Local Libraries

LIBRARIES IN GREENE COUNTY

Several Libraries Have Lots To Check Out

Several libraries serve readers within Greene County.

PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Greeneville-Greene County Public Library, at 210 N. Main St., is a collaboration between the city and county governments, each providing a portion of the library’s annual operating budget.

The library’s mission is to bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community in Greeneville and Greene County. The library is part of the Holston River Regional Library System and is a member of the OWL Consortium.

The library’s original building was located on Summer Street and was built with assistance from the Carnegie Foundation. The library moved to its current location in 1975 and celebrated its 110th birthday in August 2018. All library services are open to residents of Greeneville and Greene County. To obtain a free library card, bring a photo ID and proof of residence in Greene County to the library.

COLLECTION

The Greeneville-Greene County Public Library has a collection of more than 46,500 items, including books, DVDs and CD audio books.

Library materials are purchased with state and federal funds, which are allocated to the library through the regional library office.

In addition to the physical collection, library patrons also have access to a large collection of e-books through the TN READS program. Access to the library’s online catalog and TN READS is available through the library’s website, www.ggcpl. org.

The library receives a small selection of print periodicals including The Greeneville Sun, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and the Johnson City Press. Back issues of newspapers are kept for one month.

The library’s interlibrary loan program enables patrons to request books from elsewhere in the Holston River Regional Library system and from libraries throughout Tennessee. Requested items are usually available for pickup within two weeks.

SUN PHOTO BY LORELEI GOFF/THE GREENEVILLE SUN Erin Bontempt, library circulation clerk and coordinator for the summer reading program, stands by a book display curated for the program’s Tails and Tales theme.

FREE ONLINE ACCESS

The library has free Wi-Fi access, and has desktop computers available for public use. Computers are equipped with Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. Children 15 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times when using internet services.

The library offers black and white printing for 20 cents per page and color printing for $1 per page. The library also offers faxing and scanning services.

BOOK SALE

Each year, a multi-day book sale, organized by a committee of volunteers, benefits the library. Donations for the sale may be taken to the library at any time during the year. For specific dates of the book sale, please contact the library at 638-5034.

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

The library has more than 12,800 books in its children’s section. In addition to its large collection of juvenile items, the library has a young adult section for teenage readers.

Story time for children begins at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday. All ages are

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welcome. The library typically sponsors a summer reading program for children preschool age through high school during the month of June. The program features story times, guest presenters, activities, and more to encourage reading during the summer months.

LIBRARY HOURS

The library’s hours are: Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For more information about the library, its services or programs, call 638-5034, or visit their website at www.ggcpl.org.

T. ELMER COX HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY

Trying to fi nd an ancestor? Working on a family mystery? If so, then the T. Elmer Cox Historical and Genealogical Library may be able to help.

A branch of Greeneville-Greene County Public Library, the Cox Library is at 229 N. Main St.

The library is named in honor of the late T. Elmer Cox, who was Greene County’s fi rst offi cial historian. His bequest enabled the Greeneville-Greene County Public Library to purchase and renovate the historic building that became the Cox Library. It opened in 2000.

In addition to housing materials amassed by Cox over his lifetime, the Cox Library also contains resources that were formerly located in the Tennessee Room of the main library and original public records from the Greene County Courthouse.

ACQUIRED MANY MATERIALS

Since its opening, the Cox Library has acquired several hundred additional books, periodicals and microfi lm items as well as a large body of other materials pertaining to family and local history.

Much of the library consists of an extensive book and periodical collection focusing on Greene County and nearby

SUN FILE PHOTO/THE GREENEVILLE SUN The T. Elmer Cox Historical and Genealogical Library had window replacements approved by the Greeneville Historic Zoning Commission.

areas in East Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia.

The library’s holdings also include Greene County newspapers, federal census records (entire United States available online), cemetery records (many regional counties), death certifi cates (all of Tennessee, 1914-1958), maps, North Carolina and East Tennessee land grants, local city directories, Greene County telephone directories, school yearbooks, photograph scrapbooks, genealogy query fi les, family fi les, and local history fi les.

The Cox Library also has free Wifi access for patrons.

COUNTY RECORDS

The Greene County governmental records on fi le at the Cox Library are of various types and cover various periods. The earliest of these records begin in 1783.

The records of what the Tennessee State Library and Archives calls “County Court” include a wide variety of material, including some very old records of a time when judicial matters and business matters were handled by the same court.

In the early 1800s, those functions were divided. For the period from 1834 to 1954, the minutes of the local body that handled county business matters have been archived by the state under the broad heading of County Court.

Locally, at least during the 1950s, 1960s and most of the 1970s, what was commonly referred to as County Court was known more formally as County Quarterly Court. Since September 1978, that elected body has been referred to as the Greene County Legislative Body or the Greene County Commission.

Note: The Cox Library does not have any County Court minutes more recent than March 1954. The more recent minutes are maintained by the offi ce of the Greene County Clerk at the Courthouse Annex on Cutler Street.

In the County Court collection, researchers also have access to other kinds of documents, including marriage records (1780-1995), wills (1780-1986), estate settlements (1802-1950), estate inventories (1810-1817, 1828-1952), land deeds (1785-1986), trust deeds (1841-1947), tax lists (various dates, 1783-1913), guardian records (1872-1960), court minutes

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Jeff Ward and Alen Corley

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(1783-1954), miscellaneous loose records (1851-early 1900s), and a few records of various other types. Circuit Court records include Civil Court minutes (1809-1950), and Criminal Court minutes (1815-1954). Chancery Court records include minutes (1825-1973) and case fi les (1825-c. 1950).

MICROFILM COLLECTION

The T. Elmer Cox Library has modern facilities for use of its sizable microfi lm collection. Many of its most important materials — including newspapers, death certifi cates, land grants and court records — are accessed primarily through microfi lm.

Because the library is a specialized research facility with many unique or rare resources, none of its materials circulate to the public. However, photocopy services are available in-house, and the library honors requests for photocopies from researchers outside Greene County. Inter-library loan services also are available.

WIDESPREAD USE

Visitors from all 50 states have been to the library. The library has also received correspondence from people in 48 states and three foreign countries.

The library has implemented a free, remotely accessible cloud-based workfl ow system which allows the public to access the collections online.

As is the case with the Greeneville-Greene County Public Library, operational costs of the Cox Library are shared jointly by the Greene County and Greeneville governments. The Cox Library also has been the recipient of several grants from the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Funds from these grants have made it possible for staff and volunteers to clean, repair, inventory and properly store many thousands of loose County Court records, including marriage licenses and bonds from 1780 through 1995. Ultimately, these records will be digitized, along with a large body of other court records that are currently being processed for permanent storage.

GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

Strong support from the state library has been accompanied by local support from the Greene County Genealogical Society. Formed in 1985 by six Greene County natives, GCGS has grown to include hundreds of members from throughout the nation. The society has made many important purchases for the Cox Library and a wealth of its members’ research and other historical information is available on their website, greenecountytngenealogicalsociety.org.

Greene County Genealogical Society membership dues are $20 annually. They include a subscription to “The Greene County Pioneer,” a semi-annual publication issued in May and November.

COX LIBRARY HOURS

The Cox Library is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and other days by appointment. For current hours, please call the main library at 638-5034. People interested in volunteering, making monetary donations or joining the Greene County Genealogical Society should contact the T. Elmer Cox Historical and Genealogical Library at 638-9866 or visit the library’s website: www.telmercoxlibrary.org.

THOMAS J. GARLAND LIBRARY

Tusculum University’s library, named for Thomas J. Garland, former legislator, businessman and educator from Greeneville, covers more than 34,000 squarefeet. Its 2008 renovation nearly tripled the space of the previous facility, constructed in 1910.

The library’s expansion allows the college to provide increased onsite reference, circulation and periodical space as well as to house additional computer terminals and resources, full-size classrooms, faculty offi ces, a conference room, study rooms, and a classroom dedicated to library instruction and information literacy.

The print collection now exceeds 185,000 print and microfi lm texts and more than 200 periodical subscriptions.

Students also have access to 300,000 full-text e-books and more than 20,000 journal titles available via the library’s website at www.garland.tusculum.edu.

Internet access to online databases and other resources is available at both the Greeneville and Knoxville branches of the library or, with passwords, from any computer with internet access.

Residents of Greene County are welcome to make in-house use of the wealth of knowledge housed in Tusculum’s library.

Hours vary by semester and are subject to change without notice. The university suggests calling 636-7320 to confi rm hours or look for updates at www.garland. tusculum.edu.

MOSHEIM PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Mosheim Public Library, at 730 Main St. in Mosheim, is a 3,300-squarefoot facility housing a collection of more than 15,000 resources, including books, periodicals, journals, DVDs and audio CD’s.

Books and other resources are obtained through donations, memorials and funding by the town’s government.

Part of the Watauga Regional Library System, Mosheim shares inter-loan agreements with libraries in various other places such as Sullivan County, Washington County, Bristol and Elizabethton.

The library is equipped with computers, printers, a copy machine, a fax machine, internet access supervised by the library staff and volunteers, free 24 hour wi-fi and wi-fi hotspots available for checking out.

A summer reading program, typically offered in June, is available for all children who wish to either read in a quiet atmosphere or be read to, and includes entertainment, crafts, snacks prizes and more. The library hosts Family Story time the 2nd Tuesday of the month except Jue.

A library card is all that is required to borrow books from the library. A card can be given the same day an application is received with a valid driver license and piece of mail to verify street address.

The library’s hours are 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon until 5 p.m. on Friday. It is closed Saturday and Sunday.

Call the library at 422-7937 or visit their website at www.mosheimlib.org.

WE BELIEVE:

Education is the most important service a community provides for itself. All children can learn, and most can learn at very high levels. Skilled teachers and support staff make the difference. Strong leaders set the tone. Useful data provide direction. Safe, clean, appropriate facilities and 21st century resources are a necessity. School, family, and community partnerships strengthen learning.

Students in Greene County Schools will develop a joy for learning; graduates from Greene County Schools will be prepared to enter the workforce with an industry certificate, to enroll in a community college with dual credits earned, or to enroll in a four-year college or university with ACT scores that forecast success. Furthermore, graduates will be contributing citizens demonstrating responsible, ethical behavior.

VISION

SCHOOL BOARD

David McLain, Director of Schools Rick Tipton, Chairman Nathan Brown, Vice CHairman Minnie Banks Tom Cobble Michelle Holt Mark Rothe Brian Wilhoit