Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System

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Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System
Main Library, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 2021-10-09, TJ 01.jpg
Northeast façade of the Main Library
Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System
34°13′25″N92°00′13″W / 34.223567°N 92.00368°W / 34.223567; -92.00368 Coordinates: 34°13′25″N92°00′13″W / 34.223567°N 92.00368°W / 34.223567; -92.00368
Type Public library system
Established1979(44 years ago) (1979)
Reference to legal mandateInterlocal Agreement between the City of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County creating the "Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System" (August 1979)
Location600 South Main Street,
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.
Service area Jefferson County, Arkansas
Branches
  • Altheimer Public Library
  • Cothran Memorial Libraryy
  • Dave Burdick Library
  • Dr. Cora Economos Library
Collection
Items collectedBooks, journals, newspapers, magazines, official publications, sheet music, sound and music recordings, databases, maps, postage stamps, prints, drawings, manuscripts and media.
Size100,000 (2016)
Access and use
Access requirementsReading rooms – free.
Population served77,000 (2016)
Other information
DirectorRicky Williams
Website pineblufflibrary.org

The Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System (PBJCLS) is a public library system in Jefferson County, Arkansas, with the main library at Pine Bluff. It is housed in five buildings in the county. Its functions are overseen by the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System Board of Trustees. [1]

Contents

History

In 1979, an interlocal agreement was established between the City of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County, creating the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. [2] A proposal to make a $16 million bond, funded by a 3 mill increase of property taxes for a 30 year period, was approved by voters in 2016. In 2020 a proposal to increase property taxes by .25-mill for the library branches was approved. [3] The proposal also established a system of curbside service for its branch libraries. [4]

Main library

The Pine Bluff Public Library is located at 600 South Main Street and includes the Ann Lightsey Children's Library; it also maintains the Bill Carr Memorial Room. [5] The main library has an extensive collection of genealogy materials, and more than 20 computers for the public to use, many with Internet access. [2]

The library was established in 1913 as a library association with the generous support of the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. [2] In 2016 a flood affected the old library building. Another flood occurred in 2017 due to a faulty pump. [3] The new library opened in 2020 at a cost of $10,500,000. [6] The library building has ~35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of space. [3]

Branches

Altheimer Public Library

The Altheimer Public Library is located at 222 South Edline in Altheimer. Established in 2001, it was built on a 1-acre (0.40 ha) tract of land sold by the Altheimer Unified School District to Jefferson County for $3,784. [7] Identical to the Cothran Memorial Library, it has ~3,500 square feet (330 m2) of space. [8]

Cothran Memorial Library

The Cothran Memorial Library, also known as the Redfield Public Library, is located at 310 South Brodie Street in Redfield. Established in 1999, it is named for Leenita Sue Gober Cothran, a local resident killed in a vehicle accident. The library building has ~3,500 square feet (330 m2) of space. [9]

Dave Burdick Library

The Dave Burdick Library, also known as the Watson Chapel Public Library, is located at 4120 Camden Road in the Watson Chapel neighborhood of Pine Bluff. It is named for a former library director. [10]

Dr. Cora Economos Library

The Dr. Cora Economos Library, also known as the White Hall Public Library, is located at 300 Anderson Avenue in White Hall. Established in 1979, it is named for a former library director. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, Arkansas</span> County in Arkansas, United States

Jefferson County, Arkansas is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas in the area known as the Arkansas Delta that extends west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson County consists of five cities, two towns, and 20 townships. The county is bisected by the Arkansas River, which was critical to its development and long the chief transportation byway. In 2020, Jefferson County's population was estimated at 67,260. Its county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff. Jefferson County is included in the Pine Bluff metropolitan statistical area. The county seat and the most populous city is Pine Bluff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altheimer, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Altheimer is a city in Plum Bayou Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas. It is situated on the Union Pacific Railway, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Pine Bluff. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 984, down from 1,192 at the 2000 census. As of 2018 the estimated population was 829.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Bluff, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combined Statistical Area. The population of the city was 49,083 in the 2010 Census with 2019 estimates showing a decline to 41,474.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redfield, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Redfield is a small city in the Pine Bluff metropolitan area of northwestern Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is situated on the Union Pacific Railway (UP) and is approximately 23 miles (37 km) south of Little Rock, the state capital. As of the 2020 census, Redfield has a population of 1,505.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherrill, Arkansas</span> Town in Arkansas, United States

Sherrill is a town in Plum Bayou Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 84 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabbaseka, Arkansas</span> Town in Arkansas, United States

Wabbaseka is a town in Dunnington Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 255 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Carr</span> American sprinter

William "Bill" Arthur Carr was an American athlete and double Olympic champion in 1932. Called the "Arkansas flyer," Carr never lost a race during his college and Olympic career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Bluff metropolitan area</span>

The Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a three-county region in southeast Arkansas, anchored by the city of Pine Bluff. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 100,258. The metro area's population declined by 12.47% between 2010 and 2020, more than any other metropolitan area in the United States. It is also a component of the larger Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR Combined Statistical Area which had 902,443 people in the census estimates of 2014.

Pine Bluff High School (PBHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. It, a part of the Pine Bluff School District, is the largest of three public high schools in the Pine Bluff city limits and four public high schools in Jefferson County. Established in 1868, the school's interscholastic sports programs are one of the nation's most successful with a football national championship and one of the state's highest number of state championships in football, baseball and track and field.

Watson Chapel is a neighborhood in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is located at the fork of U.S. Route 79 and Highway 54, directly southwest of downtown Pine Bluff.

Dollarway School District No. 2 (DSD) was a school district headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. With over 1,600 students and employing more than 300 educators and staff, the district had three active school campuses at the end of its life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Dick, Arkansas</span> Unincorporated community in Arkansas, United States

Lake Dick is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Lake Dick is northeast of Pine Bluff and south of Altheimer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucker, Arkansas</span> Census-designated place in Arkansas, United States

Tucker is an Unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Arkansas. It has an elevation of 226 ft and is located 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Little Rock. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 95.

Jefferson, also known as Jefferson Springs, is an unincorporated community in the Pine Bluff metropolitan area of northwestern Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is situated on the Union Pacific Railway (UP), 15.5 miles (24.9 km) northwest of Pine Bluff, the county seat, and is the home of the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR).

Wright is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Wright is located on Arkansas Highway 256, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west-northwest of Sherrill. Wright has a post office with ZIP code 72182.

New Gascony, also known as Barraqué Landing, is an unincorporated community in Jefferson county, Arkansas, 13 miles (21 km) west of Pine Bluff, the county seat. It was founded by Antoine Barraqué, a 19th-century landowner, on November 29, 1832, and named for the Gascony region of France.

Sweden is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Sweden is located on Arkansas Highway 88, 16.1 miles (25.9 km) east of Pine Bluff. On January 22, 2012, an EF2 tornado struck Sweden, damaging grain bins and metal buildings; the tornado continued to a point northeast of Lodge Corner in Arkansas County.

Dollarway High School is a comprehensive public high school in northwest Pine Bluff, Arkansas that serves grades 9 through 12. It is one of three public high schools in Pine Bluff and is a part of the Pine Bluff School District effective July 1, 2021. Prior to that point it was the only high school managed by the Dollarway School District. Within the state, the school is often referred to as Pine Bluff Dollarway. It will close as of fall 2023.

Altheimer Unified School District No. 22, previously the Altheimer-Sherrill School District, was a school district headquartered in Altheimer, Arkansas. It served Altheimer, Sherrill, Wabbaseka, and other portions of Jefferson County, including the unincorporated areas of Lake Dick, New Gascony, Pastoria, Plum Bayou, Sweden, Tucker, and Wright. The district in the 1993-2006 period had 333 square miles (860 km2) of territory.

Pastoria, also known as Pastoria Township, in an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas. It lost population to Sherrill, Arkansas after a rail line bypassed it in the 19th century.

References

  1. ↑ "Pine Bluff Public Library". Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021. The Pine Bluff Library is Governed by a Board of Trustees, with six members appointed by the City of Pine Bluff, and five members appointed by the County Judge. The Mayor and the Judge each appoint one member each year.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pine Bluff Public Library". Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Ellis, Dale (January 13, 2019). "Pine Bluff readies state-of-the-art library". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System plans curbside service". Pine Bluff Commercial. July 16, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Carr Memorial Room". Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021. William Arthur (Bill) Carr was the first Arkansan to win two gold medals in the same Olympic games, setting new records for track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles, California, Olympics. At the age of twenty-one, he set an Olympic record of 46.2 seconds in the 400-meter sprint, which stood until 1948, when it was tied. In 1954, he was named to Sports Illustrated's All-Time Olympic Team.
  6. ↑ Ellis, Dale (December 1, 2020). "New $10.5M flagship library opens". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Altheimer Unified School District No. 22 Jefferson County, Arkansas General Purpose Financial Statements and Other Reports June 30, 2001." Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, Arkansas Legislature. Retrieved on August 2, 2017. page 3 (PDF p. 5/22).
  8. ↑ "Altheimer Public Library". Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Redfield Public Library". Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Watson Chapel Public Library." Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  11. ↑ "White Hall Public Library." Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
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