History of Jackson/Hinds Library System

he Jackson/Hinds Library System serves the City of Jackson and Hinds County in Mississippi. Hinds County is centrally located within the state and covers an area of 869 square miles. The population of the community served is 247,650.

Reorganization of the public library system was undertaken in 1986. The new city-county system, Jackson/Hinds Library System, was created as of October 1, 1986 and began operation that day. The system is funded equally by Hinds County and the City of Jackson. The administrative board is appointed by the members of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and the members of the Jackson City Council. Each funding authority appoints seven board members, making a total administrative board of fourteen members.

The system began with 12 branches and in the past twelve years has grown to 15 branches. The Eudora Welty Main Library is located in downtown Jackson. Welty contains the single largest collection in the system and houses the Administrative Offices as well as the Technical Services Division. Seven smaller branches are located within the City of Jackson. They are Fannie Lou Hamer, Margaret Walker Alexander, Willie Morris, Medgar Evers Boulevard, Charles Tisdale, Richard Wright, and Bolden/Moore.

Branches located in Hinds County are: Beverly J. Brown/Byram, the Quisenbery Library/Clinton, Lois A. Flagg/Edwards, Raymond, Ella Bess Austin/Terry, and Evelyn Taylor Majure/Utica. Since 1986 three branches have been opened, four have moved to larger quarters, and one has been enlarged. In 2010, two branches moved to new facilities, Ella Bess Austin/Terry and the Quisenberry Library/Clinton.

Jackson/Hinds Library System offers a range of materials and services to persons of all ages. Books, videocassettes, audiocassettes, compact discs, and multimedia kits make up the collection of 639,253 items. Also within the library's collection are current periodicals, microfiche databases, magazine and newspapers on microfilm, and CD-ROM databases. Interlibrary loan services are offered to patrons.

Circulation for the entire system for the fiscal year 2009 was 384,631 items. The patron count for the fiscal year 2009 was 819,093. Patron cards have been issued to 130,354 citizens or property owners. The library system provides 111 public access computers (PACs) and patron usage of PACs was 237,145 in fiscal year 2009.

The Eudora Welty Library Reference Department is available to answer patron requests in person, by mail, by telephone and via email.

Microsoft Word 2007 Office Suite is available at all branches of the library system. Services our patrons may access online from any computer include Learn-a-Test, EbscoHost, NoveList, First Search, Gale Contemporary Literary Criticism, Wilson Biographies, and the Clarion-Ledger index which contains full text articles from 2003 to present. The Capital Area Bar Association (CABA) Law Library is located on the first floor of Eudora Welty Main Library. The Law Library consists of two computer workstations that offer LexisNexis legal database.

Patrons also have the services of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Department to assist them in finding the materials they need. Materials that are not owned by the JHLS and are not expected to be purchased may be requested from other libraries through this service.

The branches provide various services for the patrons. Meeting rooms are located in some branches and are used by the public for a variety of meetings. Programs for all ages are presented in the branches throughout the year, including the annual Summer Reading Program. Patrons attending programs in our branches in fiscal year 2009 numbered 70,400.

The Jackson/Hinds Library System is a part of a growing community and is striving to grow with the community it serves.