Timeline of events
1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991
1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001
1982
July - Group of Hoover citizens meets to discuss the possibility of a library in Hoover
Oct. - Group becomes the Friends of the Hoover Public Library; circulates a petition that is signed by thousands
Dec. - City appropriates $100,000 for a library and appoints a five-member board of trustees
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1983
Jan. - Mayor challenges the board to open a library within 9 months
April - A lease is signed for a temporary library at River Oaks Village; Linda Andrews is hired as Library Director
May - Ms. Andrews is presented to the Friends group at a meeting held at the Club
Oct. 8 -Hoover Public Library officially opens for business
Nov. - Hoover-Riverchase Rotary Club presents Library with a gift of $2500 for a career information section
Dec. - Library takes part in Hoover Christmas Parade
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1984
Mar. - Bluff Park Art Association presents a $500 gift for the purchase of art books
June - First Summer Reading Club kicks offSept. - Groundbreaking for new Hoover Municipal Complex
Oct. - Hoover Public Library celebrates first birthday
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1985
Apr. - Alabama Symphony Orchestra plays the Hoover Public Library
Nov. 4 -Hoover Public Library closes its doors at River Oaks Village
Nov. 24-Library reopens in the Hoover Municipal Complex
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1986
Jan. - Peggy Parish, children's author, Amelia BedeliaApr. - Alabama Youth Symphony performs on the Library terrace
"A Visit With Emily" - dramatic excerpts from the life of Emily Dickinson
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1987
Apr. - Spring Authors Series: Contemporary Alabama Authors, with Mark Childress, Winston Groom, and Robert McCammonMay - E.L. Konigsburg, Newbery award-winning children's author, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Nov. - Clyde Edgerton, author of Walking Across Egypt
Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook. - Design work for the new Hoover Public Library is completed by Evan
M. Terry Associates
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1988
June - Alabama Symphony Orchestra performs at the Hoover Met; sponsored by the Library
Oct. - Library becomes the fifth largest in the state in circulation
Nov. - Local author Vicki CovingtonDec. - Storyteller Ed Stivender in concert
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1989
Feb. - Library volunteer Barnie Jones is named Volunteer of the Month by the Birmingham News
July - Kathryn Tucker Windham, author/storyteller, 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey
Oct. - Steven Kellogg, children's author, Pinkerton
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1990
Mar. - Spring Arts FestivalAug. - Library board meets with Evan M. Terry Associates to update plans for the new library
Sept. - Library closes for 24 hours to add much-needed shelves
City Council borrows $24 million, part of which is to fund a new library
Oct. - Adele Faber, author of How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and
Listen So Kids Will Talk
Library becomes the fourth largest in the state in circulation
Dec. - Construction contract for the new library is signed
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1991
Mar. - Spring Storytelling Festival with Jim Aycock and Bobby NorfolkApr. - S.E. Hinton, young adult author of The Outsiders
"My Name Is Julia" - a dramatization of the life of Julia Tutwiler by Kathryn Tucker WindhamMay - Three On a String, a family bluegrass eventJuly - Dennis Covington, young adult author of Lizard
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1992
Jan. - Library closes its doors in the Hoover Municipal CenterFeb. - Library reopens in new 45,000 square-foot facility
Mar. - Alabama Ballet kicks off the Library Theatre's premiere season
June - Gerhart Chamber Music Festival begins a regular tradition of performing at the Library
Dec. - New Hoover Public Library appears in Library Journal
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1993
Feb. - First annual Southern Voices Conference is held; First Lady Rosalyn Carter presented with Southern Voices Award for Distinguished Achievement; also appearing are Anne Patchett, Clifton Taulbert, Elizabeth Dewberry Vaughn, and Robert ReevesMar. - Lois Lowry, children's author, winner of the 1993 Newbery award for Number the Stars
Sept. - Bluff Park Art Association commissions a sculpture by Frank Fleming for the Library
Oct. - Hoover Public Library celebrates its 10th anniversary
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1994
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference; Shelby Foote honored; also appearing are Robert Olen Butler, Paul Hemphill, Larry Brown, Lewis Nordan, and Christina Baker KlineSept. - Library is named Best Library in Birmingham by Birmingham magazine
Nov. - Library Theatre presents Love Letters by A.R. Gurney
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1995
Jan. - Library Theatre presents The Real Queen of Hearts Ain't Even Pretty by Alabama playwright Brad Bailey
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference; Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides author, is
honored; also appearing are Terry Kay, Abraham Verghese, Dori Sanders, and
Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Pamela Parker
Library completes $50,000 project to add steps, benches, and a sundial to
the front of the Library
Mar. - Tomie de Paola, children's author, Strega NonaApr. - Linda Andrews named Alabama Library Association's Librarian of the Year
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1996
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference honors Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump; also appearing are Sharyn McCrumb, Patricia Bell-Scott, Jill McCorkle, Billy Letts, Louis Rubin, and Peter JenkinsMar. - Avi, children's and young adult author, Nothing But the Truth
May - Library Theatre presents Schoolhouse Rocks Live!
June - Hoover Public Library names Best Library by Child Times for second yearSept. - Board member George Farmer receives a Community Champion award from the Prudential Foundation in recognition of his volunteer service
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1997
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference honors Anne Rivers Siddons; other appearing include Fred Chappell, Robert Inman, Lolis Eric Elie, and Nancy Peacock
Apr. - Mary Lou Allen receives the Humanitarian Award from the Alabama Library Association
July - Hoover is ranked among the top four libraries in the nation in Library Journal's 1997 Library of the Year contest
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1998
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference honors Gene Stallings; others appearing include Kaye Gibbons, Lee May, Connie May Fowler, John Shelton Reed, and Seale Harris Ballenger; Alabama Troubadours, Karren Pell's musical road trip through Alabama debuts, accompanied by Chip Cooper's photographs
May - William Sleator, young adult author, Interstellar Pig
June - Hoover Public Library unveils its new website
Dec. - Library Theatre presents Cherish the Ladies, one of the most renowned Celtic groups in the world
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1999
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference honors Lee Smith; other authors include Tony Horwitz,
June Spence, Susan Choi, Carter Coleman, and Hal CrowtherSept. - Jefferson County Library Cooperative celebrates 20 years of One County, One Library Card
Oct. - Groundbreaking is held for the Library's expansion
Storyteller Angela Davis, the Yarnspinner
Nov. - Library Theatre presents Grammy and Oscar-nominated songwriter
Stephen Bishop
Library employee Casey Middlebrooks is named City of Hoover's Employee of
the Year
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2000
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference; panelists include Leah Rawls Atkins, Nora DeLoach, Anne George, Peter Guralnick, Melinda Haynes, Andrew Manis, and P.S. Wall.
Aug. - Reference Department and part of Youth Department closes to begin renovations
Oct. - Library closes to begin major renovations
Richmond Shakespeare Festival performs Romeo and Juliet
Dec. - Library reopens with Library in the Lobby
Encore performance by Cherish the Ladies
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2001
Feb. - Southern Voices Conference; authors and panelists include Bailey
White, Orson Scott Card, Martin Clark, Tom House, Jim Murphy, and Megan
Sexton, with art on display by Bill Hill.
Library in the Lobby comes to an end, so that staff can make preparations
for the Grand Reopening.
Apr. - The Library's renovation and construction project is complete, every book is in place, and the Library reopens to the public.May - City employee shuttle service comes to an end
