Thomas County Public Library System

The Thomas County Public Library System (TCPLS) is a public library system serving Thomas County, Georgia. The headquarters of the system is the Thomas County Public Library located in Thomasville, Georgia. There is one Carnegie library in the system located in Boston, Georgia

Thomas County Public Library System
The Thomas County Public Library
Established1988
LocationThomas County, Georgia
Branches6
Collection
Size138,179 (2016)[1]
Access and use
Circulation178,327 (2016)[1]
Population served45,842 (2016)[1]
Members20,474 (2016)[1]
Other information
DirectorNancy Tillinghast
Websitehttp://tcpls.org/

TCPLS 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 Thomas County Public Library System was founded in 1988 after a decision to separate from the Moultrie-Colquitt Regional Library System. On its own Thomas County had three libraries and one bookmobile, but all were of small size and lacked the space needed for a county library system to grow. In order to increase the size of the library system to better serve the population a referendum was passed in 1992 to construct new libraries in Coolidge, Meigs, and Thomasville. The Boston Carnegie Library would additionally receive funding for a remodel and expansion, the Ochlocknee library would be remodeled, and the Pavo library would be replaced.[5]

The new building in Thomasville was set to become the headquarters for the system. Construction of the 23,000 square foot building began in 1992 and was dedicated to the town of Thomasville in April 1993. The smaller 2,000 square foot branch libraries in Meigs and Coolidge opened at the end of that year. Due to the success of six newly constructed or renovated libraries, the library placed second in the nation for new library cards per capita in an American Library Association contest in 1994.[5]

Boston Carnegie Library
The Boston Carnegie Library building as of 2014.

On September 9, 1912 the mayor of Boston, Georgia sent a request to Andrew Carnegie for library funding for his "growing and enterprising little city."[6] The Carnegie Foundation accepted the petition and granted the town a loan of $6,000 on the condition the town of Boston pay an annual upkeep and maintenance fee of $600 on the building.[7]

The building was designed largely by Charles Edward Choate and E.D. Ivey. Choate had previously designed Carnegie libraries in Eatonton and Fitzgerald, and Ivey was a native architect of Boston. The building has been in use as a library since its completion on December 3, 1912. During the 1992 referendum this building received an interior remodel and addition to the rear of the building.[6]

Branches
NameAddress
Boston Carnegie Library250 South Main Street, Boston, GA 31626
Coolidge Public Library1029 East Verbena Avenue, Coolidge, GA 31738
Gladys M. Clark Public Library1060 North East Railroad Street, Ochlocknee, GA 31738
Meigs Public Library3058 North East Railroad Street, Meigs, GA 31765
Pavo Public Library3031 East Harris Street, Pavo, GA 31778
Thomas County Public Library201 North Madison Street, Thomasville, GA 31792
  • Gladys M. Clark Public Library
  • Pavo Public Library
  • Thomas County Public Library
  • Coolidge Library

Library systems in neighboring counties

References
  1. "Current Look at Georgia Libraries 2016" (PDF). Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  2. "PINES - About". Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  3. "PINES Facts" (PDF). Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. "GALILEO - About". Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  5. Library Histories (PDF). 1997. p. 17. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  6. Walker, Jr, Robert Burke (1994). Georgia's Carnegie Libraries: A study of their History, Their Existing Conditions, and Conservation (PDF). Athens, Georgia. pp. 39–41. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  7. Jones, Theodore (1997). Carnegie Libraries Across America. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-14422-3.
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