The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (HMCPL) was founded in 1818, when Alabama was still a part of the Mississippi Te ... rritory and it is the oldest continuing library in the state. This is the public’s library. HMCPL is a13-branch system that serves all of Madison County, Ala. For 200 years, the library has been dedicated to enriching the educational, recreational and cultural lives of communities in Madison County through materials, information and programs that foster a lifelong love of learning. In addition to the collection of over 500,000 items, HMCPL also provides outreach services, a BookMobile and BookBike, online services, training, an extensive digital collection, public-use computers, free Wi-fi, meeting spaces and much more. For more information about HMCPL and its services, please visit hmcpl.org. read more