Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful for so many things that help make our library system shine. This Thanksgiving week, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on a few of the reasons we are thankful.
Our history. We are proud to be the longest continuously operating public library in the state. It speaks volumes for this community that values literacy, education and access to books and resources for all citizens. We are grateful for our founder, Charles M. McClung, who donated $50,000 in 1885 to open Lawson McGhee Library in honor of his daughter. Initially, it was a subscription library at the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill Drive. Today, we have 19 facilities across the county.
Mary Utopia Rothrock (from East TN Historical Society)
Our leadership and legacy. Mary Utopia Rothrock has near rock star status in the broader Library world. She was recruited to Knoxville to head up the Library in 1917, when the citizens voted to make it a free and open library (at the time for whites only; the Carnegie Library was established soon thereafter to serve our Black neighbors.) She was an early innovator in providing service to remote areas. She helped launch neighborhood libraries, and when she was with TVA, she pioneered book mobiles to serve the camps while they were building the dams. She set a high bar for service and innovation that still shapes us today.
Our staff. With more than 200 employees serving in 19 facilities across the county, we are neighbors, friends and family to over 160,000 library cardholders. From the folks across the checkout desk to the people who deliver books from Powell to Farragut, or the team that purchases and processes thousands of materials in multiple formats, we are thankful for a caring and dedicated staff.
Our patrons. We have gotten to know many of you over the years. Some of you, we met as children coming to our storytimes, and now some of your children and their children are coming to storytime. We’ve talked with you about books, movies and music and helped you locate the perfect title for a rainy weekend. We’ve gotten to know you in our many programs and events. We’ve helped some of you learn how to use technology and devices. For others, we helped with plans to start your dream business. For us, it’s personal. We are grateful to be a part of your lives. We are grateful that you are part of ours.
Our Friends. It is no understatement to say that we couldn’t do many of our programs without the support of the Friends of the Library. We are fortunate beyond measure to have a dedicated group of Friends who work tirelessly to raise funds through used book sales and other events. They bolster our staff with much encouragement (and an occasional lunch), enhance our offerings to the public through additional funds and advocate on our behalf. We are grateful indeed. And this Thanksgiving, we want to give much thanks to the memory of our dearest friend who helped start FOL, Julie Webb.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.