Published: March 08, 2008 10:55 pm      

Setting the record straight about local libraries

I am writing this letter to address some misinformation printed in the article concerning the proposal of a new building for the Meridian/Lauderdale Public Library. Mr. Bill McBride was quoted as saying, "Not only do we serve Meridian and Lauderdale County, but also seven of our(sic) eight surrounding counties that either don't have a library or very small ones with limited resources." I would like to inform Mr. McBride, and anyone who read the article, that there are three (3) public libraries located in Newton County, in the communities of Newton, Decatur, and Union. There are two (2) public libraries in Kemper County, located in DeKalb, and Scooba. While none of these libraries are as large as Meridian/Lauderdale Library, they do provide library services to citizens of the two counties, which includes interlibrary loan service for books that may not be held in the system's collection. A great number of our patrons take advantage of this wonderful service, and have been able to obtain books they need most of the time. Just to set the record straight, there are public libraries located in all Mississippi counties, as well as in Alabama.



Barbara Gough

System director

Kemper-Newton Regional Library System