Dougherty County Public Library

The Dougherty County Public Library is a public library system serving Dougherty County, Georgia. The Central Library is located in Albany, Georgia.

Dougherty County Public Library
Dougherty County Public Library in Albany
LocationDougherty County, Georgia
Coordinates31°34′41.3328″N 84°9′14.31″W
Branches5
Collection
Size392,545 (2016)[1]
Access and use
Circulation461,408 (2016)[1]
Population served93,228 (2016)[1]
Members50,774 (2016)[1]
Other information
DirectorPauline Abidde
Websitehttp://www.docolib.org/
Map

The library is a member of PINES, a program of the Georgia Public Library Service that covers 53 library systems in 143 counties of Georgia.[2] Any resident in a PINES supported library system has access to the system's collection of 10.6 million books.[3] The library is also serviced by GALILEO, a program of the University System of Georgia which stands for "GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online". This program offers residents in supported libraries access to over 100 databases indexing thousands of periodicals and scholarly journals. It also boasts over 10,000 journal titles in full text.[4]

History

The first library in Albany, Georgia was a short lived subscription-based library which existed from 1879 until 1887 when the head librarian passed away. Numerous local book clubs attempted to create a new library, but no substantial associations were successful until 1900 when the Albany Library Association was formed.[5] During the early years of the library books were collected from voluntary contributions. After some years the collection of 750 volumes was held in the east anteroom of the Chautauqua Auditorium on the second floor.[6]

Albany Carnegie Library

As book donations continued to grow and space became scarce the city of Albany petitioned Andrew Carnegie for funds to construct a new public library for county use. On January 9, 1905 Carnegie granted $10,700 to be used to construct the building on the condition the town pay an annual maintenance fee of 10% of the donated price.[7] Construction began that same year and finished in 1906, the building designed in Italian Renaissance style with two marble ionic columns in antis.[8]

The library underwent an extensive rehabilitation in 1992, upgrading the building to accommodate for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), installing HVAC throughout, and making minor repairs to the structure and landscaping. This same year the library was sold to be used as a gallery and museum as a new, larger branch was constructed one block over to house the growing collection of the county library system.[8]

Branches

All library locations are within the Albany city limits.

NameAddress
Central Library, Dougherty County300 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA 31701
Northwest Library2507 Dawson Road, Albany, GA 31707
Southside Branch Library2114 Habersham Road, Albany, GA 31701
Tallulah Massey Library2004 Stratford Drive, Albany, GA 31705
Westtown Library2124 Waddell Avenue, Albany, GA 31707
  • Northwest Branch Library
  • Tallulah Massey Branch Library
  • Southside Branch Library
  • Westtown Branch Library

Library systems in neighboring counties

References
  1. "Current Look at Georgia Libraries 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  2. "PINES - About". Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  3. "PINES Facts" (PDF). Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  4. "GALILEO - About". Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  5. History and Reminiscences of Dougherty County Georgia. Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Reprint Company, Publishers. 1978. pp. 328–329. ISBN 0-87152-282-9.
  6. Historical Background of Dougherty County 1836-1940. Atlanta, Georgia: Cherokee Publishing Company. 1981. p. 122. ISBN 0-87797-057-2.
  7. Jones, Theodore (1997). Carnegie Libraries Across America. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-14422-3.
  8. Walker, Jr, Robert Burke (1994). Georgia's Carnegie Libraries: A study of their History, Their Existing Conditions, and Conservation (PDF). Athens, Georgia. pp. 27–29. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
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