Welcome to the Town & County Library
At the Town & County Library, we believe every book opens a door, every question deserves an answer, and every visitor belongs. Proudly serving Clayton and Barbour County, our library is a place where readers of every age can explore new ideas, discover local history, access technology, attend engaging programs, and connect with their community.
Whether you’re introducing a child to their very first library card, researching a school project, searching for your next favorite novel, or simply looking for a quiet place to read, we’re here to help. We invite you to stop in, explore our collections, participate in our programs, and make the library part of your story.
A Place to Learn, Discover, and Connect
Libraries have always been about more than books. They are places where children discover a love of reading, students find resources to succeed, families gather for programs, and neighbors come together to learn something new.
Whether you’re searching for your next great novel, researching local history, attending a children’s story hour, using public computers, or simply looking for a quiet place to read, we’re here to help.
Our mission is simple:
To provide free access to information, encourage lifelong learning, preserve our community’s history, and offer welcoming spaces where every member of our community can learn, grow, and belong.
More Than a Library - The Heart of Our Community
In rural Alabama, a library is much more than a place to borrow books. It is a place where neighbors help neighbors, where children discover the joy of reading, where students find the resources to succeed, and where lifelong learning continues long after graduation. For many families, the library is one of the few places where knowledge, technology, and personal assistance are freely available to everyone.
At the Town & County Library, we proudly serve as one of Clayton’s community hubs. Every day, residents rely on us to print important documents, make copies, scan paperwork, and access reliable internet. Many even send documents from home for us to print before they arrive. We help students with homework and research projects, assist job seekers with applications and résumés, guide patrons through online forms and government paperwork, and provide a welcoming place where questions are always encouraged.
A rural library fills gaps that many people never see. It connects those without internet access, supports local educators and homeschool families, preserves our community’s history, provides safe spaces for children, and offers programs that bring people of every generation together. In communities like ours, the library isn’t just another public building—it is a trusted resource, a gathering place, and often the first stop when someone needs help.
The Town & County Library isn’t simply where our community comes to find information - it’s where our community comes to find help.
Every book borrowed, every document printed, every child who attends story time, every senior learning new technology, and every student completing a school project strengthens our community. That is what a rural library does. It opens doors, removes barriers, and reminds us that learning, opportunity, and community belong to everyone.
Investing in the Future of Our Community
Every thriving library has one thing in common: a community that believes it matters.
Like many rural public libraries, the Town & County Library relies on a combination of state aid, grants, donations, fundraising, endowments, and community partnerships to provide high-quality services and programs. Those resources allow us to purchase new books, improve technology, expand children’s programming, maintain our facilities, and continue offering free services to everyone who walks through our doors.
But supporting your library is about much more than financial contributions.
Libraries bring together people with different skills, experiences, and interests. Imagine the possibilities when members of our community step forward to share what they know:
- A local artist teaching a painting workshop.
- A gardener showing children how to grow vegetables.
- A retired teacher helping students with reading.
- A business owner leading a résumé or job skills class.
- A historian sharing stories of Barbour County’s past.
- A crafter introducing a new hobby.
- A technology volunteer helping seniors learn smartphones and computers.
In a small rural town, one person can make an extraordinary difference. Every person has something valuable to share.
When businesses sponsor programs, civic organizations volunteer their time, families attend events, and neighbors lend a helping hand, the library becomes far more than a building filled with books—it becomes a place where knowledge is shared, friendships are formed, and the entire community grows stronger together.
You can support your library by:
- Becoming a Friend of the Library.
- Volunteering at programs and special events.
- Teaching a class or workshop.
- Sponsoring a community event or reading program.
- Donating books, supplies, or financial gifts.
- Sharing your professional skills or hobbies.
- Helping with fundraising efforts.
- Simply visiting the library and encouraging others to do the same.
When a community supports its library, it is investing in its children, its families, its history, its future workforce, and the quality of life for everyone who calls this place home.