The Garland County Library’s Bookmobile serving residents of Garland County. From the archives—anyone know where these legends landed?
By Erin Baber
The Garland County Library will celebrate 30 years of service on Wednesday, October 15th. Not 30 years in operation — but 30 years since we opened our doors on Malvern Avenue. Come party with us from 11 AM to 1 PM and enjoy cake, door prizes, and other goodies!
A little library history lesson – in 1833, Hiram Whittington wrote to his brother in Boston lamenting the lack of a lending library in Hot Springs. He requested a list of books, including works by James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving, and Sir Walter Scott, and other popular works at the time.
He began operating a small library from his home on what is now Whittington Avenue, near the former Majestic Hotel location. From there, the library’s location moved multiple times until 1951, when it relocated to Woodbine and Hawthorne Streets. While the Woodbine location was charming and many patrons have fond memories of browsing the stacks, the library continued to expand and was forced to move again.
This time, voters elected to build a new library at 1427 Malvern Avenue. Opening on October 15, 1995, the library was a spacious facility guaranteed to help library services grow and flourish. Fast forward 30 years, and the library is bursting at the seams with all the offerings of a contemporary library, which is far more than just books.
For more information about all of the library’s services and offerings, visit www.gclibrary.com, call 501-623-4161, or visit the library at 1427 Malvern Avenue in Hot Springs.
