Mobile Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Mobile Public Library is public
library system primarily serving Mobile County, Alabama
. The system is a department of the city of Mobile
and receives funding from Mobile County
and the city of Saraland
.
organization by the Franklin Society. The library was officially established as the Mobile Public Library in 1902 and was originally housed in an antebellum
structure at the corner of Conti and Hamilton Street. The library association appealed to city leaders in the late 1910s to provide operating funds for the library and offered to give the city the library property if it would build a new building to house the collections. The city declined to finance the construction of a new building, but did approve funding on 2 April 1918. Due to increasing public demand, on 15 December 1925, the city commissioners voted to schedule a special election on a $250,000 bond issue. The voters approved the bond and, along with a gift of $30,000 from Eli H. Bernheim of New York City
, the new library building was constructed. Architect George Bigelow Rogers
designed the building in Classical Revival style. The new structure, now known as the Ben May Main Library, was opened on 15 September 1928.
Due to segregation
, an additional building was needed to serve Mobile's African American
community and in 1931 the Davis Avenue Branch
of the library, also designed by George Rogers, was established. It was also funded by a bond issue and by the sale of the old library property on Conti Street.
The Ben May Main Library building is a contributing building to the Church Street East Historic District
, added to the National Register of Historic Places
on 16 December 1971. The system opened a new branch, the West Regional Branch, in 2002, with First Lady
Laura Bush
making an address. Beginning in 2006, the Ben May Main Library building was restored and expanded by 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²). It was reopened on 31 May 2007.
systems, and internet access at all locations, the Mobile Public Library provides a range of other services. Free library cards are made available to all residents in the Alabama counties of Baldwin
, Washington
, Clarke
, Monroe
, Escambia
and Conecuh
. Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) cards are also made available for free at all branches.
, and the Mobile Historic Development Commission's survey of historic architecture in Mobile with 10,000 images stored and indexed on CD-ROM
.
s and VHS, music CDs, audiobooks, back issues of magazines, and video games are available to be checked out. Story time for young children is provided at most library locations.
.
three days a week at over 30 different stops across Mobile County. Each location is visited every three weeks.
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
library system primarily serving Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
. The system is a department of the city of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
and receives funding from Mobile County
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
and the city of Saraland
Saraland, Alabama
Saraland is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, in the United States, and a suburb of Mobile, Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 13,405. It is a part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Saraland is the third largest city in Mobile County....
.
History
The Mobile Public Library has roots going back to the 1850s, when it was started as a subscriptionSubscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
organization by the Franklin Society. The library was officially established as the Mobile Public Library in 1902 and was originally housed in an antebellum
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
structure at the corner of Conti and Hamilton Street. The library association appealed to city leaders in the late 1910s to provide operating funds for the library and offered to give the city the library property if it would build a new building to house the collections. The city declined to finance the construction of a new building, but did approve funding on 2 April 1918. Due to increasing public demand, on 15 December 1925, the city commissioners voted to schedule a special election on a $250,000 bond issue. The voters approved the bond and, along with a gift of $30,000 from Eli H. Bernheim of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the new library building was constructed. Architect George Bigelow Rogers
George Bigelow Rogers
George Bigelow Rogers was an American architect, best known for the wide variety of buildings that he designed in Mobile, Alabama. Born in Illinois in 1870, he studied painting in France, then apprenticed from 1894 to 1898 as an architect in Hartford, Connecticut. He stopped in Mobile in 1901,...
designed the building in Classical Revival style. The new structure, now known as the Ben May Main Library, was opened on 15 September 1928.
Due to segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, an additional building was needed to serve Mobile's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community and in 1931 the Davis Avenue Branch
National African American Archives and Museum
The National African American Archives and Museum, formerly the Davis Avenue Branch of the Mobile Public Library, is an archive and history museum located in Mobile, Alabama...
of the library, also designed by George Rogers, was established. It was also funded by a bond issue and by the sale of the old library property on Conti Street.
The Ben May Main Library building is a contributing building to the Church Street East Historic District
Church Street East Historic District
The Church Street East Historic District is a historic district in the city of Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on 16 December 1971. Since a boundary increase on 13 January 1984, it is roughly bounded by Broad, Conti, Water, Claiborne, and...
, added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on 16 December 1971. The system opened a new branch, the West Regional Branch, in 2002, with First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
making an address. Beginning in 2006, the Ben May Main Library building was restored and expanded by 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²). It was reopened on 31 May 2007.
Services
In addition to basic services, participation in several interlibrary loanInterlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan is a service whereby a user of one library can borrow books or receive photocopies of documents that are owned by another library...
systems, and internet access at all locations, the Mobile Public Library provides a range of other services. Free library cards are made available to all residents in the Alabama counties of Baldwin
Baldwin County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.7% White*9.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*4.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Washington
Washington County, Alabama
Washington County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. The county was named in honor of George Washington, first President of the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 17,581. Its county seat is Chatom. Washington County is a dry county.-History:The area was long inhabited...
, Clarke
Clarke County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*54.5% White*43.9% Black*0.4% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*0.7% Two or more races*1.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Monroe
Monroe County, Alabama
Monroe County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. As of 2010, the population was 23,068. Its county seat is Monroeville. It is a dry county, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or...
, Escambia
Escambia County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.1% White*31.9% Black*4.4% Native American*0.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*1.9% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and Conecuh
Conecuh County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*51.3% White*46.5% Black*0.3% Native American*0.1% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.0% Two or more races*1.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) cards are also made available for free at all branches.
Local history and genealogy
The Local History and Genealogy Division includes works by local authors, Mobile histories, periodicals, Mobile newspapers on microfilm from 1819 to the present, city directories from 1837 onward, federal census records for most of the Southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, and the Mobile Historic Development Commission's survey of historic architecture in Mobile with 10,000 images stored and indexed on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
.
Youth services
This department attempts to meet the needs and interests of children and young adults through the various library collections, services and programs. Books, movie DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s and VHS, music CDs, audiobooks, back issues of magazines, and video games are available to be checked out. Story time for young children is provided at most library locations.
Disabilities
All branches provide handicapped access, materials, and services for patrons with disabilities. A few of the services provided are magnifying glasses, large type books, closed captioned videos, books for and about the handicapped, and instructional books and videos on sign language. In addition, recorded books on discs and cassettes and the equipment for using them are available on free loan to eligible individuals from the Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
.
Bookmobile
The library operates a bookmobileBookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
three days a week at over 30 different stops across Mobile County. Each location is visited every three weeks.
Locations
The system consists of nine branches and a local history and genealogy division.
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1924-B Dauphin Island Parkway Mobile, Alabama 5808 Highway 90 West Theodore, Alabama Theodore, Alabama Theodore is a census-designated place in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 6,811 at the 2000 census. It is a part of the Mobile metropolitan statistical area... 601 Stanton Road Mobile, Alabama 2668 Berkley Avenue Mobile, Alabama |
111 Saraland Loop Saraland, Alabama 9150 Moffett Rd Semmes, Alabama Semmes, Alabama For other uses, see Semmes .Semmes is a city in western Mobile County, Alabama, in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area. Formerly an unincorporated community, voters in Semmes approved incorporation of a part of the community as the city of Semmes on August 17, 2010... |