Public Library, Great Bend, Kansas, 1914

 

LIB289716

City Free Library, Huntington IN 1914

IN6548

The City Free Library in Huntington, Indiana was established in 1914. The library served as a community resource, providing residents with access to books, periodicals, and educational materials. During this time, public libraries played a crucial role in promoting literacy and learning, particularly in smaller towns and cities.

The City Free Library likely offered a range of services typical of libraries at that time. This would include lending books and other printed materials to members of the community, as well as providing spaces for reading and studying. Librarians would have been available to assist visitors in locating books and answering reference questions.

In 1914, libraries primarily relied on physical collections, so books and other materials would have been organized on shelves and categorized using the Dewey Decimal System, a widely used classification system for library materials. The library may have offered access to newspapers and magazines, providing a means for residents to stay informed about current events.

It's important to note that the specific details about the City Free Library in Huntington, Indiana in 1914 may be challenging to find without access to local historical records or archives. However, based on the general practices and trends of the time, the library would have been an essential institution in the community, fostering a love of reading and knowledge among its patrons. [Ai)

1914 Gale Memorial Library, Laconia, New Hampshire

[LIB11092] Addressed to Rhoda Hawkins, Portsmouth, NH. Photo-Repros by The Meriden Gravure Co., Meriden, Conn. No. 354A.

1914 Carnegie Library, Aurora, Illinois

[LIB11074] - On October 15, 1900, Dr. William A. Colledge, pastor of the People’s Church and president of the library board, penned a letter that would shape the Aurora Public Library for more than a century.

The letter was written to none other than Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate, who was using his vast fortune to build libraries throughout the English-speaking world. In that letter, Dr. Colledge told of how the existing building was not large enough for the city’s fast-growing population, and he asked the great philanthropist for a new library building for Aurora.

Months passed without a response, but in January, 1901, the reply came. Mr. Carnegie would give $50,000 if the city obtained a site for the building and if the library tax would be continued. [Website]

The new, 92,000-square-foot Main Library will be built on the corner of River and Benton streets on a parcel of land that was purchased by the library in 2009. The firm of Cordogan Clark & Associates was chosen as the architectural firm for the project in 2010. Joining that firm on the project are R.C. Wegman Construction Company as the construction management firm, Schoppe Design Associates as the landscape architect and KDI Design Interiors as the interior design firm.

The current Main Library opened in 1904 and was built with a $50,000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The building, located on Stolp Island, was expanded in 1969.

Once the new building is completed, it is the intent of the library board to sell the current library building. The City of Aurora has the first right of refusal to purchase the property.