Randolph County Library

The Randolph County Library, located in historic downtown Pocahontas (Randolph County), opened on June 20, 1935. The Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program that employed thousands of Arkansans during the Great Depression, gave funds that were instrumental in the library’s establishment, including paying the librarian’s salary.

Citizens of Randolph County donated books to kick off the library’s successful start. The women of the American Legion Auxiliary sponsored the vast project, along with other organizations that raised funds. The Randolph County Public Library’s first location was in a building’s two upper rooms that were filled with books, magazines, tables, chairs, and desks. Between thirty to sixty-five patrons stopped by each day to borrow books. Expansion was made possible through the County Library Act of 1937. After the act’s establishment, the Quorum Court granted $300 to invest in the library’s services. In 1938, the library and its approximately 1,500 books moved to Pocahontas’s City Hall.

Book deposits were established in rural stores in 1948 in the following Randolph County communities: Attica, Warm Springs, Middlebrook, Pitman, Supply, Richardson, Maynard, Dalton, Ravenden Springs, McIlroy, Biggers, Reyno, Shannon, and O’Kean. A bookmobile visited rural areas. By 1956, the library had 10,000 books and over 4,000 periodicals, in addition to pamphlets, maps, and phonograph recordings.

From the years 1945 to 1988, the Randolph County Library changed its location four times. By 1965, the library had become part of the Northeast Arkansas Library System. In 1987, the Arkansas State Library Board granted the Randolph County Library ninety-five percent of the $40,000 that was requested to purchase the library’s current building on the corner of Van Bibber and Everett streets in downtown Pocahontas. The community showed its support for the expansion of the local library, with businesses, organizations, and schools volunteering to aid in the big move.

The Randolph County Library continues to expand its resources in the twenty-first century. It is a member of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Library System, a consortium of five public library branches from Clay, Greene, and Randolph counties that share resources. Audiobooks, e-books, and many databases are available through the library’s website. More than 71,700 items in the library are available for public access, including books, DVDs, and magazines.

A genealogy room is available for researchers, and the library established a seed library that provides patrons with free vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. Book clubs, a crochet/knit club, storytimes, and toddler times allow people of all ages to engage in educational opportunities. The Randolph County Library welcomes about 600 visitors per week.

For additional information:
“History of Randolph County Library.” Pocahontas Star Herald Centennial Edition of the Pocahontas Story 1856–1956, September 20, 1956, p. 35.

Northeast Arkansas Regional Library System. https://www.mylibrarynow.org/index.php (accessed March 27, 2025).

Ziegler, Jan. “The Long History of the Randolph County Library.” Pocahontas Star Herald, October 26, 2016, pp. 6B, 7B.

Hannah Koons
Missouri State University