The Covington Digital News Digital Edition May 15, 2015 | Page 6

IN DEPTH

Friday, May 15, 2015

UNDER THREAT
The struggle to save the Newton County Library
BY MERIS LUTZ

Let knowledge ring
The first public library in America came as a
surprise to the residents of Franklin, Massachusetts, who were expecting a church bell.
They had named their town after the inventor,
statesman, and wit Benjamin Franklin, and asked
him to donate a bell for the local church.
Franklin acknowledged the honor but informed the town that “sense” was preferable to
“sound,” and offered a collection of books instead, CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
The townspeople decided that the books
should be free for borrowing to all residents.

More than 200 years later, the public library is
seen as the physical embodiment of healthy civic life all over America, a place of opportunity,
community, and recreation.
Covington has been home to a library since
at least the early 20th century, when it was
first housed in what is now the Covington
Woman’s Club.
The current library on Floyd Street opened its
doors in 1998 with 32,000 square feet to house
more tha 126,000 books and periodicals. It was
built with SPLOST money and it owned by the
Library Board. The library also has branches in
Porterdale and Newborn.