FORT NOVOSEL, Ala.-- Center Library opened its doors on June 25, 1974, under the leadership of Post Commander, Maj. Gen. William J Maddox Jr. To bring some of the past to the present, Cameron Hill, reference librarian, gathered 50-year-old photos and artifacts to display during a celebration on June 25, 2024, in the building's honor.
Fort Novosel’s Center Library, a time-honored facility on the installation, continues to build community from one generation to the next.
“I was just digging through a closet here a few months back and found these photos and an old rolodex!” said Hill. “When I realized the building was turning 50, I thought it would be fun to host a 1970’s theme party to celebrate all that the library has done for our community.”
Other artifacts on display were a 1970’s aviation helmet from Bryant Macfarlane at the Aviation Museum, old guidebooks from the Aviation Technical Library, and a few books on the origins on Camp Rucker which are in the library’s circulation to borrow.
For nearly a decade, Hill has been a stalwart to the daily operations of Center Library. According to her, it’s important to educate new employees on the history of the building.
“Part of the orientation tour I give during onboarding is a brief talk on the transformation of the Children’s Room,” said Hill. “Prior to 2017 it was the ‘Activities Room,’ a drab space with a couple of large conference tables and small study closets. Now, it’s a vibrant area with a beautiful mural and colorful cubbies that promotes reading, learning, and exploring.”
Center Library’s red brick walls carry foundational memories for many members of the Fort Novosel community. Jay Mann, public affairs specialist, said that his love for music and media grew as child right inside that building.
“Growing up in the Wiregrass, Center Library was always a special place to me,” said Mann. “My mother was a military spouse here in the 1980’s and she would drop me and my little brother off at the library while she grocery shopped down the road. They had shelves of Beta and VHS tapes you could rent, a million books and magazines and room full of records.”
According to Mann, the record room was originally in the current children’s room and had everything from records to record players used to sample albums before choosing favorites to take home.
“We would go and listen to music on that player,” continued Mann, “We’d listen to things that we had never heard of or had any ability to hear in any other way. It was just a different time then.”
Today, kids grow up with the world of media at their fingertips via electronic devices. However, for a majority of its 50 years, Center Library opened the world of media and entertainment to military members and their families at the home of Army Aviation through books, music, and videos.
“At the end of our time there, my mom would pick us up,” said Mann. “We would have checked out some movies and some books and head on home until the next time we’d get to go back to explore more.”
Hill and her team continue to build that same level of community at the library today with everything from weekly story time, adult book clubs, and well attended themed events for all ages.
University of South Carolina Professor, R. David Lankes, once said “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.”
Even with the world of media at our fingertips, it’s the touch of the pages and friendly faces that can only be found at Center Library.
For the latest happenings head to their website at Center Library :: Ft. Novosel :: US Army MWR.
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