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Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System

public library system in Jefferson County, Arkansas

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 27, 2026
Entity authorityQ69469810 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System (PBJCLS) is a public library system in Jefferson County, Arkansas, with the main library at Pine Bluff. It is housed in five buildings in the county. Its functions are overseen by the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System Board of Trustees.

History

In 1979, an interlocal agreement was established between the City of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County, creating the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System. A proposal to make a $16 million bond, funded by a 3 mill increase of property taxes for a 30 year period, was approved by voters in 2016. In 2020 a proposal to increase property taxes by .25-mill for the library branches was approved. The proposal also established a system of curbside service for its branch libraries.

Main library

The Pine Bluff Public Library is located at 600 South Main Street and includes the Ann Lightsey Children's Library; it also maintains the Bill Carr Memorial Room. The main library has an extensive collection of genealogy materials, and more than 20 computers for the public to use, many with Internet access.

The library was established in 1913 as a library association with the generous support of the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System” as public library system in Jefferson County, Arkansas. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Pine, Bluff and Jefferson.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1979, 2016, 2020, 1913—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1979. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Pine, Bluff and Jefferson providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System”, the useful work is to connect “public library system in Jefferson County, Arkansas” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q69469810. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1979, 2016, 2020 and 1913.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System primary sources, Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System archive and Pine research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.