Who We Are
History of Library Service in Brownsville/Haywood County.
The history of library service in Brownsville/Haywood County begins in the early 1900's. Correspondence was begun between Mayor Bomar of Brownsville and the secretary to Mr. Andrew Carnegie in 1909. Mr. Carnegie was favorable in his response to the request to help start a library in the town. Construction of the Carnegie Library was completed in 1910. It took two years to furnish and staff the library. The Carnegie Library, located at 121 W. Main St. in Brownsville, opened to the public in 1912. The first Library Director was Mrs. Dabney Sherrill.
In 1957, the Carnegie Library joined the Regional Library System of Tennessee and was renamed the Bownsville-Haywood County Library. The library was offering much to the citizens of Brownsville and Haywood County. All manner of books and materials were being checked out and programs were offered on a regular basis; however, space was very limited as the collections grew. By the late 1980s the building wa bulging at the seams. Another benefactor stepped forward.
Mr. Dick Ross approached the Library Board and Director, the City of Brownsville and Haywood County with an astounding offer. Mr. Ross offered to give the library $250,000.00 if the county and city would each match with $125,000.00 to build a new library at a new location with the stipulation that the library be named after his wife Miss Elma. This offer could not be refused. Construction began on the new library in 1991.
In May 1992, construction was finished, and the newly constructed Elma Ross Public Library located at 1011 E. Main St. in Brownsville was opened to the public, where service to the community continues today.
The Elma Ross Public Library offers the following materials in Fiction and Non-Fiction: Books in Regular and Large Print, Audio Books on CD, Newspapers and Magazines, DVDs, Interlibrary Loan Services, Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL), Regional E-Book and Audio-Book Download System (READS), Public Access Computers with Internet, Wi-Fi Wireless Hotspot, and the Reese J. Moses-Scallions Genealogy Room.
Services, Fines and Fees
Printing/Copying/Faxing, etc.
Computer Printing is $0.10 per page (B&W) and $0.20 per page (Color)
Copier Printing is $0.25 per page (Single-Sided) and $0.35 per page (Double-Sided).
Faxing is $1.00 first page + $0.50 for additional pages for all local/1-800/long distance numbers or to receive faxes here. We do not send International faxes.
Over due charges are $0.05 per day for Books and $1.00 per day for movies.
Testing Books require a deposit ($2.00-$5.00) to be checked out.
Library Cards
Any person who lives and/or works in Haywood County is eligible to receive a library card. The first library card is free. There is a $2.00 charge for replacement cards.
Meeting Room Use
Room Use Fee is $50.00 + a $100.00 Key/Damage Deposit. The key/damage deposit is returned to you when the keys are returned and the room is found to be in the same condition as you found it. We must have 1 week notice to reserve the room.
Computer Use
Computer use is a privilege, not a right. Computer use is on a first come, first served basis. Library staff is trained on basic computer/internet skills, but we are by no means experts, and will assist you as best as we can.
A computer session shall be of 60 minutes duration. Should there be no one waiting for the computer, the session may be extended to a maximum of 2 hours or 4 hours for a Study session.