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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
email: contact Northside Library

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

Programs for Adults:

Connecting @ Your Library

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

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.

Meets January-May and September-November.

Want to see what we've already read? Try Searching the calendar.

Books Sandwiched In

American LionAMERICAN LION: ANDREW JACKSON IN THE WHITE HOUSE by Jon Meacham

November 20, 2009
12:00 pm

The author creates a detailed yet engaging portrait of the scrappy frontier lawyer who expanded the power of the executive branch while defending the rights of the common man. Reviewed by Rick Potter, Adjunct Professor of History, Mary Baldwin College.
Check the Catalog arrow

Books Sandwiched In

THE NINETHE NINE: INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF THE SUPREME COURT by Jeffrey Toobin

January 15, 2010
12:00 pm

A smart and accessible account that taps into the human element behind the legal and political dynamics of the Court. Reviewed by Henry J. Abraham, James Hart Professor of Politics Emeritus, UVa Check the Catalog arrow

Noon Notes

Kate TamarkinNoon Notes will be Fridays at noon before each Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra subscription concert weekend. Make the most out of each orchestra concert. Noon Notes offer an illuminating and thought-provoking exploration of the season's programs. These entertaining lectures by Music Director Kate Tamarkin offer both novice and experienced patrons a deeper appreciation of the performances. Full info

  • Nov 6: Vive La France
  • Feb 12: Heartland of Europe
  • Mar 26: English Variations
  • Apr 23: The New World

Wednesday Night Book Group

This new group meets the third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Please stop in and join us.

Want to see what we've already read? Try Searching the calendar.

Wednesday Night Book Group

POISONWOOD BIBLETHE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver

January 20, 2010
7:00 pm

The family of a fierce evangelical Baptist missionary--Nathan Price, his wife, and his four daughters--begins to unravel after they embark on a 1959 mission to the Belgian Congo, where they find their lives transformed over the course of three decades.
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Wednesday Night Book Group

my father's tearsA LESSON BEFORE DYING by Ernest J. Gaines

February 17, 2010
7:00 pm

The story of two African American men struggling to attain manhood in a prejudiced society, the tale is set in Bayonne, La. in the late 1940s. It concerns Jefferson, a mentally slow, barely literate young man, who, though an innocent bystander to a shootout between a white store owner and two black robbers, is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and the sophisticated, educated man who comes to his aid. Check the Catalog arrow

Wednesday Night Book Group

NAMESAKETHE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri

March 17, 2010
7:00 pm

A portrait of the immigrant experience follows the Ganguli family from their traditional life in India through their arrival in Massachusetts in the late 1960s and their difficult melding into an American way of life.
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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.