1900's
In the 1900's there was an explosion of volunteer-run libraries. Small towns and communities began coming together to help fund libraries that couldn't be made otherwise. Rockville Library Association: In 1869 a group of "local lawyers, educators and businessmen"(4) were part of the Rockville Library Association which was a shareholding group focused on the local library's shares. If you held shares you had more access to the library's books which were being kept in a law office. The group soon dissolved though, raising the question, why is this important to volunteer history? Because of the group that formed after they dissolved. Some of the books that had been gathered during this period also vanished during the period of change from one group to another. In 1916 a new Rockville Library Association would arrive on the scene headed by a women's group. They began gathering a collection for a new library, by 1939 they had 5,000 books in their possession. The library would have many homes including being in a doctor's office for a brief time (featured on home page). This Association was purely run by volunteers until a board came together in 1940 to take over and hire workers. The amount of books amassed is not only an interesting development in volunteer run libraries but also feminism in libraries since this was one of the all women run libraries of its time. The Rockville Library still exists today thanks to the efforts of these women. To learn more about the Rockville History visit here. Johnson County Library:
The first Shawnee County Library was finally opened on "June 3, 1953 in the old Dunbar School in Shawnee at 57th and Reeder." (5) It was the first of several small volunteer run libraries leading to the main library built in Johnson County. The public had wanted a library before this, but the government didn't have the money to fund it and so the public had to take over. They came together and volunteered to work at the library running it for two whole years. There wasn't really a library to volunteer in though, so the locals had to improvise. These self service libraries were run in homes, barbershops, bookmobiles and other various locations until funding became available for an actual library to be built in Merriam, Kansas. In 1955 the funding finally came in and the workers were switched to paid, but the volunteer effort was real and the Johnson County Library might not exist today without it. The Johnson County Library serves over 2 million people in 13 different libraries now and as they say "one thing hasn't changed — the Library staff are helped by 900 volunteers who donate over 50,000 hours of their time each year!" (6) To see more photos of the library at that time period and read more click here. Baxter County:
In Arkansas there were more libraries that couldn't be funded. Like the one in Baxter County, which was housed in the Baxter County courthouse and run by volunteers. Originally the small collections of Baxter County were just held by volunteer organizations in the 1920's. It wasn't til the 1930's when the 20th Century Club took over the collections and moved them to the courthouse pictured on the left. For over a decade this library was run by the 20th century club until the late 1940's when the Business and Professional Women's Club took over management of the Baxter county section. This club would run the volunteer library until the 1950's when funds were finally appropriated to build the actual Baxter County library in 1953. The library has since moved locations a few times, but the Baxter County Public Library is thriving thanks to the pioneering work of its volunteers in the early 1900's To see a timeline and learn more about the history click here. Villa Park Public Library:
The story may seem familiar by now, but in the 1920's Villa Park needed a library and couldn't afford to fund one. So yet again a women's club, the Villa Park Woman’s Club, sprang into action. In August 1928 they set up their newly found volunteer-run library in a real estate office with 400 books on hand. In its first month of running the library had circulated over 300 books and were receiving enough collection items that they needed to upgrade their offices. They would move from place to place and briefly change hands from the Women's Club to the Works Progress Administration then back to Women's Club, but volunteers were always at the heart of the work. It isn't until the late 40's that we begin to see paid staffers running aspects of the library, but all of the collections are still being donated or being bought through donations. It's hard to say if this sleepy little village would ever have had a library if not for the hard work of its volunteers. The Villa Park Public Library is still around today and they still use volunteers. If you want to read more about the history of Villa Park library click here. 2000's Makiki Community Library:
The Makiki Community Library was opened in the late 1970's and the community library has prided itself on 30 years plus of volunteer run services in Hawaii with no plans to stop anytime soon. They have had paid staff members working there, but the majority of the renovations and collection development has been through the work of the community of Makiki. The state was reluctant to help numerous times throughout the library's history and each time the community stepped up to help. If you would like to read the full history of Makiki Community Library click here. Waban Library Center:
The Waban Library Center is another library's history that extends to the early 1900's. In the 1920's a group of Waban residents felt that a reading room was a necessary edition to the town. This seedling of an idea would grow larger and larger until it became the idea to build a library. Through this the Waban Public Library Association was born and over 550 Waban families would come together to donate time, land, money, and hard work to bring their vision of a library to life. Over 4,000 works were shelved and the library was completed in 1930. Run by volunteers with no paid staffers and held together by community donations this is one of the few surviving solely volunteer run libraries of today. Waban prides itself on how it is run stating "Building upon its history as a village reading room, the WLC today serves as a gateway for lifelong learning and as a hub for intellectual, cultural, social and physical enrichment." (7) To learn more about Waban Library Center click here. Josephine County Libraries:
Due to lack of governmental funding in May of 2007 all of Josephine County's libraries were closed. A short 3 months later the community had rallied around these institutions and a non-profit had formed to fund the libraries. By 2009 all 4 of these libraries had re-opened for good. 7 full time staffers and 360 volunteers manned all of these libraries. An interesting thing to note about these libraries is that in April 2014 it was announced that the libraries would be switching from a volunteer run library to an publicly funded model that would allow for staffers. This would help increase the quality of libraries and alleviate the stress on the current volunteers running the libraries. But the foundational core of this library story is how in emergency situations volunteers arose to aid the library in ways unimaginable. To read more and see more pictures click here. |
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