Everett Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Everett Public Library |
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| Main Branch in Downtown Everett | |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | June 10, 1894 |
| Location | Everett, Washington, US |
| Coordinates | 47°58′55″N 122°12′39″W / 47.98194°N 122.21083°W |
| Branches | 2 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 254,569 items |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 1.3 million |
| Population served | 108,300 |
| Members | 41,629 |
| Other information | |
| Director | Abigail Cooley |
| References: Washington Public Library Statistical Report, 2016 | |
The Everett Public Library (EPL) helps people in Everett, Washington. It has a main library downtown and another branch called Evergreen. The main library looks out over Puget Sound and Whidbey Island.
This library has many cool artworks by famous artists like Guy Anderson. It shares over 900,000 items each year, including books and movies. You can also find help with research, use online tools, and join programs for all ages. The library even has special staff who know a lot about local history.
In 1924, the Everett Public Library started the first bookmobile service in Washington state. It was only the second one in the entire western United States! The library is also special because it has two full-time history experts on its team.
Contents
A Look Back: The Library's History
The city of Everett became a town in 1893. But a money problem that year slowed its growth. The Everett Public Library officially began on June 10, 1894. It was started by a group of local women who formed the Everett Woman's Book Club.
These women met at Mary Lincoln Brown's home. They wanted to learn more through books and, most importantly, create a public library. They noticed that patients at Everett General Hospital needed more things to read.
The first collection had 1,000 books. These books were given by women's clubs from all over the country. The Book Club worked hard to get more books and asked the city for money. In 1898, the city gave them three rooms in City Hall for the library.
The club kept working for a permanent home. In 1905, the Everett Public Library became a Carnegie library. This happened after it received a $25,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie to build a proper library.
The First Bookmobile
Everett started the first bookmobile service in Washington state in 1924. It was the second one in the West. This special vehicle was a Ford Model T and was nicknamed Pegasus. It served the community until 1950.
In 1992, the library got Pegasus back and started to fix it up. For a short time, Pegasus was in Fourth of July parades. It was even thought to be the oldest bookmobile still existing! Today, Pegasus is kept in city storage. Bookmobile services continued with different vehicles until 2014. They stopped due to budget cuts.
Growing and Expanding
By 1930, the Carnegie building was too small for Everett. But during the Great Depression, it was hard to get money for a new building. Luckily, a rich person named Leonard Howarth left money to the city. This money was used to build a new $100,000 library at 2702 Hoyt Avenue.
A Seattle architect named Carl F. Gould designed the building. It opened on October 3, 1934. In 1962, the library grew bigger, doubling its space for books. In 1981, an unknown person gave the library $75,000. This money helped the library use computers for its books and records.
In 1985, the Evergreen Branch opened. In 1987, plans were approved to add another 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meters) to the Main Library. The expansion of the Main Library was finished in 1991. It was designed by Cardwell/Thomas Architects and B. Craig Thompson. This expansion even won an award!
Today, the main library is about 54,985 square feet (5,108 square meters). It can hold 250,000 books and has a parking garage for 115 cars. On November 28, 2018, the city approved money to make the Evergreen Branch bigger. It closed for renovations and reopened on December 6, 2019.
The original Carnegie building from 1905 is still standing at 3001 Oakes. It's no longer a library. It has been used for different things, including county offices. Now, it's the Carnegie Resource Center, which helps with social services. This historic building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What You Can Find: Library Collections
Digital Collections
The library has special online collections you can explore:
- Everett Herald [1] - This collection has 131 pictures from the Everett Herald newspaper archives from the 1950s and 1960s.
- Everett Massacre [2] - Here you can find 215 items, including photos, artwork, and even old recordings about the Everett Massacre.
Library Leaders: Directors
Here are the people who have led the Everett Public Library over the years:
- Alice McFarland (later Alice Duryee), 1898–1900
- Gretchen Hathaway, 1900–1907
- Jessie B. Judd, Interim Librarian, 1907
- Adelaide E. Wharton, 1907–1914
- Mary Frank, 1914–1916 (She was the first trained librarian to be director)
- Elizabeth Topping, 1916–1919
- Mabel Ashley, 1919–1946
- Fred M. Stephen, 1946–1949
- Phil Blodgett, 1949–1973
- Gary Strong, 1973–1976
- Victoire Grassl, Interim director, 1976–1977
- Mark Nesse, 1977–2007
- Eileen Simmons, 2007–2017
- Abigail Cooley, 2017–present
