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The first
recorded history of a public library in Dadeville was in 1909 when the ladies of
the Worth While Club organized the Dadeville Library Association, a library for
the general public with a yearly membership fee of $1 dollar. This organization
collected, stored, and loaned books to members intermittently until 1938 when
the outer room of Mr. Sam Oliver's law office in the County Courthouse became
equipped to house the library. Miss Clyde Baker, of the National Youth
Association, was hired through W.P.A. to serve as librarian.
In 1939 the library,
consisting of 419 books, was moved to the Masonic building. After W.P.A.
discontinued their assistance in 1942, Miss Gladys (Judy) Berry was hired by the
City of Dadeville to serve as a part-time librarian with a monthly salary of $10
dollars.
In 1944 the Worth While Club
started a library building fund with a $100 war bond. Other bonds were purchased
from proceeds of rummage sales, card parties, silver teas, and an open-air
concert given by the Maxwell Air Force Band.
In 1945 the library moved
from the Masonic building to the Farm Security Administration building which
was located across the street from the Baptist Church. In 1945 the library was
also noted as having the highest rate of readers in the state and was selected
to be visited by other library supervisors. Miss Berry received a raise and was
now receiving $15 a month.
The old grammar school
building became home to the library in 1950 when Lee County joined Tallapoosa
County to form a regional library. The city library remained separate but
cooperated in book circulation. The first library board was appointed by
Mayor-Council in 1957. Members included Mrs. Lonie Sewell, Mrs. Grace Hooton,
Mrs. Marion Tucker, and Mrs. Jane Wilder.
Mrs. Mary Leach became
librarian in 1958 and both libraries moved in 1960 to a store building on the
south side of the Tallapoosa County Courthouse. Mrs. Eleanor Penny became
librarian in 1961 and Mrs. Roy Lockett in 1963.
By 1965 plans for a new
building to house the public library and Horseshoe Bend Regional Library were in
place. With grants from the Library Services and Construction Act ($105,600.00),
the Appalachian Regional Development Act ($22,400.00) and local funding
($32,000.00), the structure was completed in 1967 at a cost of $160,000.00.
Mrs. Louise Oliver became
librarian of the new facility early in 1968 and soon started the first
"Friends of the Library". Later a children's Summer Reading Program was
established. Salaries were raised to minimum wage of $1.65 an hour in 1978.
Upon her retirement in 1985,
the board appointed Mrs. Robin Foster as librarian until 1995. Mrs. Sharon
Shaw served from 1995 - 1997. From 1997 until present Mrs. Amy Guy Huff serves
as Director with Mrs. Lois Reynolds as the Interlibrary Loan Clerk, and
Mrs. Lynn
Williams, Library Clerk. |