The Ocean Springs Municipal Library proudly marks a century of service in 2025, celebrating 100 years of literacy, learning, and community connection. Additionally, the current library building will celebrate its 30th anniversary this May, making this year a truly momentous occasion for the city and its residents.
To honor this milestone, the Ocean Springs Library, part of the Jackson-George Regional Library System, is planning a series of special events and exhibits throughout the year. The celebration will highlight the library’s rich history, its ongoing impact, and its vision for the future.
Branch Manager Jim Thompson encourages the community to stay engaged: “Be on the lookout for other events to happen this year in celebration of such an important milestone.”
These events and the historical timeline are made possible through the dedication and efforts of the Ocean Springs Friends of the Library and the Singing River Genealogy and Local History Library. Their support ensures that the history of the library and the city of Ocean Springs is preserved and shared with the community.
In addition to programming, the Friends of the Ocean Springs Library will soon have commemorative merchandise available, including shirts, mugs, and keychains. A historical exhibit will be featured throughout the year, showcasing archival materials related to both the library and the city of Ocean Springs. Planned historical Facebook posts will also be transformed into posters for a special exhibition.
The official anniversary logo is being finalized, but the theme for this year is “A Century of Growth.” Visually, the design features a child reading beneath the expansive arms of a live oak tree, symbolizing the library’s deep roots and continued growth as a safe harbor for the community, a place to nurture minds and inspire lifelong learning.
A Rich Legacy: The History of the Ocean Springs Library
Before Ocean Springs had a dedicated library, the city’s avid readers relied on home-based literary gatherings. One of the earliest documented book exchanges dates to 1904, when Ellen Chambers Clark hosted a Ladies’ Book Exchange (oceanspringsarchives.net). These small literary salons evolved into a greater civic effort, led by the Women’s Club of Ocean Springs, whose founding constitution stated:
“The object of this Club shall be mutual council and benefit, and intelligent effort for the improvement of our community, and the best interests of humanity at large.”
Recognizing the need for a public library, the Women’s Club partnered with American Legion Post 42 in 1925 to establish Ocean Springs’ first lending library—housed in a single bookcase within the Legion home on Iberville Drive. A small circulating library was later incorporated into the Community House at Mineral Springs Park, maintained jointly by the Women’s Club, the American Legion, and the American Legion Auxiliary.
By 1929, the library had outgrown its space and was relocated to the Ocean Springs Masonic Temple. The Women’s Club continued to champion its expansion, stating in 1927 that the library had “done faithful work during the summer” and that its growth and well-being remained a top priority.
Since then, the Ocean Springs Library has flourished into a modern community hub offering books, technology, educational programs, and cultural enrichment.
Looking Ahead
This year, the library will celebrate its legacy through exhibits, special events, and interactive storytelling, inviting the community to reflect on its past while embracing the future.
“We were created from a seedling and now have become strong because of you,” said Thompson.
For updates on anniversary celebrations, visit www.jgrls.org or follow us on social media.
