Mobile Public Library | |
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Established | 1902 [1] |
Location | Ben May Main Library 701 Government Street Mobile, Alabama, USA |
Branches | 10 |
Collection | |
Size | 756,000 [2] |
Access and use | |
Circulation | 1,650,000 [2] |
Population served | 474,000 [2] |
Other information | |
Director | Margie Calhoun |
Website | Mobile Public Library |
Map | |
The Mobile Public Library is a public library system primarily serving Mobile County, Alabama. The system is a department of the city of Mobile and receives funding from Mobile County and the city of Saraland. [3]
The Mobile Public Library has roots going back to the 1850s, when it was started as a subscription organization by the Franklin Society. The library was officially established as the Mobile Public Library in 1902 [1] and was originally housed in an antebellum structure at the corner of Conti and Hamilton Street. [4] The library association appealed to city leaders in the late 1910s to provide operating funds for the library, and it offered to give the city the library property if it would build a new building to house the collections. The city declined to finance the construction of a new building, but did approve operating funds on 2 April 1918.
Due to increasing public demand for a library, on 15 December 1925, the city commissioners voted to schedule a special election on a $250,000 bond issue. The voters approved the bond and, along with a gift of $30,000 from Eli H. Bernheim of New York City, the new library building was constructed. Noted Mobile architect George Bigelow Rogers designed the building in the Classical Revival style. The new structure, now known as the Ben May Main Library, was opened on 15 September 1928. [4]
The state had passed racial segregation laws at the turn of the century after disenfranchising most blacks and many poor whites in the state, excluding them from politics. Mobile's African-American community did not have access to a public library until one was completed for them in 1931; it was known as the Davis Avenue Branch. It was also designed by George Bigelow Rogers. It was funded by a city bond issue and the city's sale of the old library property on Conti Street. [4]
The Ben May Main Library building is a contributing building to the Church Street East Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 16 December 1971. [5] The system opened a new branch, the West Regional Branch, in 2002, with First Lady Laura Bush making an address. [1] Beginning in 2006, the Ben May Main Library building was restored and expanded by 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2). It was reopened on 31 May 2007. [6]
In addition to basic services, participation in several interlibrary loan systems, and internet access at all locations, the Mobile Public Library provides a range of other services. Free library cards are made available to all residents in the Alabama counties of Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Clarke, Monroe, Escambia and Conecuh. Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) cards are also made available for free at all branches.
A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookmobiles expand the reach of traditional libraries by transporting books to potential readers, providing library services to people in otherwise underserved locations and/or circumstances. Bookmobile services and materials, may be customized for the locations and populations served.
The Denver Public Library is the public library system of the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The system includes the Denver Central Library, located in the Golden Triangle district of Downtown Denver, as well as 25 branch locations and two bookmobiles. The library's collection totals more than 2 million items, including books, reference materials, movies, music, and photographs. Of that total, more than 347,000 items are in specific collections including the Western History and Genealogy Department, Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, and Reference Department holdings.
The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a city/county agency in the city of Tuscaloosa, serving a population of over 184,035 in Tuscaloosa County in the state of Alabama, United States. The library has 58,037 registered patrons that use the library on a regular basis. There are currently over 225,000 items cataloged in the system. The library has three service outlets: the Main Library, the Brown Branch and the Weaver-Bolden Branch.
Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) seeks to engage and transform people’s lives by providing equitable access to information, enrichment opportunities, and community connections via 15 facilities, online resources, and mobile library services. It is a nationally recognized system of public libraries serving a population of more than 650,000 across 2,070 square miles in El Paso County, Colorado. Pikes Peak Library District has resources for children, teens, adults, and seniors. Library resources are available in multiple languages, large print, audio, video, and electronic formats.
The Jacksonville Public Library is the public library system of Jacksonville, Florida. It primarily serves Jacksonville and Duval County, and is also used by the neighboring Baker, Nassau, Clay, and St. Johns Counties. It is one of the largest library systems in Florida, with a collection of over three million items. A division of the city government, the library has the third largest group of city employees after the city's Fire Department and Sheriff's Office. There are twenty branches and a Main Library in the system.
The Akron-Summit County Public Library was founded in 1874, and operates Main Library on South High Street and South Main Street in downtown Akron, 18 branch libraries throughout the city of Akron and Summit County, the Akron Art Library, the Project LEARN of Summit County Training Room, Mobile Services, and Project LEARN of Summit County. As of 2013, they have a lion cub mascot, named Paws.
The Fullerton Public Library (FPL), is a public library system that serves the City of Fullerton, California and its surrounding communities.
The Kitsap Regional Library is a public library system in Kitsap County, Washington. Founded in 1944, the library system serves over 260,000 Kitsap residents with nine locations across the county and through a variety of outreach services.
The North Olympic Library System (NOLS) is a junior taxing district providing public library services to all of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The Library System is governed by a five-member volunteer Board of Trustees, the members of which are appointed by the Clallam County Commissioners.
The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
The Everett Public Library (EPL) serves the residents of Everett, Washington. EPL operates a main library at 2702 Hoyt Avenue and the Evergreen branch, at 9512 Evergreen Way. The main library overlooks Puget Sound and the southern end of Whidbey Island. The library has noteworthy artworks, including works by Dudley Pratt, Ransom Patrick, Guy Anderson, Jack Gunter, and Sonja Blomdahl. The library circulates over 900,000 items per year, provides exceptional book and media collections, reference services, on-line resources, in-home library services, and programs for adults, children and families. The library's staff includes specialists in adult reference, children's books, and local history. The Everett Public Library introduced a bookmobile service in May 1924; the first of its kind in Washington state, and the second in the West. It is also one of the few public library systems in the United States that has two full-time history specialists on staff. Northwest Room co-founders Margaret Riddle and David Dilgard retired after 31 and 40 years respectively, and their positions are currently filled by Lisa Labovitch with the second role waiting to be posted.
The Alameda County Library, in Alameda County, California, is a public library system that provides services from ten branch libraries in the cities of Albany, Dublin, Fremont, Newark and Union City and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley and San Lorenzo. According to 2005/2006 statistics, the total service area represents a population of about 522,000, and annual circulation is reported to be around 5.5 million. Its headquarters are located in Fremont.
The National African American Archives and Museum, formerly known as the Davis Avenue Branch of Mobile Public Library, is an archive and history museum located in Mobile, Alabama. It serves as a repository for documents, records, photographs, books, African carvings, furniture, and special collections that relate to the African-American experience in the United States. Some of the collection was developed when the building was part of the Mobile Public Library as the Davis Avenue Branch.
The Sunnyvale Public Library is a public library in Sunnyvale, California, USA.
St. Johns County Public Library System serves the surrounding areas of St. Johns County, Florida, including St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fruit Cove, and Hastings. The library system has six branches, two bookmobiles, and offers books-by-mail service. In addition to books, periodicals, and online databases, SJCPLS offers computer access, notary services, Inter-Library Loan service, access to a Seed Library, test proctoring, and many volunteer opportunities. The library system also offers a dynamic range of programming for adults, teens, and children.
Atlantic County Library System is the county library system of Atlantic County, New Jersey. The library system is the information center in Atlantic County. The Library System includes nine branch libraries located throughout Atlantic County: Brigantine, Egg Harbor City, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway Township, Hammonton, Mays Landing, Pleasantville, Somers Point, and Ventnor. The computerized public access catalog contains over 500,000 books, audio-visual and downloadable items. Atlantic County Library System also has a bookmobile, books-by-mail, and other outreach services.
The El Paso Public Libraries is the municipal public library system of El Paso, Texas. The library serves the needs the public in El Paso, Texas, Chaparral, New Mexico and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. It consists of 14 branches and one Bookmobile service. Multiple outreach services are also available including a Homebound service.
Worcester Public Library is a public library in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1859 when local resident John Green donated his personal library to the city for public use. In 2004, the Worcester Library Foundation was established to raise funds and promote the library. In fiscal year 2009, the city of Worcester spent 1.14% ($4,817,006) of its budget on the library—some $26 per person.
The Gadsden County Public Library System is a public library system in rural Northwest Florida that serves the residents of Quincy, Havana, Chattahoochee, Gretna, Midway, and Greensboro. The library system's mission is "to serve the diverse informational and recreational needs of the people of Gadsden County, to provide quality service and programs in a comfortable setting, and to keep the public aware of these resources". They support this mission through their three locations and a bookmobile that serves the entire county.
The Oxnard Public Library is a free public library system operated by the City of Oxnard, California. It has three locations: the Downtown Main Library, the South Oxnard Branch Library, and the Colonia Branch Library.
Basic reference material and on-line tools are located at all library locations. Research materials on many subjects including business, laws and regulations, medicine, biographies, art and collectibles, colleges and careers, patents and trademarks, and travel are located at the Ben May Main Library. The system also offers telephone reference assistance, document delivery by fax, reference research appointments, and a variety of reference classes. [7]
The Local History and Genealogy Division includes works by local authors, Mobile histories, periodicals, Mobile newspapers on microfilm from 1819 to the present, city directories from 1837 onward, federal census records for most of the Southeastern United States, the Mobile Historic Development Commission's survey of historic architecture in Mobile with 10,000 images stored and indexed on CD-ROM, 10 cabinets of paper files and newspaper clippings on local subjects and the Memory Studio containing equipment used for media format conversions. [8]
This department attempts to meet the needs and interests of children and young adults through the various library collections, services and programs. Books, movie DVDs and VHS, music CDs, audiobooks, back issues of magazines, and video games are available to be checked out. Story time for young children is provided at most library locations. [7]
All branches provide handicapped access, materials, and services for patrons with disabilities. A few of the services provided are magnifying glasses, large type books, closed captioned videos, books for and about the handicapped, and instructional books and videos on sign language. In addition, recorded books on discs and cassettes and the equipment for using them are available on free loan to eligible individuals from the Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Montgomery, Alabama. [7]
The library operates a bookmobile three days a week at over 30 different stops across Mobile County. Each location is visited every three weeks.
The system consists of the Ben May Main Library, nine other locations and a Bookmobile. [9]
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