made in some of the staff areas.
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Holloway said the goal is to reopen the branch Oct. 30.
She said patrons should not drop items off at the branch while it’s closed because no staff will be in the building. Materials may be returned to other branches.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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