Huntsville-Madison County Public Library facts for kids

The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library System helps people explore the amazing history of Huntsville, Alabama. This library system has a special department called Special Collections. Here, experts called archivists and librarians help you find old texts, documents, and other historical items.

A librarian named Mattie Darwin started collecting these items in the early 1900s. She wanted the community to see them. The official archive was created in 1976. It holds many rare items like old town records, special books, diaries, and photographs. Many of these were items Mattie collected long ago.

In 1986, a downtown library branch opened in Madison County. It had a special area called the Heritage Room where the archives were kept. These items tell the story of Madison County and the entire state of Alabama. Besides physical items, the library also has digital archives. This means you can find many historical items online. The Special Collections Department welcomes people who want to donate historical documents or items. If an item is chosen, it can be added to the physical archive or digitized for the online collection.

Quick facts for kids Huntsville-Madison County Public Library
The main branch in Huntsville in December 2010
Established	1818
Location	Huntsville & Madison County, Alabama
Coordinates	34°43′22″N 86°35′22″W / 34.7227°N 86.5895°W / 34.7227; -86.5895
Branches	12
Collection
Size	530,000
Access and use
Circulation	1,915,548 (2007)
Website	http://hmcpl.org/

The Huntsville Library Story

The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library is a public library in Huntsville, Alabama. It was founded in 1818. At that time, Alabama was still part of the Mississippi Territory. This makes it the oldest library that is still open in the state.

The library first started in an attorney's office. Later, it moved to the Green Academy in 1821. Sadly, Union soldiers burned the school during the Civil War. The library then moved to different borrowed spaces.

A New Home for Books

In 1916, a special Carnegie library building opened. It was designed by a local architect named Edgar Lee Love. As Huntsville and Madison County grew, a new, larger building was needed. This new building opened in 1966.

The area grew very fast because of the space program. Many government employees from the United States Army and NASA moved to the area. The library quickly needed even more space. Planning for a new main building began in 1983.

The "Fort Book" Headquarters

The current main library building opened in April 1987. It is on Monroe Street and is the main office for the library system. Some people call it "Fort Book" because it looks strong like a fortress.

This large building is about 123,000 square feet. It can seat 930 people and holds over 530,000 books and other items. The library's main offices are on the third floor. In 2007, people checked out items almost 2 million times. This made it the busiest library in Alabama that year.

In 2004, the library received a special grant. This money helped them digitize old photographs from their archives. These photos were then added to the Alabama Mosaic Project. This project makes historical images available online for everyone to see.

Library Locations

The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library System has many locations. It includes the Downtown Huntsville Public Library and 10 other branch libraries. These branches are spread throughout Madison County.

Branch Updates

The Triana branch got a new building in 2014. Its original building was destroyed by fire in late 2009. The new library is right next to where the old one stood.

In 2021, the Bailey Cove and Eleanor Murphy branches joined together. They became the new South Huntsville Public Library. Also in 2021, the Bessie K. Russell and Shower Branch Libraries combined. They now form the North Huntsville Public Library. The New Hope Public Library moved to a new building on Main Drive in New Hope in 2022.