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This Web site
is designed to be a "resource center" for
the librarians and library trustees of the Fort Loudoun Region. All
other visitors are also welcome, as this Web site will familiarize
visitors with the services and programs of the Tennessee Regional
Library System.
Our
Vision and Mission
The vision of the Fort
Loudoun Regional Library, and its counterpart regional libraries across
the state of Tennessee, is that the citizens of Tennessee will have
the information they need for personal growth and development.
The mission of the Fort Loudoun Regional Library is to provide supplementary
library materials for the citizens of the region; to provide library services
to people who do not have access to such services; to assist local government
to develop and expand library services; to train local library staff and trustees;
and to serve as a link between the state library and local public libraries.
Agency
Profile
The Fort Loudoun Regional Library is a support
service agency of the Tennessee
State Library and Archives, Tennessee
Department of State. The regional library center is one
of twelve multi-county regional library centers across the state,
combining their efforts as the Tennessee Regional
Library System.
The Fort Loudoun Regional Library is located in Athens, Tennessee, providing
a central location to the counties it serves: Blount, Bradley, Loudon, McMinn,
Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea and Roane.
The Fort Loudoun Regional Library provides
a wide range of services to its 27 member public libraries,
including leadership and guidance, materials support, outreach
services, technology support, and training.
The Fort Loudoun Regional Library celebrates
its 66th year of service to the East Tennessee library community
in 2005.
History
The history of this region goes back as far as 1939, with the establishment of library service by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Education to the families of the workers building the Watts Bar Dam. The Fort Loudoun Regional Library Board of Trustees, officially organized by the state in July, 1955, acts as an advisory board to oversee the programs and services of the Fort Loudoun Regional Library Center.
The Fort Loudoun Regional Library Center acts as a service link between the Tennessee State Library and Archives (Tennessee Department of State) and the library boards and public libraries in its nine-county service area. The regional library coordinates local library services and provides certain services to the public and to the member libraries.
Since the beginning, it has been our role to provide:
- qualified personnel to consult with the member library boards and to provide technical advice and assistance to the local librarians
- a large collection of library materials to supplement those owned by the local libraries
- outreach service and delivery services to libraries and outreach stations of the region
The Fort Loudoun service area covers 3,489 square miles and has a population of 425,258 (2000 census). The regional library presently serves twenty-seven public libraries and approximately 30 outreach service points.
A new era in regional library service began on 1 July 1999, when the regional library system was incorporated into the Tennessee Department of State, Tennessee State Library & Archives as official state agencies. Prior to that time, the regional library boards were independent local governments, contracting with the Tennessee Department of State to provide service to the member libraries.
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