Library Celebrates 30th Anniversary

On April 23, the Ardmore Public Library will celebrate its 30-year anniversary. As part of this celebration, the library will accept names of individuals that come into the library for a drawing of a $50 gift basket donated by the Friends of the Library. The library will also host a book reading by author Bill Hunt at 8:30 a.m. on April 20, and everyone is invited to attend. Later the library will have brunch prepared for the Friends of the Library, volunteers, board members and employees. In 1957, a Bluegrass Regional Library Bookmobile out of Columbia, Tennessee began leaving books at Lewter’s Hardware store and the books were loaned out through the honor system.

Present Wednesday, April 11, for the Friends of the Ardmore Public Library’s Enrichment Program on Cake Decorating held in the Tennessee Annex Building are from left, front row, Diane Howell, Annette Reyer, Barbara Foster, Gwen Dutton, Faye Hand, Gerri Cannady, and Jackie Merrell who demonstrated cake decorating techniques; back row, Mattie Lipham, Donna Walker, Janie Eubanks and Barbara Boatwright. (photo by Patricia Coulter)

In 1960 the circulation had grown to over 900 books. Concerned women of the area decided that Ardmore needed a library, so the concerned few sought help from Joy Mowery, the Director of the Bluegrass Bookmobile.

In 1976, they organized a group of citizens who worked to get a site for the library, funding and library furnishings.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the first Ardmore Library was held on Saturday, April 23, 1977. The new location was in the Ardmore, TN City Hall building. The library was funded in part by the city and town councils, and was stocked with over 1,000 books by the Regional Library Service of the Tennessee State Library.

The new library was open each Tuesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m., and each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and was run solely by volunteers. The fee for the first library cards was only 25 cents. The library is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Currently the library has over 4,000 patrons and is steadily growing. Still a free service to the community through support of the local government, the library looks forward to serving the community for many more years to come.