B. B. Comer Memorial Library
🏢 Talladega County · Sylacauga, Alabama
B. B. Comer Memorial Library
Housed in a 1939 WPA-funded Streamline Moderne building clad in locally quarried Alabama marble, the B. B. Comer Memorial Library is both a National Register landmark and one of the finest full-service public libraries in Central Alabama, with a genealogy room, Memory Lab, and an IMLS National Award for Library Service.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Friday | 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Saturday | 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 314 North Broadway Avenue, SYLACAUGA, AL 35150
Phone: +1 256-249-0961
Website: bbcomerlibrary.net
Plus Code: 865M5PCX+PP (SYLACAUGA, AL)
📱 Scan for directions
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About B. B. Comer Memorial Library
The B. B. Comer Memorial Library was born during the Great Depression when the Sylacauga Rotary Club and 23 civic organizations pooled resources to open the Sylacauga Public Library in 1936. Three years later the Comer family donated $5,000 to furnish a new building — the largest WPA library project in Alabama at the time — and the library was renamed in honor of Braxton Bragg Comer, the 33rd Governor of Alabama (1907–1911) known for railroad regulation and economic reform. The 1939 building, distinguished by its facade of locally quarried Sylacauga marble and Streamline Moderne styling, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The library expanded to a 21,000-square-foot facility in 1979 and then to its current 39,000-square-foot building and conference center, which reopened in December 2003. In 2000 it received the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Award for Library Service, the nation's highest honor for libraries.
⭐ What makes this library special
- 1939 WPA Streamline Moderne building clad in locally quarried Sylacauga marble — on the National Register of Historic Places
- 2000 IMLS National Award for Library Service — the highest US honor for public libraries
- Memory Lab for digitizing old photos, slides, and home videos
- Dedicated genealogy resource room with Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest
- 39,000 sq ft conference center and library with meeting spaces for the community
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Cardholders access a rich suite of free digital databases and eBooks:
📚 Services
- Genealogy resource room with Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest
- Memory Lab (digitize photos, slides, and home videos)
- Public computers and free Wi-Fi
- Wireless printing from personal devices
- Mobile hotspot lending
- Copying, faxing, and scanning
- Meeting rooms and conference center
- Interlibrary loan
- Book-A-Librarian consultation service
- Income tax forms
- Books on CD and DVDs
- Large-print collection
- Summer Reading Program
🎸 Programs
- Heritage Hunters Beginners Genealogy Workshop
- Brown Bag Lecture Series
- Memory Swap Monday
- Saturday Series
- Adult Computer Classes
- Summer Reading Program (all ages)
- Youth and teen programming
📍 Nearby Libraries in Talladega & Shelby Counties
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the library named for B. B. Comer?
Braxton Bragg Comer (1848–1927) was the 33rd Governor of Alabama, serving 1907–1911. His family donated $5,000 to furnish the library's landmark 1939 WPA building, and it was renamed in his memory. Comer is also remembered for railroad regulation reforms and expanding public education funding during his tenure.
What is the Memory Lab, and how can I use it?
The Memory Lab is a dedicated facility where patrons can digitize personal materials — old photos, slides, home videos, and documents — preserving them for family archives. Ask a staff member to schedule a session and learn which formats the equipment supports.
Does the library have Saturday hours?
Yes — the B. B. Comer Memorial Library is open Saturday from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, making it one of the more accessible small-city libraries in Central Alabama for weekend visitors.
Is the building itself historically significant?
Very much so. The 1939 Streamline Moderne building is clad in locally quarried Sylacauga marble — the same white marble found in the Lincoln Memorial — and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The library also won the IMLS National Award for Library Service in 2000.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
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