It took vision. It took legwork. It took canvassing neighborhoods to collect more than 2,000 petition signatures and nearly 10 years. But now, it’s finally here: Frayser has a brand-new library on James Road. And given the occasion, residents were loud and boisterous in the library and no one complained.
“Frayser’s got it going on!” said County Commissioner Charlie Caswell Jr., acknowledging the recent groundbreaking of Frayser High School as more signs of progress. “They don’t tell these (positive) stories on the news, but Frayser is on the move!”
Caswell was one of several city and county leaders who addressed a standing-room only crowd at the library, with sunlight beaming in through the tall, south-facing windows. At 23,000 square feet, the facility is a drastic upgrade from the previous 6,000 square foot library on Ardmore Street.
The crowd at last week’s grand opening was jubilant and overflowing — a moment of civic pride that many in the room had been fighting for over the better part of a decade.
‘Don’t worry — We’re going to get this library’
At the heart of that fight was Annar Brown, a longtime Frayser resident and founding member of the Friends of the Frayser Library. Long before any funding was approved, before designs were drawn or sites selected, Brown was doing the quiet but powerful work of community organizing — fueled by a simple belief: Frayser deserved better.
She rallied her neighbors, helped collect more than 2,000 petition signatures, and even brought in architects to study the neighborhood and identify potential locations for a new branch. Armed with data and determination, she took the case directly to city leaders.
“She had in hand what was needed,” said Telise Ezell-Turner, a fellow member of Friends of the Frayser Library. “A lot of the legwork she’s not talking about — she did.”
Brown’s efforts were so thorough that by the time she and her team went before the Memphis City Council, most of the heavy lifting had already been done. The groundwork made it easy for officials to see the community’s vision and get behind it.
“We took the petitions to the City Council,” Brown recalled. “And they said, ‘Ladies, gentlemen, don’t worry about it. We’re going to get this library.’”
That was back in 2016 or 2017. It would take nearly a decade to get to ribbon-cutting day, but as the sun streamed into the library’s soaring windows last week, it was clear: The dream had taken root.
A first of its kind ‘gold standard’
During his remarks, Memphis Mayor Paul Young bragged that the Frayser Library is the first government building in Memphis built to LEED Gold standards, a designation that recognizes high achievement in energy efficiency and sustainable design.
“It’s not just any library. It’s a library that is the first of its kind in Memphis,” he said. “We’re all feeling good about the product. This new branch is going to be a vibrant hub for learning, for creativity and for more community connections.”
Inside are flexible learning spaces, vibrant children’s and teen areas, technology stations, meeting rooms and more — all anchored in a design philosophy that’s modern, welcoming and built for community use.
“This state-of-the-art facility is going to inspire and serve the needs of our community and here in Frayser for many, many decades,” Young continued. “And for that, we’re grateful.”
Just in time for summer
The new library is more than a building — it’s a statement. And perhaps no one was prouder to show it off than Shelley Moore, the branch manager, who has been eagerly preparing the space to meet Frayser where it is and help take it where it’s going.
“This is their Frayser Library,” Moore said. “So they can be at home and be able to transform their lives.”
Moore outlined a slate of programs that reflect the diversity and ambition of the community itself. Among the highlights:
- A Tween Summer Camp that blends reading comprehension with hands-on creativity — participants will express their favorite books by building miniature dioramas.
- A Teen Tech Camp, where students will learn how to safely and responsibly operate the library’s brand-new 3D printer.
- And perhaps most notably, a first-of-its-kind Senior Citizen Camp, focused on movement, wellness and engagement through the arts.
“It’s something the library hasn’t done before,” Moore said. “We want our seniors to stay active, be creative and feel connected.”
Story Times, gardening workshops and STEAM activities round out the summer schedule — all part of what Moore calls “a vibrant hub for learning, creativity and community connections.”
With sunlight streaming in through the tall windows and cheers echoing through the halls, one thing was clear: Frayser’s got it going on, and this new library proves it.
Walking in the Vision
It’s not every day that someone gets to physically step into something that started as a dream. For Brown, there was a joy almost beyond words.
“Everybody that has come in the community and pulled together … to do whatever was needed to be done in the library,” she said. “As you see, this is what this library is going to present for the community — for all, for the future. Not just right now, but for the future.
“It’s just awesome. We are a close community. We really are,” Brown said. “And I’m just … I’m at a loss for words, really. But I am so happy.”
The Frayser Library, located at 2200 James Road, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more info, visit https://memphislibrary.org.
