The Knox County Public Library will open eight of its 19 locations on Friday, May 29, as part of phase two of the county's reopening plan.
The library system said the locations selected to reopen will provide access to people from all areas of the county. The library said the following locations will reopen:
- Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Avenue
- Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway
- Carter Branch Library, 9036 Asheville Highway
- Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive
- Farragut Branch Library, 417 Campbell Station Road
- Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road
- Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road
- Howard Pinkston Branch Library, 7732 Martin Mill Pike
The library system said it's taken steps at these locations to keep people safe. They have been sanitized and equipped with plexiglass sneeze shields at service counters. Seating will be arranged to adhere to distancing guidelines. Public computers will not be available, but every location will have WiFi.
Libraries will isolate all returned materials for 72 hours, according to a release from the library system. Storytimes, other programs and meeting rooms will be suspended until further notice.
169 library employees were furloughed for about a month during the closure. 102 employees will return to work, and 67 will remain on furlough. 25 employees remained active during the libraries' closure.
Plans to reopen the remaining locations will come at another time.