Iva Library Branch to Move Into New Downtown Space

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

A new library is coming to downtown Iva.

As reported earlier this year in the Anderson Observer, Anderson County, in partnership with the Town of Iva and the Anderson County Library System, will use a $500,000 grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for a new library branch downtown.

“This new facility will be a welcome addition to this wonderful community, and we expect that it will serve to encourage further redevelopment and renewal in the Town of Iva”, said Anderson County Councilmember Ray Graham. “We’d all like to thank South Carolina Commerce and the CDBG program for their invaluable assistance in support of this effort.” 

The new location will be in an existing storefront location in the Iva town square on East Front Street, directly across from the gazebo, a space once used by the Iva Fire Department. The building still has extant architectural features in place from that time, and these elements will be incorporated into the design of the new library where feasible. Their presence will help provide the type of unique environment and historical reference that makes for a very unique and special public space.

“The development of the new library branch in the facility will ensure that the old fire station continues to serve as a community benefit” said Iva Mayor Bobby Gentry. “The project enhances our ongoing efforts to revitalize our town square and offer a wide array of services and activities to area residents.” 

In addition to enhancing the Iva downtown, the project will serve to promote efforts by the Anderson County Library System to offer upgraded facilities which better serve the current needs of its clientele. 

“In the digital age, the public library is called upon to serve as much more than a repository for books”, said Julie Hart, Chair of the Anderson County Library Board. “The new Iva branch library will serve as a ‘community commons’ and provide a variety of multimedia tools for people who want to explore alternative modes of accessing information.  We believe our local libraries can, and should, function as vibrant hubs of activity and be prominent social centers in the communities they serve.” 

Renovation work is scheduled to begin by early summer 2023.

The move will also allow Anderson County School District Three to consolidate operations at their current location to include the space currently occupied by the Iva Branch of the Anderson County Library.