Jacksonville Public Library

Jacksonville Public Library is a Printing Service in Jacksonville, AL. It holds a rating of 4.40 based on customer reviews. The library provides printing services alongside its core mission to select, organize, preserve, and make freely available library materials, programs, and services that aid the community in the pursuit of education, information, and leisure-time activities.

The Jacksonville Public Library began in 1957 as part of the Calhoun County Library when the Town and Realty Company provided an 8 foot by 17 foot space for the collection of books. A high school student was employed as librarian and paid by the Jacksonville Book Club. In 1958 more clubs agreed to participate in a building fund and the library moved into city hall. In 1959, the library expansion continued with a move into the recreation center. In 1963, Mrs. A. C. Shelton was appointed librarian to keep the library open 20 hours per week instead of the previous nine. The first month this new facility was open, 50 books were checked out.

In 1983-1984 the library doubled its floor space by moving from the recreation center to the old post office building, which was built of white Alabama marble in 1940. In 1984 the library boasted a circulation of 39,112 under the leadership of librarian Kathryn Childress. In 2011, the library expansion continued with the addition of the annex, which includes a much needed elevator. With the new space, the library began offering more classes and programs for all ages in addition to all the programs that had been hosted off-site for several years. The library has continued emphatic growth in membership, collection size, programs, and circulation. The Library Board is an advisory board that consists of four community members appointed by the City Council and one City Councilperson liason.

The library maintains a History Room that contains books by Alabama authors, books about Jacksonville and surrounding areas and its residents, local clubs' yearly scrapbooks, Jacksonville State University annuals, and a vertical file of local families and history. The room also houses The Jacksonville News from November 1936 on microfilm in addition to hard copies from recent years. The library houses the Pelham Papers, a collection of original documents and research material focusing on the life and career of Major John Pelham, provided by the John Pelham Historical Association. Digital copies of historical photos and the Pelham Family archives, digitized by Jacksonville State University Houston Cole Library staff, are available online. Visitors seeking assistance with the Pelham files or research in the History Room may make an appointment to be accompanied by a staff member.

Jacksonville Public Library serves as a vital resource for printing needs and historical research in Jacksonville, AL, supporting the community's educational and informational goals.

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