This past weekend, the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library, a branch of the First Regional Library system, was filled with noise. Blasts from party horns bounced off the walls and voices rang throughout the building as the library system celebrated its 75th anniversary.
Amy Bluemel, an award-winning Native American storyteller, entertained an audience of all ages with Chickasaw history and tales. Attendees also enjoyed a variety of refreshments from Manilla Skillet and birthday cake from Cakes by Jan Jan.
When reflecting on the important milestone, First Regional Library Director Lori Barnes pointed to the library’s rich history.
“I know what it took back in 1947 to get this library system started,” Barnes said. “There was a group of 12 women in our region who said, ‘We need a multi-county library system to serve and provide library services.’ In 1950, their dream became a reality. And having been someone who was in their 34th year of public librarianship, I’ve seen the changes through all that time.”
Head librarian Meridith Wulff added that the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library’s history stretches beyond 75 years.
“I love learning about our library’s history and our library system’s history, and the fact that this library, the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library, has been here for 95 years,” Wulff said. “Our library system has been here for 75 years, and it started as a way to share resources among counties. It was, in fact, the first regional library system in Mississippi, and they came together to share resources to improve access to their communities.”
Wulff expressed her love of the library system and its passion to work with the communities they serve.
“(Libraries) are one of the very last places where people can go and not spend any money to just be,” Wulff said. “Public libraries now think of themselves as community hubs. Books are at the heart of it, learning is at the heart of it.”
Barnes also pointed out some of the services that the local library offers its community.
“We are promoting literacy all the time for children, but especially in the summertime, because parents are looking for something free and fun and educational to do with their children in the summertime,” Barnes said. “Public libraries are fulfilling that need, and in the process promoting and sustaining literacy.”
Both Barnes and Wulff believe that libraries are alive and well despite existing in a time where many people opt for digital works instead of the tangible ones that libraries offer.
“One point I would really like to make (is that) a lot of people think and profess that they believe that the internet is taking the place of the public library, and libraries are not as relevant as they used to be because of the internet. (This) is so untrue,” Barnes said. “We had 62,000 patrons in our library in the month of June 2025. A large chunk of those were here at Oxford. But we are as relevant as we’ve ever been.”
