Several key changes set to take place for the Cullman County Public Library in the coming weeks which will both shake up its leadership and help provide guidance for the library’s future.

The Cullman County Library Board has already undergone notable transitions within the last several months alone. In August, policy revisions were adopted which require parental consent before anyone younger than the age of 18 is issued a library card as part of new state-mandated stipulations local libraries must meet in order to receive supplemental funding. During the board’s meeting Thursday, Oct. 3, library director Amber Thornton reported the library had also closed for one day last month to recategorize its Young Adult section, also in an effort to meet those stipulations.

Thornton said the entirety of the library’s Young Adult Fiction section — targeted toward those between the ages of 12 and 18 — had been removed and relabelled as Fiction.

Thrornton also reported that after months of setbacks, the Cullman County Commission was prepared to open bids for the library’s new book-mobile during its upcoming meeting.

A previously approved bid for the book-mobile was ultimately rejected after it was discovered that the required specifications were not met.

One of the more significant announcements made during Thursday’s meeting was that the commission also planned to formally nominate Cullman County District Judge Martha Williams as District Judge Rusty Turner’s replacement on the board at its upcoming meeting.

Each board member serves in alternating four-year cycles and Thornton said she was excited about the board continuing to have a member with legal expertise on the board as Turner’s term comes to an end.

Williams will quickly experience the first major public engagement in her new board position less than a week after her nomination when the board holds its first community input session for the planned library renovations.

The meeting will take place at Cullman City Hall Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thornton said instead of a formal meeting, the atmosphere will be much more relaxed and allow anyone hoping to provide input to come and go at their leisure.

Several stations will be set up in and around the city hall auditorium and members of the project’s architectural team will be in attendance to answer questions and receive feedback.

The results of the community meeting will be unveiled later this year during what Thornton described as a “campaign kickoff” event she hoped to schedule either late November or early December. She said architects were planning to showcase a water color rendering of the new building during the event.

The board is also hoping to brainstorm different fundraising campaigns before the event which could involve local businesses and community members in the projects development.