Library History

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History Of The Library
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anderson public library under construction

In the early 1900s,

Andrew Carnegie donated $50,000 to build Anderson Public Library at the corner of Tenth and Jackson streets. The city's only Neo-classical structure (completed in 1905) includes

anderson public library current

In the late 1980s,

The Library Board of Trustees recognized the need for more space and for anticipated growth of services, so they selected a Sears & Roebuck building (former site of the Main Street School)

Timeline

1905

On April 20, the public was invited to tour the new building. That evening, a public dedication was held at Central Christian Church. The Library Board “turned [the building] over to the people as a place where knowledge may be sought without money and without price.” Library service began at 9:00am the next day.

1916

Indiana Room is established in honor of the Indiana centennial.

1926

On January 21, the library is established as a separate taxing district. The Children’s Room becomes the Peter Pan Room and is moved to the basement in November.

1940

Adult reference service begins. Student book collections are delivered to 13 Anderson Township schools without libraries. The library initiates hospital service to St. John’s.

1955

The library purchases its first bookmobile, which provides service to schools. The library’s 50th anniversary is celebrated with a Sunday open house and banquet at the YMCA.

1969

The library changes its name from Anderson Carnegie Public Library to Anderson Public Library.

1972

The Lapel branch opens August 7.

1973

The Library Board begins searching for a new building site.

1985

The Carnegie building is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1987

Opening weekend (October 23-25) in the library's new home is marked by three events: a Friday open house for teachers and school personnel, a Saturday evening gala for staff and building project workers and volunteers with author Fred Mustard Stewart, and a Sunday afternoon open house for the community with Senator Richard Lugar. David Bucove is given the Chief Anderson Award by the city and the Library Board is awarded the Community Service Council’s Achievement Award.

1988

Union Township joins the library district.

1998

The mortgage is burned and the new library is paid off.

2001

A major library renovation creates new meeting rooms and enlarges the audio-visual and computer areas.

Pictures Through The Decades

 

Pre-1905

From 1879, when the Anderson Library was first incorporated, to 1905, the library had several homes. The 2nd floor of the Masonic Temple, where this picture was taken, was the last before moving into the Carnegie building.

1905

The Carnegie building, constructed in 1905 with a $50,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie, was APL's home for 82 years. The lot at 10th and Jackson was a gift from the city, which originally intended to build a city building there.

1920s

Beginning in the late 1920s, the library gave a series of popular programs designed to promote Children's reading. The plays, all about a mythical kingdom called Bookland, had costumes and scenery made by staff and scripts written by librarian Margaret Wade.

1920s

Young and old, rich and poor were invited to use the library and its riches. These young ladies searching the children's bookshelves were obviously dressed up for a trip downtown.

1930s

1933 graduates of the library's Vacation Reading Club demonstrate the continued popularity of the library's special programming for children.

1940s

A 1940s renovation of the Children's area was featured in a national library publication and shows up well in the 1940s Christmas party for children.

1950s

In 1955, library service took to the roads with the purchase of our first bookmobile.

1955

In 1955, festive events marked the 50th anniversary of the Carnegie building. Here 1940s era librarian Lois Ringo Heraty congratulates head librarian Ethel Albright on a successful celebration.

1960s

In January 1969, the library board hired David Bucove to replace Ethel Albright. He would stay 23 years and lead the library through profound changes, including the remodeling of the Sears building for the library's new home.

1970s

Among the innovative services initiated by the library in the 1970s was the Outreach Bookmobile Service, which focused on senior citizens and the physically handicapped. A bookmobile fitted with a wheelchair lift allowed persons with mobility problems to access a large variety of books and programming.

1980s

By the 1980s, the Carnegie building was crowded with books, audiovisual items, furniture and people, but creative staff didn't allow lack of space to keep them from adding new services.

1990s

The Internet came to the library in 1996, and the library launched its first website the same year. (The screenshot above is from 2000.)

In the late 1990s, the library’s third floor area was converted to meeting room space during a renovation.

2000s

The library celebrated its centennial in April 2005.

2010s

In 2015, under the guidance of a committee consisting of the library director, a library board member, and four staff members, APL began strategic planning for 2016–2021. A major part of the strategic plan included renovating the Children's Department. The department re-opened in November 2017 following three months of renovations.

2020s

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