A Little Bit of History...

 

            Not long after the Cahaba Project first opened, residents expressed a desire for a library and volunteer librarian.  Mrs. Jean Glenn was the first volunteer.  Later librarians were Mrs. T. A. Cox, Mrs. G. D. Lightsey, Mrs. Claude Parkel, Mrs. Gray Hanlin, Mrs. Sam Tate, Mrs. Peeples, Mrs. Nettie Lightsey, Mrs. Janet Rose Lyons, and Mrs. Joyce Willis.  Mrs. Brenda Brasher, the most recent director, retired on January 31, 2008, after thirty-three years of service, both part-time and full-time.  Valerie Holmes Baker served as Interim Director until the end of August, 2008.  Emily Tish has been hired as the new Library Director.  Over the years, the library has grown from a staff of one volunteer to a staff of 14 paid employees.

 

            Through the early years, the library was moved several times--from the high school, to the Cahaba Management Office, to the Co-Op store building (now Heritage Hall), and finally to its current home on Parkway Drive.  The first library building was dedicated in 1965 by Mayor John C. Yarbrough and Librarian Nettie Lightsey.

           

             In 1978, Trussville Public Library joined the Jefferson County Library Cooperative and added an automated computer system.  The library is governed by a five-member Trussville Library Board and has received formal status as a chartered free public library under the Code of Alabama.

           

             The library underwent a significant renovation in 1988, with the addition of a children’s room.  In 1996, the library was temporarily relocated to two classrooms in the community center while another major renovation took place. The existing library was remodeled, and an addition was completed that doubled the library’s size. The new library opened for business in November 1997 and was dedicated on May 17, 1998.   

 

Adapted from Trussville Through the Years by Carol and Earl Massey (Valley Printing Co., 1987).