Forked Deer Regional Library

About the Library:
Currently located in the historic city of Halls, the Forked Deer Regional Library provides services to public libraries and outreach stations throughout Lake, Dyer, Lauderdale, Tipton, Crockett, Fayette and Haywood counties.

In 1939 the Tennessee Valley Authority entered into an agreement with the department of education and the counties in the area of the TVA dams being built to provide library service to members of the construction crews and their families. This was actually the beginning of regional library service as we know it.The Reelfoot and Shiloh Regions provided library service to all of the West Tennessee counties, except Shelby County, during the 1960's. There were eighteen counties to be served, thus with the workload and the long distance from the Kentucky state line to the Mississippi border the establishing of three regions for West Tennessee became a necessity.In 1965 the new regional library center formed was named Forked Deer and located in Trimble, Dyer County. The first year was spent in purchasing and processing books, setting up an office with proper equipment and supplies, purchasing vehicles, etc.In July 1966 three counties from the Reelfoot Region (Lake, Dyer and Lauderdale) and Tipton County from the Shiloh Region were transferred into the Forked Deer Region.The first official board met in session July 28, 1966 and officers were elected with Mr. Robert C. Whitely, Jr. of Tipton county the first Chair.Haywood and Fayette counties were added to Forked Deer Region in 1967.Crockett County voted the required appropriation in 1968 and was admitted to the Forked Deer Region as an original entry. This county completed state wide participation in library service for all of Tennessee's ninety-five counties. Forked Deer Region was and is now composed of Crockett, Dyer, Fayette, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, and Tipton Counties.In order to be located centrally in the region, the Forked Deer Regional Library Center moved from Trimble to Halls, in Lauderdale County, in August 1981.

Forked Deer, the last of the twelve regions,measures in length more than one hundred miles from Lake County down through Fayette County. The seven counties making up the region have a combined population of 161,416 with an area covering 3,201 square miles.