DOVER, Del. (WBOC) - Dover Air Force Base is closing its library. The facility's last day is Feb. 28.
The library serves airmen, their families and other people connected to the base.
"[We're] transforming from the brick and mortar building and skinnying it down to rely on our virtual resources," said Lt. Colonel Matt Orlowsky, commander of the base's force support squadron.
Orlowsky points to money as part of the reason for the closure.
"We're looking at ways to ultimately provide things leaner, and certainly funding is a part of that."
Airmen use the library for a number of tasks, like to do work necessary to get promotions.
Part of what they'll have to do in the absence of the base library is go to the Dover and Kent County Public Libraries. Hilary Welliver, director of the Kent County Library, expects to see more traffic at her already busy facility. She says one difficulty is they're not overly familiar with the needs or interest of military personnel and their families.
"So, we haven't tailored our collection - as we do for the rest of the Kent County community - to reflect their needs and interests," she said. "We'll need to play some catch up on that."
Welliver expects to be able to handle it.
Margie Cyr, director of the Dover Public Library, says she feels bad for people on base, who are losing their library. But she welcomes them to come use the resources at her library.
Orlowsky says some of the base library's resources, like kids books and education materials, are staying at the base. They are just moving to other locations.
"We find it as a better way of delivering the service," he said.
He expects different moved resources will be in place by late March. And Orlowsky says the library's four staffers have been offered jobs elsewhere on base.
