Library History
In 1953, several businessmen and influential citizens of Rockcastle County considered the possibility of obtaining a bookmobile to serve the small county schools without access to a library. In June of 1954, this became a reality. A bookmobile was donated to the county from Parker Seal Plant in Berea, Kentucky, and books came from personal donations. In addition, Mr. John Lair appealed on the radio for more books to furnish the bookmobile and a small library. Edna Grace McKenzie was hired as the first bookmobile librarian, and in September 1954, the bookmobile went out on the road.
About the same time, a small room was acquired at city hall to house the library. It was named The Rockcastle County Bookmobile Library, and it was open for a few hours, one day a week. Later on, the library was moved to a room at the railroad depot. By 1956, the library had grown, and there was a need for it to be open more than one day a week. Mrs. Alleyne Davis was employed as librarian, a position she held until she retired in October of 1990.
In 1957, the first library region in Kentucky was formed, and the Rockcastle County Bookmobile Library became a member of The Valley of Parks Regional Library. The Regional Library later joined the state system, and the library began receiving books from them. After a few years, the library’s name was changed to The Rockcastle County Public Library.
In 1960, the library was again moved, now housed in three small rooms in the basement of the Mt. Vernon Hotel. It remained there until 1974 when it was relocated to the present facility on Ford Drive. In March of 1972, Geraldine Robbins was employed as bookmobile librarian and remained in this position until 1990. After Mrs. Davis retired, Mrs. Robbins became the library director and held this position until her retirement in June of 2000. In 1990, Pamela Chaliff became the new bookmobile librarian. The library and the Senior Citizen’s Center shared the same building until the Center was relocated in 1995. A complete renovation of the building was completed in the spring of 1996 to include a children’s area and a new office area. In July of 2000, Kristiana Burk became the Rockcastle County Public Library Director until her resignation on August 15, 2001. Pamela Chaliff became the library director following Burk’s resignation in 2001 while continuing operating the bookmobile. In 2014, Kimberly Shelley then took the bookmobile position. Olivia French currently holds the bookmobile position since 2019. In 2024, Kimberly Baldwin became the Assistant Director under Pamela Chaliff as the head Director. As many things have changed, the library is continuing to grow as it has so much over the years. The Rockcastle County Library is housing over 30,000 items available for circulation along with multiple online resources.
