Allen County Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allen County Public Library |
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| Country | United States |
| Established | 1895 |
| Location | 900 Library Plaza Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802 |
| Branches | 14 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 3,445,808 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 6 million + |
| Population served | 365,918 (2014 estimate) |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $11,084,786 |
| Director | (vacant) |
| Staff | 317 |
| Website | Allen County Public Library Website |
The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) is a big public library system. It is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Allen County, Indiana, United States. The library started in 1895 as the Fort Wayne Public Library. Back then, it had only 3,606 books in one room inside the old City Hall.
Today, the library system has 14 different locations. These are spread across Fort Wayne and the rest of Allen County. The main library building is huge, about 367,000 square feet. It is in downtown Fort Wayne. This main library is home to the Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department. This department has the largest public collection of genealogy items in the United States.
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Library History Timeline
The Allen County Public Library has a long and interesting history. Here are some important dates:
- 1895 – The library first opened its doors on January 28. It had 3,606 books.
- 1898 – The library bought a new building for $14,000.
- 1904 – A new library building opened. It was paid for by Andrew Carnegie, a famous businessman.
- 1923 – The library started serving people all over Allen County. Its name changed to Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
- 1952 – A special department for young adults opened. This was one of the first in the country!
- 1968 – A large new building, 173,500 square feet, was opened on August 21.
- 1980 – The library officially became the Allen County Public Library. This was made possible by a state law.
- 1985 – About 5,500 people celebrated the library's 90th birthday. They ate over 2,700 pizzas!
- 2001 – People in Allen County voted to approve $84 million for a big library expansion.
- 2007 – The main library finished its major renovation and expansion. A grand opening was held on January 27.
Discover Your Family History (Genealogy)
The Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department is at the Main Library. It is the largest public genealogy department in North America. Genealogy is the study of family history. This department has over 350,000 printed books. It also has more than 513,000 items on microfilm and microfiche. These are tiny images of documents that you view with a special machine.
Only the Family History Library in Salt Lake City is larger, but it is a private library. The Allen County Public Library also works with WeRelate. This is an online database where people can work together to find family history. It has millions of records and person pages.
Library Locations (Branches)
The Allen County Public Library has 14 different locations, called branches. Ten of these branches are located inside Fort Wayne. The other four branches are in smaller towns within Allen County.
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Library Spaces and Services
The Main Library has five public meeting rooms. These rooms can hold from six to 500 people. Community groups can use these rooms for meetings and events. The building also has six small study rooms. There is a computer training room and a theater that seats 230 people. Other library branches also have meeting rooms and study rooms. The Main Library and the Georgetown branch even have special "Maker Labs." These are places where you can create things using cool tools and technology.
Access Fort Wayne (AFW)
Access Fort Wayne (AFW) is a Public-access television cable TV station. It offers unique services from the Main Library. AFW broadcasts three public-access TV channels. You can watch them on cable in Allen County. AFW has two TV studios and editing rooms. This means people can create their own TV shows and videos there!
Audio Reading Service
The Audio Reading Service helps people who have trouble reading regular printed materials. This includes people who are blind, have low vision, or have other physical challenges. It also helps those with reading difficulties or language barriers.
Volunteers at the library read local news, grocery ads, and stories from newspapers. They also read nearly 80 magazines and other publications. This service broadcasts 24 hours a day, every day of the week. You can listen on a special radio station (89.1 FM HD3), online, or through a mobile app. The library even loans out special HD Radios for free! This service became part of the library in 2004.
WELT 95.7 FM Radio
WELT-LP is a community radio station. It is produced by volunteers and staff from Fort Wayne. The studios are located at the downtown branch of the Allen County Public Library. WELT-LP shares news about local issues and politics. It also plays music and features performances by local artists.
