| Okefenokee Regional Library System | |
| Established: | 1950s |
| Location: | Southeast Georgia |
| Num Branches: | 5 |
| Collection Size: | 131,304 (2016)[1] |
| Annual Circulation: | 157,471 (2016) |
| Pop Served: | 92,861 (2016) |
| Members: | 25,067 (2016) |
| Director: | Erica Stembridge |
| Website: | https://www.okrls.org/ |
The Okefenokee Regional Library System (OKRLS) is a public library system serving the counties of Ware, Appling, Bacon, Clinch, and Pierce, Georgia. The headquarters for the library system is the Waycross-Ware County Public Library located in Waycross, Georgia.
OKRLS is a member of PINES, a program of the Georgia Public Library Service that covers 53 library systems in 143 counties of Georgia.[2] Any resident in a PINES supported library system has access to the system's collection of 10.6 million books.[3] The library is also serviced by GALILEO, a program of the University System of Georgia which stands for "GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online". This program offers residents in supported libraries access to over 100 databases indexing thousands of periodicals and scholarly journals. It also boasts over 10,000 journal titles in full text.[4]
Early years of an established public library are not known for Bacon county, yet it is known that the county school superintendent, E. C. Perkins, housed a very large collection of books. Perkins decided in the late 1930s to take the necessary steps to turn her large book collection into a public library. This first library officially opened in October 1940 and quickly moved into an abandoned building that had been built in 1930 as an overflow for the nearby hospital. With a building and collection secured the library proposed a merger with the local Historical Society to operate out of the same building. In doing so the two organizations were able to receive funds from the county budget which enabled the library to stay open for a full five-day schedule each week. As another perk of the merger the Alma-Bacon library has a vast Historical and Genealogical collection that is available to the public.[5]
Interest in a library in Appling County was sparked in 1928 when the Georgia Library Commission loaned 500 books to the Baxley Woman's Club who were looking to organize a public library service to the town. The library at first consisted of a single bookcase full of these books and other donated by townspeople and the women of the club, and was housed in one of the members' home. By 1936 this library had grown to the point where it moved to the back of the courthouse and a Library Board was organized to run the system. When the courthouse was due for renovations in 1953, space was again dedicated for use by the library.[6]
In April 1961 the Appling Library became a branch of the greater Okefenokee Regional Library System. Due to increased interest in expanding the regional library more funding came in and was saved for future use to build a new dedicated library building. In 1976 the library has raised through donations and grants $140,000, and the following year this was matched by the County Commissioners. In 1977 the City Council donated a site in town for the library, and construction began. The library was dedicated to the city of Baxley in 1978.
| Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Alma-Bacon County Public Library | 201 North Pierce Street, Alma, GA 31510 |
| Appling County Public Library | 242 E. Parker Street, Baxley, GA 31513 |
| Clinch County Public Library | 478 West Dame Street, Homerville, GA 31634 |
| Pierce County Public Library | 785 College Avenue, Blackshear, GA 31516 |
| Waycross-Ware County Public Library | 401 Lee Avenue, Waycross, GA 31501 |