Central Library

Central Library Hours:
Monday - Thursday : 9am - 9pm
Friday - Saturday : 9am - 5pm
Sunday - 1pm - 5pm
(Closed Sundays Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day)

Phone: 434.979.7151
Fax: 434.971.7035
central@jmrl.org

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Programs for Adults

CONNECTING @ YOUR LIBRARY

The Reference staff will provide one-on-one tutorials on basic computer skills and online job searching and applications. Participants must get a JMRL Library Card. For an appointment call 979.7151 ext 4

ADULT SUMMER READING PROGRAM

June 10 - July 27

 

Come to the library to sign up - it's free! Each week, stop by the library and let us know what you've been reading. For each book you read, you will be entered into the weekly drawing for fun prizes, and will also be eligible for the end-of-the-summer drawing for a grand prize.

DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES

Films are shown on the 4th Thursday of the month except for December. Come view and discuss documentary films on current issues. Light refreshments will be provided. Sign up to be added to the film email list: central@jmrl.org

Want a list of the films already shown? Try Searching the calendar. After being shown, check the online catalog to borrow the film. Program listings are below.

REGIONAL AUTHOR SERIES

A series featuring regional authors. Come support the homegrown writers and enjoy an afternoon of discussion. Program listings are below.

BROWN BAGGERS BOOK GROUP

On the third Thursday of the month bring your lunch and discuss fiction and non-fiction books. Library staff will provide value-added content and lead the discussion. Drinks and desserts will be provided. Sign up to be added to the book email list: central@jmrl.org (RSS for Events)

Want to see what has already been read? Try Searching the calendar. Program listings are below.

Sponsored by the Virginia Employment Commission

people on lineJOB SEARCH ASSISTANCE

June 20, 2013
10:00 am

1st and 3rd Thursdays. Sign up at reference desk but walk-ins welcome: 10am-noon

SERVICES PROVIDED:

  • Career Exploration
  • Job Search Assistance
  • Résumé Writing Assistance
  • Interviewing Skills
  • Job Skills Development
  • Other Work/Career Related Services

Brown Baggers Book Group

book coverTHE SENSE OF AN ENDING by Julian Barnes

June 20, 2013
12:00 pm

This intense new novel follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he has never much thought about-until his oldest friends return with a vengeance, one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. Check the Catalogbullet

JMRL Board Meeting

June 24, 2013
1:00 pm

The Board of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library usually meets the 4th Monday of every month. Some months this will change. The location is usually at the Central Library but the agenda (PDF) will show if the meeting is at a different location.

Special Event

michael parentStories and Songs with Michael Parent

June 25, 2013
7:00 pm

Former Charlottesville resident Michael Parent will spin tales and sing songs sure to delight young and old alike. Michael's presentations include folktales, original stories that address issues related to growing up, and "singalongable songs." Stories are sometimes aimed at a particular age group. But if the audience consists of a mixture of parents and children of various ages, Michael enjoys telling stories that cross age barriers.

Documentary Film Series

MovieAN ORIGINAL DUCKUMENTARY a Production of Coneflower Productions and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.

June 27, 2013
7:00 pm

Emmy-winning actor Paul Giamatti narrates this story of dazzling divers and dabblers. The film explores the unique abilities and extraordinary behaviors that are hallmarks of ducks' evolutionary success. Sit back and enjoy the ride as Mr. and Mrs. Wood Duck meet, mate, and raise a family of the some of the cutest and most courageous little ducklings you're ever likely to see. ” Jim Nix, of the Monticello Bird Club, will facilitate discussion. more info

Regional Author Series

Otis Lee, Jr.-local attorney discusses his self-published memoir.

July 11, 2013
7:00 pm

Brown Baggers Book Group

book coverA TRAIN IN WINTER: AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF WOMEN, FRIENDSHIP, AND RESISTANCE IN OCCUPIED FRANCE by Caroline Moorehead

July 18, 2013
12:00 pm

Combining original sources, archival research and in-depth personal interviews, this riveting narrative follows the 230 women of the French Resistance who, imprisoned by the Gestapo outside of Paris, turned to each other, finding solace and strength in friendship. Check the Catalogbullet

Future Readings:

  • Aug 15: CANADA by Richard Ford

Documentary Film Series

MovieTHE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY directed by Julian Schnabel (2007)

July 25, 2013
7:00 pm

At the age of 43 Elle France magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body except his left eye. He used a blinking code to write his memoir and eloquently described his life from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind. In French and English with English subtitles.

History of McIntire and Central Library

Albemarle Library Society
Albemarle Library Society

The first known library in downtown Charlottesville was created in 1823 by a group of citizens that included Thomas Jefferson. The “Albemarle Library Society” boasted an initial collection of 238 titles. This village library was located at “Number Nothing” in Court Square (a site now occupied by 224 Court Square). A public subscription library, the society was incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly and lasted at least until 1834. It was not until 1919 and the generosity of Paul Goodloe McIntire that a truly public library was formed. McIntire donated not only the land and the construction costs, but the furniture and the first 5,000 books for the new library as well. The cornerstone was laid in November, 1919, and the new “Charlottesville Public Library” opened its doors to the public on May 30, 1921.

The Regional Library Evolves

Original site of the library, now the Historical Society
Original site of the library, now the Historical Society

With the development of bookmobile service to Albemarle County in 1947, the name of the library was changed to the “Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Library”. In 1958, six years after the death of Mr. McIntire, the main library building and the system itself became known as the “McIntire Library.”

Additional branches in Scottsville, Crozet, and on Gordon Avenue in Charlottesville took some of the pressure off of the small McIntire Branch in the early 1960s, and, in 1972, with the addition of branches in Louisa and Nelson counties, the library system became the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Greene County joined the system in 1974.

Market St. Post Office Building
Market St. Post Office Building

In October 1977, the Market Street Post Office building was purchased by Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Under Director Christopher Devan, a 17-month renovation project took place. Total cost of the project reached $2.25 million. After moving the McIntire collection of 90,000 volumes into the building on Market Street, the new Central Library opened on February 2, 1981 to patrons eager for a larger facility. Along with administration and technical services, the third floor of the new building offered the community three meeting rooms, one of them dedicated to Mr. McIntire.

In May 1987, the Albemarle County Historical Society's Library and the Central Virginia Genealogical Association consolidated their resources with those of the Central Library and moved the newly formed Charlottesville-Albemarle Historical Collection to the mezzanine of the Central Library where it remained until 1994. That year, after extensive restoration and renovation, the Historical Collection moved out of the Central Library and into the former McIntire Library.

Beyond the Printed Page

In the late 80s, the Library Board and Director Bill Swinson had committed the library system to obtaining the benefits of emerging modern technology. By February 1989, under Director Donna Selle, the card catalogs at all branches were replaced with on-line computer catalogs for the public and JMRL fully implemented its automated circulation system.

In order to continue to integrate technology into the library system, the Central Library was again renovated in 1995. The opening of a public computer lab for internet access and the development and implementation of a community information network, Monticello Avenue, were initiated. The public lab currently houses many internet stations and access is also available in the Central Reference Department where extensive electronic resources complement the print and microform collections.

Current Director John Halliday oversees the entire JMRL system from his office on the third floor of the Central Library.