Have
you hugged your library today?
Special thanks to Ramona Stevenson and Katherine Horn
for contributing to this article
When was the last time you hugged the library? On Monday,
May 7, you will have an opportunity to do just that. In celebration of the 15th
anniversary of the Elma Ross Public Library, the library staff will host an
Open House from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served all day,
and at 4 p.m., you are invited to join the staff, board members and local
officials on the lawn where the community will gather to join hands and give
our library a much deserved hug.
The Elma Ross Public Library was the result of a gift from
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Ross. They
provided $250,000, which was matched by $125,000 from the city and an equal amount
from the county. The new library was dedicated and opened to the public on May
5, 1992, with 8,200 square feet in comparison with 1,800 square feet in the old
Carnegie Library. Since that time many changes have occurred that has brought
the library into the electronic age of the 21st century.
About 1995, the library received matching funds from the
state to purchase a computer and began bar-coding all books for an automated
system. More computers were
gradually added for public use and staff use. Four of the original computers
came through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
During this time the State of Tennessee also instituted a
management course for library directors.
The two most recent directors have completed this course, giving them
more skills for serving the citizens of Haywood County.
The Elma Ross Public Library offers many services. Along
with books and tapes, the library also offers public access to the internet and
a genealogy room for those tracing their family history. (See below for a
complete list of services.) And most importantly . . . our local library offers a
friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable staff willing to assist you and answer
any question you may have.
The first library in Brownsville was built in 1912, and
was the result of a gift of Andrew Carnegie. The library bore the Carnegie name until 1957, when it
joined the states Regional program as a member of the Shiloh Region. It then became known as the
Brownsville-Haywood County Library. The building served the community well
until the late 1980s when the 1800 square foot building was bulging at the
seams. The building was located at
121 West Main Street and now serves the Chamber of Commerce.
Library Hours
Monday: 10:00 a.m.8:00 p.m.
Tuesday- Friday: 10:00 a.m.5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 1:00 p.m.5:00 p.m.
Sunday: CLOSED
The Elma Ross Public Library offers the following:
Books - Regular Print/Large Print
Books on Tape/CD
Newspapers
Magazines
Entertainment Videos/DVD
Educational Videos/DVD
Interlibrary Loan Services
Tennessee Electronic Library - searchable database
Learn-a-Test Computer Program - for most types of testing
needs
Regional E-book and Audiobook Download System
downloadable books
Public Access Computers with Internet
Reese J. Moses-Scallions Genealogy Room - for all your
family history needs
The Elma Ross Public Library offers the following
services:
Computer Printing: $0.10 per page
Copier Printing: Single-Sided - $0.25 per page;
Double-Sided - $0.35 per page
Faxing: Local/Toll-Free Numbers - $1.00 first page and
$0.50 for additional pages; Long Distance Numbers - $3.00 first page and $0.75
for additional pages
Overdue Charges: Books - $0.05 per day per book; Videos -
$1.00 per day per video
Library cards
Any person who lives and/or works in Haywood County is
eligible to receive a library card.
The first library card is free.
There is a charge for replacement cards.
Computer Use
Computer use is a privilege, not a right. Computer use is on a first come, first
served basis. Children under the
age of 18 must have a Computer/Internet Permission Slip on file in order to use
the computers. Library staff is
trained in basic computer/internet skills, but we are by no means experts, and
will assist you as best as we can.
Friends of the Library
The Elma Ross Public Library has a very active and
supportive Friends group, whose main function is to support the library with
fundraising and community outreach efforts and to increase awareness of the
library in our community. If you
are interested in becoming a Friends member, please inquire at the circulation
desk.
Haywood County Reading Railroad
The Haywood County Reading Railroad, the locally named
chapter of the Dolly Parton Imagination Railroad program, has applications
available at the Library. We
encourage all parents with children under the age of five to sign up for this
FREE program.
Other Programs:
Toddler Time offered on the 1st and 3rd
Mondays of each month at 11 a.m.
Lunch & Learn offered on 4th Wednesdays
of each month at 12 noon (Jan. Oct)
Themed Family Nights offered occasionally throughout the
year (ex. Gingerbread
House
Family Night, Dr. Seuss Family Night, etc.)
Summer Reading Program offered each summer (June K
through 6th gr. &
July 7th through 12th gr.)
National library Week in April offer fine free week
Teen Read Week in October reading contest for teens
Current Library Staff:
Katherine Horn, Library Director, CPLM
Sherry Glidewell, Assistant Director
Ginger Hathcock, Library Clerk
Sharon Clark, Library Clerk
Kristen Rich, Library Clerk
Billie Watson, Custodian
Current Library Board Members:
Merry Bond
Mark Dyer
Jennifer Friedman
Myrna Gorman
Ray Jones
Robert Nolan
Ramona Stevenson