COLUMBIA — The Tyrrell County Public Library in Columbia sits at the heart of a small, rural community with limited tax revenue and residents who depend on it for internet ac cess, children’s programming and essential public services. It is also, according to the administration of the Pettigrew Regional Library System, one of the best arguments for why regional libraries exist in the first place — and why dismantling that arrangement would be a costly mistake.

For more information, check out the June 10, 2026, edition of the Roanoke Beacon.