Library marks silver anniversary in new building

The staff of the Piggott Public Library include, from left: Front--Sherry Baber and Librarian Gay Johnson. Back--Sheena Gibson and Kristen Poe. The staff will host a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 10 to mark the 25th anniversary of the current library building. (Times photo/Tim Blair) [Click to enlarge]

The ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened the new Piggott Public Library was held Sunday, Dec. 9, 1984. The new library opened for business the following day and, according to longtime librarian Gay Johnson, more than 400 people visited that day.

From 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, the library will host an open house to mark the anniversary and the public is invited to stop by and enjoy a piece of cake with the staff.

The history of the facility dates back to the mid-1930's when a group of local residents started the first library in a spare room in the home of Lura Brown. The site of the home is now occupied by Dr. Angela Howell's office at the corner of West Jackson and North Third Streets. Later in the 30's a fundraising drive was conducted, with much of the assistance provided by the Pfeiffer family.

That effort led to the construction of the original library building, which opened in 1937. That building still exists just west of the First Baptist Church of Piggott and now houses John Lingle's law office. It was in this location that Johnson first worked, as she was hired in Oct. of 1981. As a matter of fact, to date there have only been four librarians at the Piggott Library, Brown, Ruth Gwin, Mildred Robinson and Johnson.

"We held an open house on Sunday, Dec. 9, and the library opened at 9 a.m. the next morning on Monday, Dec. 10," Johnson reminisced Monday. "We had 400 people come through that first day and I had decided to work by myself...although I wish I hadn't!"

During the open house a ribbon-cutting was held to officially mark the opening. Taking part in the occasion was Piggott mayor George Cook, along with library board members Don Roeder, Donna Seal, Dorris Cox, Tica Camp, Shirley Magee and J.B. Swift.

Johnson said things have changed quite a bit in the 25 years since that grand opening. "We have a lot more books, we have computers now and databases plus a Microfilm reader and printer so that patrons can view and copy from our microfiche files," she noted. "We have newspapers back to 1942 and a lot of genealogy information that can be accessed. Things have changed a lot in the technology."

When the new building opened in 1984 the library boasted about 16,000 print and audio visual items -- today that number has nearly doubled. "We have over 27,000 items available to our patrons," Johnson added. She also said the library has issued over 3,300 cards in the years since that service first began.

The Clay County Genealogical and Historical Society also calls the library home, and the group holds its monthly meetings at the facility. The library also serves as a base for local genealogy information and fields calls and requests for information from around the country and the world. In fact, the first organizational meeting of the society was held at the old library over 40 years ago. According to Johnson, the group experienced a resurgence with the opening of the new facility as they were able to utilize the library for their meetings.

The library also hosts a variety of events for kids throughout the year, including monthly StoryTime activities. Those offerings have included puppet shows, live entertainment, a visit from the Arkansas Game and Fish mobile aquarium and visits from area fire departments for Fire Safety Week. Next week the library will host a visit from Santa Claus.

Along with Johnson, staff member Sherry Baber has been a fixture at the local library for the past 17 years. The staff also includes part-time workers Sheena Gibson and Kristen Poe, along with a variety of volunteers.

"I've seen a lot over the years and I've enjoyed every minute of it," Johnson added. "I've seen people grow up and come in with their children, and even their grandchildren. It's been just great."

According to Johnson, the current library is still serving the community well and is more than adequate. "We move things around some, but we have plenty of room and a great facility," she noted. She also said the library is very thankful and dependant on the contributions of patrons in the form of both money and items for their continued operations.

Those interested in the services offered at the Piggott Public Library may call 870-598-3666 for more information. Persons may also visit their website at www.piggottlibrary.org