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THE HISTORIAN OF HANCOCK COUNTY
(Library from page 1) at 123 Court Street from the Plunkett family. ?WPA? dropped from its name which bccamc ?City-County Memorial Library,? but it was still a private venture dependent on donations.
In 1965 the library board offered its property and books, valued at $50,000, to the county and its two cities in order to qualify for public support. The following year the Board of Supervisors formally accepted the offer and allocated millage for support of the library. Bay St. Louis and Waveland soon followed. With local support, the library was eligible for aid from the Mississippi Library Commission which loaned shelving, furniture and books. It was now truly a "public? library.
In 1967 the property at Highway 90 and Ulman Avenue was purchased for $17,000, and the board applied for funds from the federal Library Services and Construction Act. In 1968 a bond issue for matching funds to build a new library was defeated but services not only continued from Court Street but expanded to other areas of the county'. In 1969 a bookmobile parked at Waveland Town Hall served as the Waveland branch until 1971 when it occupied rooms in the building and later moved to its present site on Coleman Avenue.
By 1973 federal funds were forthcoming for a new building and in 1976 the main library and Waveland branches were opened, with Kiln following in 1980.	Edith	Back
Follow ing is the 1941 Sea Coast Echo story:
ft
COUNTY WPA LIBRARY IS GREAT ASSET TO CITY AND COUNTY
Out of chaotic surroundings and 200 books on the floor of the second story of the Hancock Bank has grown an institution which is a credit to Miss Louise Crawford, the library board, the city and county whose untiring efforts have brought the Hancock County WPA Library to a standard far beyond the expectations of the public - far beyond
their own expectations.
The library , which was seven years old in March 1941, saw the light against great odds, the greatest the death of three previous libraries. The initial step was the book shower and tea when the nucleus was formed.. All woman organizations, civic and otherwise, were represented and Charles G. Moran made a stirring address.
Miss Crawford was appointed at the helm of this trial ship, supported by a strong library board and the cooperation of the community.
No financial aid was forthcoming from the WPA (then the CWA) except salaries of those employed. Hence some plan must of necessity be devised to raise funds for the purchase of books. Among the clever ones was the annual birthday party when the friends of the library were entertained and as they left dropped shining gold coins in the box. Then, too, gift books came in from interested friends and the cash was used to buy the newer books which were
Friends of the library were entertained and as they left, they dropped shining gold coins in the box.
placed on a rent shelf and the slight cost of 2c a day was charged for the reading of these until they were paid for and then they too were retired to the free shelf.
Then there was the question of location and this was forthcoming from the Hancock Bank and the present home of the library, the second floor of the bank, was offered rent free. It has never been a certainty that these kind friends expected the library to take this as a gift and stay on through the ages but they are still there until the dream of the new library building built by the county and city becomes a reality.
Another means of raising funds was that of the monthly book review when home talent and professional reviewers reviewed the newer books and a fee was charged and in this way small sums were realized for the many needs of the library.
The county furnished lumber, paint, stationery and $100. The city gave a stove, a rug, fuel, janitress service, shipping charges on donated books and $30.00 on the cost of the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
The next step was reaching the people of the rural sections and book stations were established at Aaron Academy, Ansley, Catahoula. Clermont Harbor, Dedeaux, Edwardsville, Gainesville, Hoda town. Necaise Crossing. Valena C. Jones. Bay St. Louis, Sellers, and Waveland. These Miss Crawford visited monthly taking new supplies.
Story hours were a feature of all stations and Miss Caroline Dale Snedecker conducted one at the Bay St. Louis main library.
The library was soon receiving books from out of town sources. The Clovernook Home for the Blind in Cincinnati sent books which had been ripped apart in the process of transcribing them into Braille. Miss Crawford put in a system of book binding to put these into readable shape. Later the WPA installed a regular book binding department giving insructions to those employed and that department is an important feature of the library.
Other donations of books sent as donations other than the Clovernook Home for the Blind are Carnegie International Mind Alcove, American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville. Cincinnati Public Library, New York Public Library, New York Hopital for bone diseases and friends in Nantucket, Texas and Chicago.
At the present time the library has listed 3000 readers and has acquired 7000 books. It still holds the interest of the community and the number readers increases daily.
The following ladies constitute the library board:	Mrs. John Weston,
president; Mrs. J. Roland Weston, vice president; Mrs. L.M. Gex, vice president, Mrs. William Watts, treasurer, Miss Louise A. Crawford, secretary; Mrs. Carl Marshall, Mrs. H. Gradv Perkins. Mrs. George E. Pitcher, Mrs. Edouard C. Carrere, Mrs. C.I. Horton and Mrs. H. M. Briggs.