ELLOREE, S.C. — The Mentor Branch library is a hidden gem in Elloree on Cleveland Street.
“I think people, they knew it was here but they didn’t know it was here," said library manager Deb Jenkins.
It temporarily closed this fall due to remodeling. Jenkins says the library has been open since the 1950's, and it was time for an upgrade.
Now there's a children's section.
“We have a lot of older people, we wanted to bring the youth in," said Jenkins.
They want to bring even more children through their doors in the New Year by collaborating with the Holly Hill library for story times.
“We have a lot of younger children. So we’re gonna try with that cause we have a little courtyard outside that we can do that outside and then there’s the weather also," said Jenkins.
There are also computers, a printing station, and notarizing.
The facility is now wheelchair accessible.
“It wasn’t accessible for people so we flipped the library and put the adult books downstairs so there’s no steps for them to get in and they can just come in at their own leisure," said Jenkins.
She says since its reopening, more families are coming in to read with their children, and she's hoping that number will continue to grow.