Tuscaloosa Public Library, 1305 Greensboro Avenue, 1970

Friedman Library Inside Picture Tuscaloosa News 12 Nov 1970.jpg

Title

Tuscaloosa Public Library, 1305 Greensboro Avenue, 1970

Subject

Public libraries
Historic house museums
Tuscaloosa Public Library

Description

This photo published in the Tuscaloosa News, November 12, 1970, shows the reference area of the library when it was housed in Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion. In 1955, the house then owned by the Burchfields was purchased by the YMCA for $70,000. In a prearranged agreement, it was then exchanged with Mr. Victor Hugo Friedman for the north half of the block containing the Battle-Friedman House. The YMCA used that property as the site for the new central YMCA building. Mr. Friedman gave the Burchfield property to Tuscaloosa County for use as a public library. The library which moved from the Searcy House, 815 Greensboro Avenue, in 1958, was known as the Friedman Library to honor Mr. Friedman’s generosity.

A new and larger public library was built on River Road (now Jack Warner Parkway) opening in 1979.

Creator

Tuscaloosa News

Source

Tuscaloosa Public Library

Publisher

Tuscaloosa News

Date

November 12, 1970

Contributor

Elizabeth Bradt (Description)

Type

Newspaper

Identifier

1984

Coverage

Tuscaloosa (AL)

Text

Tuscaloosa county needs a new and larger library. Evidence of this fact is pictured above where Mrs. A. G. Williams, reference librarian at the Friedman Library, is taking all the books off the shelves, weeding out some of the magazines and rearranging the volumes in order to have five more feet of space available for new reference books. The area for the reference books is small and every time new books come in, Mrs. Williams says she has to go through this ordeal. Mrs. Bessie Sasser, librarian, points out further that shelving has recently been installed in a door opening in the teen-age room and books heretofore stacked on a table in the room have been placed on shelves.

Original Format

Newspaper