Roddenbery Memorial Library
🏢 Grady County — Cairo, GA
Roddenbery Memorial Library
Roddenbery Memorial Library is Cairo's single-branch public library, a gift of the Roddenbery family that grew from a 1939 reading room into one of Southwest Georgia's most decorated small libraries.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–6pm |
| Thursday | 10am–6pm |
| Friday | 10am–3pm |
| Saturday | 10am–2pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays.
📍 Location & Contact
Address: 320 North Broad Street, Cairo, GA 39828
Phone: 229-377-3632
Website: rmlibrary.org
📖 About Roddenbery Memorial Library
The library opened in January 1939 as the Cairo Public Library on the second floor of City Hall, and in 1964 the Roddenbery family — of the W. B. Roddenbery Company — gave the community a new building on North Broad Street, prompting the renaming to Roddenbery Memorial Library. Under longtime director Wessie Connell, who led it from 1939 to 1987, the library twice won the American Library Association's John Cotton Dana Award, in 1950 and 1960. It preserves local memory through the 'They Endure' oral history collection and digitized runs of the Cairo Messenger newspaper (1904–1950).
⭐ What makes this branch special
- Gift of the Roddenbery family (W. B. Roddenbery Company); new North Broad Street building opened 1964
- Two-time John Cotton Dana Award winner (1950 and 1960)
- Local-history holdings including the 'They Endure' oral histories and Cairo Messenger 1904–1950
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Roddenbery Memorial Library named after?
It is named for the Roddenbery family of Cairo, owners of the W. B. Roddenbery Company, who donated the North Broad Street building that opened in 1964. The library had begun in 1939 as the Cairo Public Library before it was renamed in the family's honor.
What historical collections can I access at Roddenbery Memorial Library?
The library holds the 'They Endure' oral history collection documenting Cairo's African American community, plus digitized issues of the Cairo Messenger newspaper spanning 1904 to 1950, alongside genealogy resources.
Why is this small-town library considered notable?
Roddenbery Memorial Library won the American Library Association's John Cotton Dana Award twice — in 1950 and 1960 — a rare distinction for a single-branch library, earned in large part during the 48-year tenure of director Wessie Connell (1939–1987).