Librarian Makes Urgent Plea

04 Jan Librarian Makes Urgent Plea

November 5, 1937

Librarian Makes Urgent Plea

On November 5, 1937, a letter appeared in the local newspaper from Mrs. Jewell Hines, Librarian for the Fayette County Public Library. Mrs. Hines wrote the letter as an appeal to the citizens of Fayette County to aid in building a library to replace the one lost in the recent fire that destroyed the local Grammar School building. The former library, consisting almost entirely of books that had been donated by the women of Fayetteville, was housed in the school building, and was also consumed by the flames in October. The only books that were saved (about 200) were those that were out in circulation. Some small funds had been given by the county for a new library and Judge Weymon Hollingsworth had provided a temporary space in his upstairs building on the courthouse square. A “penny shower” was set up for the children to participate by dropping their coins in a box at the temporary site. Mrs. Hines also urged the citizens to donate books of any type but bear in mind that “the type of book a person reads has a great deal of influence on the type of citizen he will become”.

By John Lynch

Source: The Fayetteville Enterprise, November 5, 1937