| The
forerunner of Shiloh Regional Library was the field office of
the Reelfoot Region established in Jackson. Counties served
from Jackson were Crockett, Decatur, and Hardin, beginning in
the fiscal year 1947-1948.
In 1948-1949, three additional counties
joined the Jackson field office. They were Henderson,
McNairy, and Madison. This brought the number of counties
served by the Jackson office to six (6).
In January 1949, the Cossitt Library Region
(Memphis) was closed and Hardeman, Lauderdale, and Tipton counties
were transferred to the University of Tennessee Junior College
Region (Martin) to be given bookmobile service from Jackson.
The year 1950 again saw a change in the
name of the Region. The University of Tennessee Junior
College Region became the West Tennessee Regional Library. McNairy
County withdrew from the Region and the administrative duties
for the remaining thirteen counties were consolidated in Martin
with the branch office in Jackson providing bookmobile service
to five counties. For the next six years, the same counties
remained in the region,
In 1956, under the provision of the new
regional library law, the Shiloh Regional Library was founded
to serve the southwestern counties of the state. The name
for this region was borrowed from the Shiloh National Military
Park located in Hardin County, one of the two original counties
of which the region was composed. The Shiloh Region was
now composed of Madison, Henderson, Decatur, Hardin, Hardeman
and Tipton counties.
In 1957, Haywood County joined the Shiloh
Region, followed by Chester County in 1961 and McNairy rejoined
the region. Fayette county joined during fiscal year 1965-66.
The last major change in the regional program
in West Tennessee was the establishment of the Forked Deer Region
in 1966, with headquarters in Trimble. Three counties
were transferred from Shiloh Region to partially make up the
new region: Tipton, Haywood, and Fayette. The Shiloh
Region was composed of the seven counties which are now in the
region: Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson,
McNairy, and Madison. |
