About ARLS

VISION: A community that is enlightened, empowered, and enriched.

MISSION: The Appomattox Regional Library System fosters lifelong learning; provides open access to information, entertainment, and technology; cultivates the exchange of ideas; inspires personal growth, and encourages community engagement and gathering.

About Our Library System

The name was chosen because the Appomattox River flows through each of the three localities that we serve. Library service began in Hopewell- Prince George area in 1930 when Thomas B. Robertson established a Library Association for persons interested in forming a library. In 1931, the city formally took over the operation of the library, with Mrs. Maude Langhorne Nelson as its first librarian. The John Randolph Library, as it was then known, was located in the previous State Planters Bank Building on West Poythress Street. In 1957, the library was moved to the annex of the Municipal Building and the name was changed to honor the first librarian, Maude Langhorne Nelson. In 1974, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties joined the City of Hopewell to form the Appomattox Regional Library System.

The Appomattox Regional Library System (ARLS) operates eight library locations, four in Prince George County, three in Dinwiddie County, and one in the City of Hopewell:

Prince George County – Burrowsville Library, Disputanta Library, Carson Depot
Library, and Prince George Library
Dinwiddie County – Dinwiddie Library, McKenney Library, and Rohoic Library
Hopewell – The Maude Langhorne Nelson Library