Living Jackson Magazine

Bookin' In at the Local Hot Spot
Jackson County Libraries, like our bridges and parks, are hidden gems

By Priscilla Daves

Check out the libraries in Jackson County because none of them are like yours. They are the centers of their communities and that’s in large part because of their staffs.

The entire Piedmont Regional Library System has changed in the past six years since the installation of the PINES system, which effectively makes all participating libraries in the state one large lender of books. Borrow a book in Metter, return it in Commerce, and Commerce ships it back to the library of origin with no charge to the patron.

Think you won’t need to borrow a book from South Georgia? If you want an edition not available locally and a library across the state has it, it will be waiting for you at your home library in a few days. That’s progress.

Yet, since the earliest historic record of libraries, we have known that they are storehouses of treasures in written word. They are also beehives of industry as individuals use the computers to access the Internet, check e-mail messages, create documents from letters to resumes and look up dead relatives. Children wait their turns for computers in the children’s section, too. No wonder that at opening time, people are standing in line to get in and by mid-afternoon, there is a waiting list and a time limit for computer use.

Then, there are the children’s programs that range from picnics, book parties, story hours and exercise programs.

For adults there are book clubs in some, and most have community rooms that can be the only available space in town for baby and bridal showers and civic club meetings. Commerce has an investment club that meets once a month, and Braselton’s new library has a coffee shop for its Friends of the Library to raise money.

In each, the library staff is helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. While few have any formal training in library science, all are helpful to patrons.

We are going to give you a brief tour of our libraries—storehouses of precious ideas, fun books and wonderful programs, but always busy places.

BRASELTON

In October, Braselton opened the doors to its new library complete with wrap-around porches and ceiling fans designed to keep the hot summer days pleasant for those rocking in the rocking chairs drinking tea and coffee.

“We went from the ridiculous to the sublime,” said Bev Adkins, library manager for Braselton. Sublime is correct: this is a beautiful building.

Braselton’s library moved from a small house a street away. It served the community, but as the community had grown, the library tried to match the push from users. The result was a building space pushed to its limits—with hardly any room to walk between the stacks, let alone allow programming for adults and children.

With the support from the community including the Friends, the city council and State Representative Tommy Benton, a grant from Jackson EMC’s Operation Roundup (see article on page 20) and other donations, a new library arose.

There is now work space for the staff of five full- and part-time employees. Children have their own dedicated space with paintings on the wall.

Special to this library is the Friends of the Library store where they plan to sell coffee to patrons with profits going back to the library. There will be small gifts available to bring in additional book-buying money.

Some of the shelves will remain empty for a long time, Adkins said. “This community has been very generous with this library, but I hope we are not full for many years because this was a major accomplishment, and I don’t think we’ll get or need another new library for many years.”

COMMERCE

Commerce’s Friends of the Library is busy raising money to expand the Commerce Public Library again. Originally built in 1967, it was expanded 20 years later.

“About every 20 years we need more space,” said Library Manager Susan Harper.

At 9,000 square feet, the Commerce Library is still the largest in the county, and it is rapidly running out of space.

The Friends of the Library is already holding fundraisers to begin a new addition as growth and its demands put even more pressure on this community resource. Commerce has a staff of six, only two of whom are full-time.

It has a room dedicated to children’s programs and a large community room featuring art exhibits. A weekly writer’s group has met there for more than 10 years, and some of their work has been published.

Harper is the lynchpin of the Book Vine, the library’s book club, which features spirited discussions and great desserts once a month. The library also is used by Weight Watchers and investors. The community room has heavy use thanks to the support of the staff.

Children’s programming is excellent, too, including the annual summer “Wetting” where the library arranges for the Commerce Fire Department to turn its fire hoses on for children in the park. It is a toss up who has the most fun: the firemen or the children. Wednesday morning’s Kidsercise, where kids dance to fun music, is also a part of the children’s program.

As a tribute to the hospitality of this library, each December Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus visit.

JEFFERSON

Amy Carlan is the manager of Jefferson’s library, conveniently located near the Jefferson schools, which means it is a meeting place for the Jefferson children after school.

Adults love this library too, and the computers are always filled. With the number of patrons, this small

library has six staff members, some part-time and some full-time.

In the past, the city has talked about moving the public library to another location and letting the city school system take over the current library, but this library was built by the dedication of Friends of the Library and it might be a tough political sell.

Carlan is actually the town’s third librarian—she followed Donna Butler who in turn followed the beloved Emma Sue Thurmond.

Miss Emma Sue, as she was known to at least three generations of Jefferson children, fought to keep the library alive as it was shifted from one location to another: at least four moves before the current library was built. She encouraged the older children of the town to read Faulkner, Hemingway and Fitzgerald—loves that have remained with many of them. She now lives in Commerce.

MAYSVILLE

Maysville’s public library is built on the same floor plan as Jefferson’s library with room to grow as the town grows. That’s a good idea because Maysville is a growing

community with a strong support from its citizens who are both native and newcomers, but all dedicated.

Stacy Clark is relatively new to the library’s management, but she is popular in town with the patrons. She helps keep the community room an active area with frequent children’s programs and adult classes in painting and other crafts.

NICHOLSON

The Harold S. Swindle Public Library is the only library in the county named for an individual and that person was long-time Nicholson mayor Harold Swindle. Bea Pearre presides over this library, which she obviously loves.

Pearre says she is proud that this library’s community room is one of the first classrooms for the county’s immigrants to whom English is a necessary skill to learn. They have a large children’s section, and Nicholson’s history is displayed. The exhibit currently features pictures of all the men from Nicholson who have served in wars and whose pictures could be found.

The library is a strong heart for a community that has sometimes felt neglected by the rest of the county.

PENDERGRASS

Library manager Katherine Rintoul runs the Pendergrass Library, holds the city clerk’s job and works in the city court all from the same desk. The library is relatively new and is located inside city hall, a beautifully converted old home off the main road that runs through town.

Pendergrass was bypassed by the new Hwy. 129, but that has seemed to make the town more viable for businesses. Children play in the adjacent playground, which is one of the prettiest in the county, and work on computers.

TALMO

The Talmo Public Library is the county’s newest public library. Established in the home of one of the area’s historic families, the McEvers, the library has a beautiful setting with a conference and community room. The building also houses city hall. It has parking in back and one librarian, Candi Womack, but several rooms full of books, computers available for use and a good children’s section. The town just finished a children’s park in front of the library.