Northwest Regional Library

10/10/2026

10/06/2026

The Lamar County Children’s Policy Council was recently awarded a Technical Assistance Grant through the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. This grant provides valuable support as we continue working to strengthen resources, opportunities, and services for children and families throughout Lamar County.

In addition to this grant, the Lamar County Children’s Policy Council has awarded several mini-grants to support local organizations, programs, and initiatives that are making a positive impact in our community.

Through these efforts, we were proud to provide financial support for children’s books and summer reading programs at Sulligent Public Library, Mary Cobb Wallace (Vernon) Public Library, Millport Public Library, and Kennedy Public Library. These funds help provide children with access to books and meaningful reading opportunities while encouraging a lifelong love of reading and improving literacy throughout our community.

10/06/2026

Did you know Northwest Regional Library offers a Books-By-Mail program for residents of Franklin, Marion, and Lamar Counties?

If you are medically homebound, need LARGE PRINT or AUDIOBOOKS, or live 10+ miles from the nearest library, you may qualify!

What you get:
-2–3 books sent right to your home in a special mail bag
-Free return shipping—just send them back when you're done for a new set
-Access to our digital e-book library

Give us a call at (205) 487-2330 to learn more or visit our website to apply today!

10/06/2026

Two weeks away!!

ATTENTION Red Bay patrons! Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are rescheduling our October Storymobile. Please join us Tuesday, October 20th for special spooky story and craft! Please help us spread the word about this change!

10/01/2026

Did you know we offer e-books and audiobooks? Visit any of our member libraries to sign up for Libby or vist our website to fill out an application! So many great titles are waiting for you 24/7!

09/30/2026

ATTENTION Red Bay patrons! Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are rescheduling our October Storymobile. Please join us Tuesday, October 20th for special spooky story and craft! Please help us spread the word about this change!

09/23/2026

Attention Red Bay patrons! New books delivered to the Red Bay library! Stop by and check them out today!

Books made possible through the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Grant application and adminstrative services provided by Northwest Regional Library.

09/16/2026

Breaking news! The Storymobile is making its return! Join us for a spooky story and activity on Tuesday, Ocober 13th at 3:30pm at Weatherford Public Library in Red Bay! We've missed seeing all our library friends and can't wait to be back!

09/08/2026

Attention Lamar County patrons! New books delivered to all Lamar County libraries! Stop by and check them out today!

Books made possible through the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Grant application and adminstrative services provided by Northwest Regional Library.

06/26/2026

Here's a number worth sitting with for a moment: Americans visited public libraries more than 800 million times in a single year.

Not 800 million people — 800 million visits. According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Fiscal Year 2023 Public Libraries Survey, released in September 2025, library visits reached over 800 million in 2023 — an average of 2.2 million visits every single day. That's more than twice the population of the United States, walking through library doors in the span of twelve months. More visits than every NFL game, every MLB game, every NBA game, and every NHL game combined — and then some. For free. With no ticket required.

People talk about libraries like they're a relic. The data says otherwise. Public libraries served more than 155 million registered users in 2023 — nearly half of all Americans living within a library service area. Libraries offered 4.6 million programs attended by 93 million people. Physical circulation rebounded strongly from pandemic lows, and digital borrowing of e-books, audiobooks, and streaming continued to grow.

In one year, over 155 million people accessed job search support, early childhood education, and countless other services at their local libraries. They are where people go to study for citizenship tests, file their taxes, learn a language, find a job, connect with a social worker, or simply sit quietly in a place that belongs to everyone.

Alabama's public libraries are part of that number. Every storytime, every summer reading program, every patron who walked in looking for a book and left with three — all of it counts. All of it matters.

800 million times, Americans chose the library. That's not a dying institution. That's a cornerstone one.

How many times would you guess you've visited a library in your lifetime?

𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛: A packed crowd fills the Winfield Public Library during a Summer Reading program — remarkable attendance for a town of fewer than 5,000 residents, and a reminder that when libraries show up for their communities, communities show up right back.