Norfolk Public Library celebrates 50 years of rich history and community impact at Park Place Branch Library
NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk Public Library (NPL), the City of Norfolk, and the Park Place Community are coming together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Park Place Branch Library. The public is invited to join in the festivities on Wednesday, February 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 2: 00 p.m. at the Park Place Branch on 620 W. 29th Street in Norfolk.
Park Place Branch was established as the Black Culture Center at 3506 Colonial Avenue in February 1970, funded by the Model City Library Service Program and managed by Norfolk Public Library. The purpose of the Center was to provide a collection of books, art and audio-visual materials by and about African Americans and African American culture. When the Park Place Multi-Service Center opened at 606 W. 29th Street in 1979, the collection of the Black Culture Center was moved there and renamed Park Place Branch Library. The branch is named for its neighborhood, which is named for its proximity to Lafayette Park.
The Park Place Multi-Service Center was one of four such centers funded by Norfolk’s Model City program. Other centers were in Berkley, Huntersville and Little Creek. The purpose of the centers was to decentralize certain city services in order to make them more convenient to the neighborhoods that they served. Components included social services, public health and specialized services to seniors and youth.
Years later, the Park Place Branch Library remains an anchor in the community making an impact on the lives of the patrons it serves. “We serve the community daily, providing books and access to information and technology in all formats. We also provide training and other programs for all ages. I am reminded of a patron who was seeking employment, and who participated in a resume workshop. She also attended NPL’s Technology classes and came diligently to use our computers to do her searches. One day she arrived smiling broadly and announced that she had found a job,” said Alison Gunther-Blackman, branch manager at Park Place Branch Library.
Success stories of this kind extend beyond the branch. On another occasion, Blackman bumped into a woman she thought she recognized during the Christmas Holiday season at a local grocery store. When Blackman remarked that she looked familiar, the woman reminded her that she was a patron of the Park Place Branch and that she had used the Library’s computers for her job search, and this is how she landed her position.
“I could not stop smiling!’ said Blackman. She went on to say, “Our job is meaningful because it touches members of the community, representing all ages, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and educational levels, and every success is our success!”
The Park Place Branch Library’s Anniversary celebration is free and open to the community. For more details about the event, visit the Library’s website at www.norfolkpubliclibrary.org.