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Middlesex County Public Library Celebrates
At 2 o’clock, June 5, 2011, at St. Clare Walker Middle School, Middlesex Public Library showcased local authors as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. Among the authors were Larry Chowning, Brad Parks, Bobby Mason, Jean Hornsby, Mary Buxton, Joan Gosier, Archie Soucek and Gordon White.
The June celebration marked the merging, in 1987, of the Urbanna and the Deltaville libraries into Middlesex County Public Library, Inc. , a 501 C (3) corporation. Twenty-five years of highly successful operation is the result of a decades-long vision of untold numbers of citizens for a viable library system in the county.
The unique geographic configuration of Middlesex County’s long narrow site between the Piankatank and Rappahannock rivers presented a challenge for providing accessibility to a library by all county citizens. State guidelines require that a public library should be situated within fifty miles of all residents. This requirement partially explains why there are two branches of the library system in Middlesex County.
An excerpt from Larry Chowning’s Signatures in Time: A Living History of Middlesex County, Virginia reveals that efforts to provide books to Middlesex residents in the Urbanna and Deltaville areas date to 1915. A group of Urbanna ladies in 1915 formed a book club for the purpose of exchanging books. The books were signed out on the flyleaf when borrowed and returned.
The formal establishment of the Urbanna Library happened in 1927 and was first housed in the upstairs of the bank building (Bank of Middlesex on Main Street) in the Town of Urbanna. Later it was moved to the Woman’s Club (situated in the Historic County Courthouse) on Virginia Street and later into the Old Tobacco Warehouse. The founding women were Miss Mary Burton, Mesdames May Chappel, Elsie Jones, Ruth Palmer, Pearl Tomilson and Grace Weaver.
In the early 1930s, Deltaville’s first public library was one of Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt’s WPA-sponsored bookmobiles. They would park the bookmobile at Hardyville and Deltaville and loan books to citizens of that area. Later, Gazelle Ingram managed WPA books out of a grocery store owned by Ed Gemmill that was located at Amburg on the corner of Crittenden Road and Route 33.
When the library closed (WPA funds probably ran out.), two Richmond ladies who had moved to the Deltaville area, Misses Florence Davey and Phoebe Burrett, reorganized the library in 1935. First they traveled throughout the community circulating books from their cars, and later started a small library in an empty classroom of the Deltaville Grade School, which was later demolished and its materials used to build the present Deltaville Community Association (DCA) building. The library was again discontinued and revived in 1986 by volunteers who opened a library in the old Red Man Lodge Building next to the Deltaville Ball Park. (Southside Sentinel, March 20 1986).
In 1991 a Fundraising Campaign Committee and the library board launched a $700,000 campaign to provide “everyone the same opportunity to read and learn.” Robert Henkel from Urbanna was campaign chairman with Dr. Harold Felton from Deltaville and Louise Gray from Saluda as honorary co-chairs. The committee consisted of citizens representing all geographic areas of the county. With the support of citizens and businesses, the “ambitious goal” was reached. With these funds the library board proceeded to establish libraries in Deltaville and Urbanna.
The current Deltaville library was the former Deltaville Pharmacy, purchased from Curt Saunders in1991. Judy Rosquist, Beth Thompson and Frank Koehler were board members instrumental in completing the transaction. During 1991, Edward Claiborne (Ed) Bridger, a Deltaville architect, designed the transformation and built the building on Lovers Lane from pharmacy to town library.
In Urbanna, a new building was built by Joe Hyman of the Allen Group, Urbanna in May, 1992 at the corner of Grace and Park Street, with a groundbreaking ceremony on May 11, 1992. Manning the shovels were Urbanna Mayor Brendan O’Brien, Craig Hudson, architect, Barbee Phipps, president of Middlesex County Library Board, Fred Crittenden, chairman of Middlesex County Board of Supervisors, and Joe Hyman, builder.
Under guidance from the Library of Virginia, the two branches, Urbanna and Deltaville, merged to create Middlesex County Pubic Library, Inc.MCPL is one of thirteen independent libraries in Virginia. It receives state aid based on a legislative formula as well as financial aid from Middlesex County and Town of Urbanna.
At the time of the merger, Ruby Shackelford was branch manager at Urbanna and Carole Sullivan was branch manager at Deltaville, and in 1997 Sherri Inabinet became head librarian of the system. By 2000 she had initiated and overseen the computerization of the libraries. She plans to retire in 2011 after fourteen years of service. She serves as branch manager at Urbanna while Lillian Svetahor manages the Deltaville branch.
Together the two branches currently house a collection of over 50,000 items, including rare books, an extensive book collection of Middlesex history, Virginia history, and genealogy, a Chesapeake Bay collection, children’s and adult books, magazines, newspapers, books on cassettes and CD, video cassettes, DVDs, and music CDs. Circulation is approximately 50,000 items and 40,000 patron visits. Six computers equipped with word processing and children’s’ games software, reference materials, Internet and online databases are available for the public at each branch.
Both libraries have a Friends volunteer auxiliary community support group whose members work regularly in the library. The current leader of the Urbanna Friends is Jane Folliard and the leader of the Deltaville Friends is Linda McGhinnis. They, along with Sherri Iabinet, head librarian, and the local manager at each branch sponsor a variety of community events, including exhibits featuring art, crafts, quilts and photography, music recitals, as well as discussion groups on Great Books and Great Decisions, book reviews, poetry readings, poetry writing groups, storytellers, school concerts for the public school students, Children’s Story Hour, the annual library operating fund mailing campaign and periodic bake sales.
An excerpt from an article in the Southside Sentinel, March 13, 1997, headlined “It Takes Two Villages to Maintain the Middlesex County Public Library” reflects the many faces of the library system. At regular meetings Middlesex County Public Library board members hear from Executive Director Sherri Inabinet about the thousands of patron visits and video and non-book transactions. They hear about the far-reaching activities of the committees. At the end of the meetings they know that it takes two villages and many others within the boundaries of Middlesex County to maintain the libraries in Deltaville and in Urbanna.
Current board members are Carolyn Schott, president, Barbara Show, vice-president, James Wright, secretary, Helen Chandler, Ginny Hartung, Mary Kay Hight, John Johnson, Mildred Shackelford, Beth Straw.
To recognize their dedication and guidance, here is a list of past presidents of the Library Board. John H. (Jack) James, Deborah Fleet, (two years), Ann Robertson, Dr. William Powell (two years),Barbee Phipps (two years), Beth Thompson, Dr. John Salley, (two years), Jane Folliard, Velma Gray, Jack Tarran, Matthew Temple Blackwood and Larry Lucas, Larry Lucas (by himself), Carolyn Boxley, RADM William (Bill) Powell, Sandra Lowe, Donna Will,(two years),Thomas Llewellyn (Llew) Samuel, (two years),and Carolyn Schott ( two years). pl
Information from writings of Randolph Norton provided by library.
Thanks to the Southside Sentinel for their kind assistance.
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