In 1961, the Alabama Public Library Service administered the Library Service Act Library Demonstration in Lamar, Marion, Fayette, and Tuscaloosa counties. Before the demonstration, the only libraries in the area were Fayette, Hamilton, and Tuscaloosa. During the program, the Sulligent, Vernon, and Winfield libraries were established. Following the one-year program, the Mar-La Pioneer Regional Library was formed, consisting of Lamar and Marion counties. Fayette and Tuscaloosa counties chose not to join this region. In 1962, Franklin County joined the region, and the name was changed to Northwest Regional Library. A planning committee was formed in 1965 to begin studying the feasibility of building a regional library facility. With the aid of C.C. Seagraves and Congressman Tom Bevill, funding was secured to build a 11,730 square foot facility to house the Northwest Regional Library and the Winfield Public Library. The building was dedicated and opened on April 26, 1970.
Currently, the Northwest Regional Library System is comprised of the Clyde Nix Public Library in Hamilton, the Kennedy Public Library, the Marion County High School Community Library in Guin, the Mary Wallace Cobb Memorial Library in Vernon, the Millport Public Library, the Sulligent Public Library, the Weatherford Public Library in Red Bay, and the Winfield Public Library
Northwest Regional Library 