Miss Loretto Lamar Chappell (1895-1987) was born in Columbus, Georgia. For several generations of Columbusites, Miss Chappell was known as the public library. Her 46 year library career began when she volunteered in 1908 at the Carnegie Library on Motts Green. A graduate of the Baldwin School at Bryn Mawr near Philadelphia and the Library School (later part of Emory) in Atlanta, she rejoined the Columbus Library System in 1926 and would be named City Librarian in 1942.

Chappell, a student of Georgia literature, was considered an authority on the works of Sidney Lanier, Chattahoochee Valley history and West Georgia genealogy. Her special province at the Bradley Library was the Georgia Collection. For Miss Chappell, life in the library was never dull and was a never-failing guide to the world of books and learning. Without the cooperation of Miss Chappell, the Columbus College Archives would not have been established. Her endorsements played a significant role in establishing the Columbus College Archives and in acquiring its initial and many of the subsequent collections.

The W.C. Bradley Memorial Library was located at 1120 Bradley Drive in Columbus, Georgia. It was built on the grounds of the Bradley estate and opened in 1950. In 2005 it was replaced by the Columbus Public Library on Macon Road.