Semmes Regional Library

MISSION STATEMENT

Our Mission is to Support Literacy and Connect Our Community.

History

Beginning as a branch public library, the now Semmes Regional Library is unique because this library has a story. It’s a story of how a community came together to support the efforts to secure a library for Semmes and surrounding rural communities. The quest for a Semmes Library began in the summer of 2007 when former Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine, the Mobile Public Library (under the leadership of Director Spencer Watts), the Semmes Library Committee (Caresse Fincher, Diane Moore, Terri Nelson, Kim Leousis, Pastor Vint Norris, Carolyn Owens, Ann Phillips, Mary Rodning, and Paula Webb), and the citizens of Semmes united to establish the facility. Each partner in the project was given a role to play, and all were involved in fundraising. To show good faith that residents were willing to work for a local library, the community accepted the goal of raising $300,000 for the Opening Day Collection of books, resources, computers, shelving, and other furnishings. Almost a year after the fundraising campaign began, the Semmes Library Committee announced in August 2008 that the challenging goal had been met and by Grand Opening Day, was far surpassed at $350,000 plus. Donations, large and small, from individuals, families, businesses, churches, local schools, corporations, foundations, state representatives, and grants came in to show support. Community-wide efforts like a massive Book Drive and Paper Recycling projects were launched as well. Residents of all ages were involved and vested in the library project. The community pulled together to make it happen.

The official Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for the Semmes Branch Library was held on January 7, 2009. Located in a remodeled building at the corner of Moffett and McCrary Road, a large and enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers, dignitaries, officials and students were welcomed inside to view the 14,000 square-foot Semmes Library which houses: a Conference Room, a quiet Study Room, a Community Room, a Family Reading and Research area, an art display space, a Children’s Area, a Teens’ Area, and a Technology Center with free Internet access and approximately 45,000 plus materials, including books, DVDs and other items.

The Semmes Library has grown in numbers and prestige for the entire area. Located in the heart of Semmes, it operates as a community hub, serving 23,000 plus citizens of west and northwest Mobile County.

In addition to showcasing the written word of writers and poets, the plan to house an art space was achieved by the Opening Day Ceremony. Named the Semmesonian and strategically placed in a high-traffic area at the front of the library, the art gallery is a valuable asset to the community, offering additional cultural opportunities to Semmes residents from all walks of life. Because of distance constraints, many library patrons do not frequent art museums but enjoy seeing artwork presented in an accessible central location. Students from area schools, local artists and artisans, the Mary Ellen Ward Art group, friends of the Semmes Library, and other groups display their artworks on a rotating basis, usually three to four exhibits per year. The themes are unique and relative to the area, and the displays feature a wide spectrum of artwork using an array of techniques and mediums. With each rotating exhibit, an art reception is held to encourage the artists and community to engage in meaningful conversation. The open-to-the-public receptions are free, bringing people together in new ways to strengthen appreciation for the arts.

In early 2017, the Semmes Library Committee was contacted by District 2 Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson and given the news that our Semmes Library was in jeopardy. We were informed that the ten-year lease on the building was likely not to be renewed by the Mobile County Commission due to the increase in lease arrangements. A Save the Semmes Library campaign was developed, and a social media page was created to keep residents informed and encourage a cooperative spirit with regard to negotiations with the corporate pharmacy that owned the library building. It was evident a lease was not the answer since that does not ensure permanency. Moving the library was not the answer either. All challenges aside, the Semmes Library was too important to accept anything less than the purchase of the library building to guarantee a permanent future.

After months of hard work, speculation, debating and negotiations, the Mobile County Commission, led by District 2 County Commissioner Connie Hudson, finalized the purchase of the Semmes Library building on September 15, 2017 for $1.3 million. As a community, we feel our efforts to influence the purchase at a reasonable price were instrumental.

In the last few years, Semmes has incorporated and growth has exploded, but we remain a close-knit community, rooted and bonded with small-town traditions. Residents stood together in 2007 to raise $350,000 plus to bring a library to Semmes, and against practical thinking, we stood strong in 2017 to ensure the future of the Semmes Regional Library.

The citizenry of Semmes and the surrounding rural areas who represent all ages and economic levels benefit exponentially from the resources, information, and programs that are offered from the Semmes Regional Library. The investment in the library has paid off with added value, enhanced quality of life, and involved patrons. Semmes Regional Library, our gateway to everywhere, reflects the emphasis our residents place on literacy, the arts, and education; a proud heritage for our families and friends.