Northside Library

Northside LibraryHours:
Monday - Tuesday: 12 - 9pm
Wed: 10am-9pm | Thurs: 10am-6pm
Friday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: 1pm - 5pm
(Closed Sundays Memorial Day to Labor Day)

Phone: 434. 973.7893
Fax: 434.973.5876
northside@jmrl.org

Jump to: Adult Programs | Teen Programs | Kids Programs | Volunteer!

Programs for Adults

summer reading

FEED YOUR BRAIN: Adult Summer Reading Program

A free, self-directed reading club with good prizes and no meetings. Sign up for the program at the Information Desk. Fill out a slip and stamp your entry sheet for each book that you read or listen to. Weekly drawings for gift certificates, books, and browsing bags. Grand prize drawing at the end of the program. Look for contests on "The Wall."

Connecting @ Your Library

Learn how to use computers and navigate the Internet. Library staff will give FREE tutorials. more info

@ Your Library

A program consisting of a variety of craft and informational programs. Funded by the Friends of the Library. Program listings are below.

Books Sandwiched In

Third Fridays (lunchtime 12-1 pm) Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, this is a series of presentations of books reviewed by noted local people. Why not bring a sandwich and join us? All programs are free and open to the public. For more information about the books and their reviewers, call 973-7893. Program listings are below.

Meets January-May and September-November. Want to see what has already been read? Try Searching the calendar.

Wednesday Night Book Group

This group meets the third Wednesday of each month (not December), 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Program listings are below.

Want to see what has already been read? Try Searching the calendar.

Books Sandwiched In

THIS REPUBLIC OF SUFFERING: DEATH AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR by Drew Gilpin Faust

May 18, 2012
12:00 pm

An illuminating study of how the war’s staggering carnage (the equivalent of 6 million dead today) changed society’s attitude toward death and led to the establishment of national commitments for the military dead. Reviewed by Rick Potter, Asst. Professor of History, Mary Baldwin College. Check the Catalog arrow

Downloading eBooks and audiobooks

June 05, 2012
6:30 pm

Do you have a Kindle, Nook, iPad or iPhone or other type of electronic reader? Learn how to download free eBooks and audiobooks using JMRL's Overdrive. Class size is limited, registration required: 973.7893
June 5, August 29

Family Night at the Movies

film

June 13, 2012
6:30 pm

Bring a blanket and pillows and come for family friendly movies. Popcorn and drinks provided. Because of licensing issues, titles cannot be put on the webpage. Contact the library for specific info. June 13, July 25

Wednesday Night Book Group

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FANSNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See

June 20, 2012
7:00 pm

A story of friendship set in nineteenth-century China follows an elderly woman and her companion as they communicate their hopes, dreams, joys, and tragedies through a unique secret language. Check the Catalog arrow

@ Your Library

Getting Started with Chickens

July 11, 2012
7:00 pm

Guinevere Higgins is co-founder of Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest, which provides design, installation, maintenance and consultations for edible gardens of all sizes. Higgins is a founding member of the Charlottesville League of Urban chicken Keepers (CLUCK). Her talk will focus on getting started with chickens --coop requirements, breed types, necessary supplies, and predator prevention, with lots of time for questions and answers.

Wednesday Night Book Group

LOST PAINTINGTHE LOST PAINTING by Jonathan Harr

July 18, 2012
7:00 pm

Recounts the search for a long-lost masterpiece by Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Caravaggio, following a young graduate student across hundreds of years and four countries to uncover the mystery of "The Taking of Christ." Check the Catalog arrow

Future Readings:

@ Your Library

Terrific Terrariums

August 14, 2012
6:30 pm

Registration begins July 17. Class size is limited.
Make a garden in a glass container. In this hands-on workshop you will learn the basics of creating and maintaining a terrarium. Come ready to get your hands dirty and leave with your own low-maintenance, miniature landscape. Bring your own container.

@ Your Library

Fairy Houses

August 18, 2012
10:30 am

Registration begins July 28. Class size is limited.
Using mosses, sticks, acorns, and other natural materials, you will create a little dwelling for the fairy living in your house or garden. A child may sign up with an adult to build one house together.

History of Northside Library

A New Branch for Northern Albemarle

Northside Library
Northside Library

It cost a cool million to renovate and equip the 15,500-square-foot space that once housed a Drug Fair discount pharmacy in the heart of the Albemarle Square Shopping Center. The renovation itself came to a mere $210,000. It was the computer system, the subscriptions to 130 magazines and newspapers, the innovative yet comfortable chairs and furnishings and, oh yes, the books that made the difference. When Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s largest and busiest branch first opened its doors to the public on December 14, 1991, the opening day collection was half a million dollars worth of 24,722 volumes, 14,000 of them children’s books. Nearly all the books were new, in pristine condition. The Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library had donated 1,400 items. An additional 6,000 volumes followed over the next six months. Despite these numbers, there was no escaping the obvious: the shelves looked bare. It would take a long time to reach Northside's capacity, intended to hold close to 100,000 volumes. Of course, of no small contribution to the bareness of the shelves was the curious phenomenon observed by the ever alert library staff. From day one, people kept coming in to check out books. A lot of books. 1,319 volumes in five hours went out the first day, with 57 new patrons registered. By the end of the month, 9,421 books had circulated and a record 400 new registrations had been added. The following month 21,299 volumes went on loan.

Northside had arrived

The plans had long been in the making for establishing a branch in northern Albemarle to meet the needs of the county’s fastest growing communities. The County Board of Supervisors awarded both capital and operating funds to open the new branch, but first someone would have to design and build it. In February 1991, the library board and Albemarle County secured local architect Peter L. Sheeran. He oversaw the development of the building program, from the renovations and modifications to the selections of interior furnishings. Working closely with the contractor, Aerowood Construction of Remington, Virginia, and with senior library staff, Mr. Sheeran created Northside’s open design, an arrangement that heightened public accessibility to the collection while allowing for easy supervision and maintenance. The design also allowed for flexibility, anticipating the many changes in Northside’s services that have occurred and will continue to occur in future years. Among many special features were Northside’s area for young adults (with chairs that rock back—chairs that are supposed to rock back), the sunny reading area for current periodicals and newspapers, and the large meeting room curved toward a dais, easily converted to a lecture hall.

Renovation costs eventually totaled $210,000. Albemarle Square, recognizing a good investment, contributed over $100,000. Grants from the Charlottesville/Albemarle Foundation and the Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library augmented the furnishings’ budget of another $100,000. The strong economy and generous gifts from several donor organizations and individuals afforded the library’s dollars the ability to extend much further than anticipated at the onset of the project. In addition, the Northside Boosters formed that year to support the development of the branch in affiliation with the Friends of the Library. Many volunteers helped raise money, increased interest in the branch, and contributed time to open the library...time spent right up to midnight December 13, shelving books and arranging furniture.

Opening Day, No Hitch

Opening Day
Opening Day

Opening day went off without a hitch, beginning with a dedication ceremony starting at 11:00 a.m. and lasting about 25 minutes. Gary O’Connell, representing the library board, and Frederick R. Bowie, then Chairman of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, spoke before the ribbon was cut, but unfortunately, not before patrons were already lining up to have their books checked out!! Nevertheless, everything went smoothly—if you don’t count the plumbing in the Women’s Restroom that suddenly broke down two hours after the library opened. Ah, but the reception was elegant, and in the afternoon there were programs of music and dance. Folk musicians Pete and Ellen Vigour entertained children and adults alike, as did a local troupe, Chihamba of Dancescape, who performed West African drumming and dance. Then at 5:00 p.m., the door to the delivery dock in the back of the building refused to close, much to the entertainment of no one, least of all library staff who had to stay behind long after closing, waiting for a repairmen. Still you can’t have an Opening without breaking eggs, or something like that. Yes, it all came off without a hitch.

Today Northside Library remains a vital part of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Almost a third of the branch’s patrons are city residents, and the popularity of the branch has attracted many other businesses to Albemarle Square to serve a burgeoning population. As the library system as a whole gears up for more Internet-based services, Northside stands ready and able to meet the exciting challenges of the future.