Greene County Public Library

Mission

The mission of the Greene County Public Library is to provide resources and programs that meet the current and ever-changing information needs of our patrons in Paragould and Greene County and our sister communities in Northeast Arkansas.

History

The Greene County Library traces its roots back to January 1, 1936, when the Paragould Public Library opened under the sponsorship of the local Business & Professional Women's club. The club paid rent and utilities for a second-floor room in the 100 block of West Court Street. The salary of librarian Nona Dixon and her successor Pearl Diggs was paid through federal New Deal jobs programs until 1943.

The Greene County Library has been part of a regional system since 1963 when it joined with its northern neighbor to form the Greene-Clay Regional Library. When Randolph County joined the system in 1965, the name was changed to the Northeast Arkansas Regional Library.

In the midst of all challenges, the Greene County Library has survived and has even been able to expand services, especially children's programming, public access Internet computers and, since 1983, its local history/genealogy department, the S.S. Lipscomb Room. The Wright Memorial Library Building at 120 N. 12th St. was dedicated April 28, 1974. Built at a cost of more than $300,000, it was the first Greene County Library location to be designed specifically for library use. It is named for Rupert C. Wright and Georgia O. Wright, publishers of the Paragould Daily Press from 1921 to 1951, whose bequest helped fund its construction.

In 2008 construction was begun on a 3000 square foot expansion of the Library building to include an new meeting (Legacy) room and regional Director's Offices.