50 YEARS—Branch supervisor Joan Sherif and Alleghany County Library Head Librarian Debbie Brewer pause for a photo outside the local library, which is celebrating 50 years of being affiliated with the Northwestern Regional Library system.

Alleghany celebrates 50 years with regional library

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Northwestern Regional Library, of which Alleghany County Library is a charter member.

According to Joan Sherif, who serves as the branch supervisor and technology coordinator, "the Northwestern Regional system started through the state library, sponsored through the state. The point of regional systems was to help equalize library services all over the state, especially in rural counties. There are 14 systems in the state regional system. Our system did start 50 years ago and we're glad to have grown a lot in that period of time from three libraries to 13 libraries."

Of the anniversary, Sherif continued, "We think it's renewed our sense of dedication. We're celebrating the entire system. It's made us all really reflect about the importance and the strength of having a system and the many aspects of that.…We want to tell people more about our system and why it's important and why it continues to be to this day. People know about their individual libraries but sometimes aren't aware that we're part of a bigger system and, of course that really expands the services so much to everybody. It really maximizes the dollars so each community doesn't have to pay for all the services…There are so many books you can get to, besides the ones that are just in your library."

What's Available

Alleghany County Library's Head Librarian, Debbie Brewer, pointed out that along with the book collection, the local library offers other opportunities, including Internet capability, word processing, availability of tax forms, NC Live, which is a collection of databases that are sponsored through the state library to be used by citizens of all ages, and many other materials.

"There is no charge for it," Sherif noted and added NC Live "just expanded access to information in tremendous ways so people in Alleghany County have the same access that people in Raleigh do, which is wonderful. We know access to information is so important in this day and age because it shouldn't matter where you live….there's so much available outside the walls of our particular library here. The library's really stepped forward to try to help people even more with that.