The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1963-03-28
Holmes Is Among Forty State Counties
Offering Top Public Library Service

vice in Mississippi is con-
stantly changing, according
to Mrs. Lura G.. Currier, di-
rector, Mississippi Library
Commission. "a map which
we make today showing the
quality and quantity of Ii
braries in our state may be
outdated tomorrow. In towns
throughout the state citizens
are demanding a library or
are a%ppraising their present
library to determine how to
improve it."
As recently as 1851, the
citizens of Mississippi were
labeled people without
books" At that time only So
per cent of the states popu-
lation had access to library
service.
Today Mississippians might
well be called people with
books" Approximately IS per
cent of Mississippi's citizens
now have access to books
through their local libraries.
Presently almost 100000 peo-
pie still do not have libraries.
Public library service at
Mississippi's best can be
found in 40 counties. I'm
able to reach national stand
ards and varying widely in
quality and quantity of SER
vice, these libraries possess
a sound organization, an ac-
tive program and relatively
good support.
These top Mississippi Ii
braries are located in the fol-
lowing counties: Adams, AL
corn, Attala, Benton, Boil
var, Calhoun, Choctaw, Co.
piah, Covington, Coahoma,
Clay, Forrest, Hinds, Hol-
mes, Harrison, Grenada, Jack
son, Jefferson, Itawamba, La
mar, Lauderdale, Lawrence,
Lincoln, Lowndes, Lee, Lee
flore, Marshall, Monroe, Ne
shoba, Perry, Prentiss, Ponto-
toe, Scott, Simpson, Stone,
Tippah, Tallahatchie, Tisho-
mingo, Union, Winston.
Hour-to-hour changes are
taking place in Is counties.
Citizens are working to re-
novate, reorganize and i'm
prove their library facilities
and services. These counties
include: DeSoto, Franklin,
Lafayette, Madison, Oktibbe-
ha, Pamela, Pearl River,
Pike, Quitman, Sharkey,
Smith,, Sunflower, Tate, Wash
ington, Yazoo.
Ten counties attempting to
operate on a countrywide basis
do not have sufficient funds
to give adequate service.
These counties includes:
Amite, Claiborne, George,
Hancock, Jeff Davis, Leake,
Montgomery, Noxubee, Wal
thall, Wilkinson.
Ten counties have munich
pal libraries only. No facili-
ties are available for serv-
ing the rural people of the
counties. The counties and
the towns having libraries
are: Chickasaw (Houston,
Okolona), Clarke, (Quitman),
Humphreys Qsola), Jasper
(Bay Springs), Jones ellis
vile, LaureD, Marion Co
lumbia), Newton Newton),
Union), Warren Vicksburg),
Wayne (Waynesboro), Yalo-
busha water Valley, Coffee
vile, Oakland.)
No public libraries of any
kind can be found in the
following countries: Carroll,
Greene, Issaquena, Kemper
Rankin, Tunica, Webster.
Mississippi's library needs
are many. Twenty-six book
mobiles now travel through
out As counties bringing
books to rural people who
cannot easily visit the town
library building. An addi-
tional ten new bookmibiles
are needed to cover the re-
naming 81 counties which
have no travelling library
service and nine new book
mobiles are needed to re-
place the vehicles worn al
most beyond repair.
During the past fifteen
years new public library
buildings have been con-