Regional Library System Seeks Help with Name Change
On October 17, the Regional Board of Trustees for the Uncle Remus Regional Library System voted to change the current Regional System’s name to a more inclusive and descriptive name that would be representative of the six counties that comprise the current Regional System. Member counties include: Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Morgan, Putnam, and Walton.
The name Uncle Remus is often perceived as representative of just one county in the entire Regional Library System: Putnam. When people hear the Regional System’s name they often think of Putnam County which is where Joel Chandler Harris who wrote the Uncle Remus stories was born. The Trustees of the Regional System felt that the time had come to rename the system in such a way that is not particular to just one county or city.
This is not the first time the Regional System’s name has changed during the system’s history. In fact, the name has changed several times over the span of 67 years (1952-1986). Originally formed as the Jasper-Morgan Regional Library in 1952, the system became the Jasper- Morgan-Putnam Regional Library when Putnam County joined the system in 1954. It was then renamed the Uncle Remus Regional Library when Hancock County joined in 1959, and ultimately renamed the Uncle Remus Regional Library System when Walton County joined in 1986. Greene County followed to become a part of the Regional System in 1992, which made the Regional System complete with nine libraries in six counties.
The Regional Board is in no way attempting to erase the system’s rich history. Books and materials pertaining to Uncle Remus and/or Joel Chandler Harris will not be discarded from the nine member libraries. Historical accounts of how the Regional System’s name came to be will not be altered.
Artifacts, the Laughin’ Place garden or the “Critters” at the Morgan County Library, mural art, or any other “Uncle Remus” statuary within the system will not be removed or replaced on library grounds. The Regional System will still maintain its already excellent level of customer service and continue to meet the needs of the communities it serves. Patrons will, however, notice that along with a new name, there will be a new logo to represent the Regional System, as the Brer Rabbit logo will be retired.
The Regional Board of Trustees expects this change to take place within a five-year period, with signs, plaques, official letterhead, business cards, book labels, and the website to reflect the new name and logo.
Trustees would like the communities that the region serves to submit suggestions for a new Regional System name and, if possible, logo – one that includes elements of all six counties and one that is not being used, past or present, by a Georgia library branch or system.
Every member library in the Uncle Remus Regional Library System will have a form available for patrons to offer their suggestions for the Regional Board of Trustees to consider at their next meeting on January 9, 2020. Please stop by your local member library and give us your suggestions for a new name and logo, said the announcement from the district office. “Your input is important to us!”
