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Blount County Public Library (1981 to 2002)

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

In 1981, the Blount County Public Library moved from the tiny Harper Memorial Library building, which had been its home since 1931, to its newly constructed McGhee Street building. The property had formerly been the location of Anderson Lumber Company. The new library building was dedicated by Governor Lamar Alexander on January 26, 1981. When the McGhee Street location opened, it was expected to take 30 years to outgrow its facility. But the rapid growth of Blount County seriously impacted library usage and in 1999, after just 18 years in the McGhee Street location, the county acquired the old Sky City property and began construction of today’s grand facility, which was completed in 2002. During the years on McGhee Street, books were bar coded, the library catalog went online, databases were added to the library collection, and public internet computers were made available.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

In 1981, the Blount County Public Library moved from the tiny Harper Memorial Library building, which had been its home since 1931, to its newly constructed McGhee Street building. The property had formerly been the location of Anderson Lumber Company. The new library building was dedicated by Governor Lamar Alexander on January 26, 1981. When the McGhee Street location opened, it was expected to take 30 years to outgrow its facility. But the rapid growth of Blount County seriously impacted library usage and in 1999, after just 18 years in the McGhee Street location, the county acquired the old Sky City property and began construction of today’s grand facility, which was completed in 2002. During the years on McGhee Street, books were bar coded, the library catalog went online, databases were added to the library collection, and public internet computers were made available.

Additional Information