The idea for a library in Union County was conceived by the Mississippi Library Commission which was
assisted by the W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration) funds from the Federal government in late 1934.
The operation funds for the library were donated by clubs, individuals, and raised through money-making
activities. The library opened in 1934 and was located in the Court House. It had about four hundred used
books. It was opened on Saturdays and one or two other days of each week at definite times by the
voluntary services of the members of the New Century and Junior New Century Clubs, who had agreed to
sponsor the library movement.
The people of the community were encouraged to check their bookshelves and give donations of “books,
cash, or otherwise.” In New Albany, the Boy Scouts helped by doing a house to house canvass to collect
donations of books, magazines, and old newspapers. Along side Miss Sara Addie Coker, the first director,
were these other library workers: Mrs. S.C. McBryde, Mrs. Jim McMullen, Mrs. Sam McCurry, Miss Miriam
Whitten, and Mrs. Bond Dobbs, all of near New Albany. Mrs. Ernestine Reed, New Albany, RFD, Concord
Community, and Miss Katherine Hall of Blue Springs were also library workers.
The New Albany Gazette asserted in 1934 that: “The most progressive counties throughout the United
States are establishing splendid, well-organized libraries for public use. Will Union County lag behind? Not if
we boost and pull together for this vital exponent of modern civilization.”
One very important woman in the history of our library is Jennie Belle Stephens Smith. From the time of the
organization of the county library, she was an ardent booster. In 1939, she was appointed to the Union
County Library’s first Board of Trustees, of which she was elected president, holding that office until 1943,
when she resigned as trustee. Following that resignation, she was elected librarian, a position which she
held until her retirement at the end of 1964. Long an active member of the New Century Club, she also
served as a member of the Board of Stewards of the First Methodist Church. At that church, she organized
the existing church library and catalogued its books. She was an avid Indian lore researcher (particularly of
this area), an accomplished genealogist, and the author of a pamphlet about New Albany at the time it was
burned during the Civil War. In 1965, the library officially became the Jennie Stephens Smith Library, in
recognition of Mrs. Smith’s long and faithful service as a booster, trustee, and librarian. She died in 1966.
The library was moved in 1952 to a remodeled building on Bankhead Street, formerly the Jackson Funeral
Home, but by 1957, a new facility was opened for business on Main Street.
In 1972, the Jennie Stephens Smith Library became the headquarters library of the Union County Library
System which also included the recently established library branches at Myrtle and Blue Springs. The
Mississippi Library Commission was largely responsible for this development.
Overcrowding necessitated an addition to the building on Main Street in New Albany 1976. Most of the
collection was temporarily moved to the Boswell House (owned by the First Baptist Church) during
construction. Many interested citizens volunteered their time and effort to move the library out and then back
into the remodeled facility. Enormous pride and satisfaction were felt by all in the community at the opening
in August 1978.
Early in 1990, the Union County Board of Supervisors decided that a new library building should be built on
King Street, New Albany. Its completion again demonstrated the community support and cognizance of the
value of the library to its people.
Since 1933, there have a total of fifteen library directors:
The present Union County Library System would not exist today had it not been for the efforts of its
concerned citizens, interested clubs, elected officials of the city and county, and the Mississippi Library
Commission. This library does indeed belong to its people. Its purpose since 1934 has been to provide
access to the information that will bring success, enjoyment, and knowledge to each and every citizen of
Union County. This tradition will continue.
Time Line of our Library system
History of the Union County Library
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Mary Wiseman (Mrs. David)
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Jennie Belle Stephens Smith
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Annabelle K. Stephens (interim)
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Kay Sappington, M.L.S.
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2004-Present
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1934
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Library opens with 400 books -- located in the Court House
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Miss Sarah "Sadie" Coker, first Library Director
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1939
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First Library Board of Trustees formed
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1952
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Library moves to former Jackson Funeral Home on Bankhead Street
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1957
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Library moves to a new facility on Main Street, New Albany
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1965
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New Albany library is named the Jennie Stephens Smith Library
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New library opens in Myrtle
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New library opens in Blue Springs
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1972
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The 3 Libraries in Union County become known as the
Union County Library System.
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1978
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Addition built onto Main Street building in New Albany
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Blue Springs Library closes
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1984
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New 9,700 square foot building on King Street in New Albany opens
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2000
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Computerized catalog replaces the Card Catalog
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Internet access and computer use offered to public
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2008
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Library's interactive catalog goes online with over 70,000 items
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2008
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Lester Sumner Memorial Garden created
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2009
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75th Anniversary of the Library in Union County, Mississippi
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