Main Library

A: Any KCPL patron with a library card in good standing. You must have your physical card with you.

A: Laptops may be checked out for 3 hours. If you keep a laptop longer than 3 hours, you will be charged a fee of $1.00 per hour each hour, to a max of $20.

A:  Anywhere inside the library. Laptops cannot leave the library.

A: No. PC Reservation is not available for the laptops. They log onto a limited profile automatically and do not shut off after a time limit.

A: Yes, they are programmed to automatically connect to the KCPL Guest Wi-Fi. This is filtered like all library public computers.

A: No. At this time there is not an option for patrons to print from the laptops.

A: Yes, the laptops have HDMI ports and will work with KCPL study rooms.

A: No. Laptops are only available on a first-come, first-served basis.

A: You can only check out one laptop at a time. You may return the laptop and check out another at any point in the three-hour session.

A: You will be charged the full cost of the laptop ($943.00).

A: No. The laptops have a software that completely reimages them when logged out or shut down. This wipes all information, programs, and anything not in the original laptop setup.

A: The laptops require, at minimum, 10 minutes from the time they are returned before they will be available again. During this time the kiosk is checking the charge, resetting the laptops, and checking for software problems. The kiosk will also not release any laptop below a 30% charge.

A: You should put it back into the kiosk immediately. Any laptop returned within 5 minutes of it being checked out will pop up a survey asking if there was a problem. This information is emailed to the IT department, and it puts the laptop out of service.

A: There are buttons on the right of the kiosk screen that features both Terms of Use and FAQ. When you check out a laptop you must first click “I ACCEPT” on a screen showing the Terms of Use and state that you are fully responsible for the laptop. 

A: Green means the laptop is available for use, Yellow means the laptop is charging or being cleared, Red or a Wrench Icon means the laptop is out of service, and Grey means the kiosk believes the bay is empty.

A: The laptop needs to be pushed into any open kiosk slot until it makes the click. There is a metal rail bolted to the back of the laptop case and this rail goes up and slides into a track in the kiosk. The kiosk only marks the items as returned when the laptop is fully inserted and locked into place.

In 1908, the Women’s Kanawha Literary Club appointed a committee to organize support for a public library in Charleston, WV. A year later, these efforts gave birth to the Charleston Public Library, which housed 1,200 volumes in the YMCA building on Capitol and Washington Streets.

Throughout the early years of its existence, the Library relocated to several sites in the city – to the former manse of the First Presbyterian Church on Quarrier Street in 1912, to the basement of the YWCA on Virginia Street in 1913, to a building on McFarland and Kanawha Streets in 1914, and to the Red Cross building on the levee in 1921. The Library finally found its first permanent home in 1926, establishing itself in the old Capitol Annex building on Lee Street.

In 1934, the Library renamed itself the Kanawha County Public Library and expanded service by introducing the Book Truck and Library. New bookmobiles were purchased in 1953 and 1990, and KCPL’s current Mobile Library first hit the road in 2010.

After more than 40 years in the old Capitol Annex, KCPL moved to a new home in 1967 – Charleston’s landmark downtown federal building on Capitol Street. The interior of the former post office and federal courtroom was extensively remodeled for library use and a sculptured fountain was added to the front of the building.

In the early 1960s, KCPL began the development of branch libraries to better serve Kanawha County. The first branch was added in 1963 in St. Albans, where local citizens had started a volunteer library in 1952. Other branches followed: Cross Lanes – 1976; Glasgow – 1976; Dunbar – 1977; Elk Valley – 1977; Sissonville – 1979; and Marmet – 1980. In 1988, the local library in Clendenin was added as a branch library, and the Riverside Public Library, located at Riverside High School, began service in the fall of 1999.

KCPL’s Reimagine Your Library project broke ground in 2020, 53 years after KCPL moved into the Capitol Street location. This $32 million renovation of the Library’s iconic downtown home will add 20,000 square feet of new space and completely renovate the original building. The facelift includes an open, flowing layout, an enlarged children’s floor, more study rooms and meeting spaces, a new technology center, and a covered walkway across Summers street. Construction was completed in May 2022.