Le Mars Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Le Mars Public Library |
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| Established | 1876 |
| Location | Le Mars, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 42°47′29″N 96°10′03″W / 42.7914°N 96.1675°W |
| Website | https://www.lemars.lib.ia.us/ |
The Le Mars Public Library is a special place in Le Mars, Iowa. It is the biggest library in Plymouth County and has been helping people find books and learn new things since 1876!
The Library's Story
The idea for the library started on March 11, 1876. A group of citizens met and created the Le Mars Library Association. Many local women were chosen to lead this new group. At first, you had to buy a membership to borrow books. Later, the library changed this. You could borrow a book for 10 cents and keep it for two weeks.
The library's books were kept in different shops around town. For example, in 1880, the books moved to Tom Dodson's new store. In 1881, people started talking about the city taking over the library. By 1885, the city of Le Mars was running the library. The books were then kept in rooms above the city offices.
The community wanted a special building for the library. They asked the Carnegie Corporation of New York for money. This group helped build libraries all over the country. On January 22, 1903, their request was approved! The Carnegie Corporation gave $12,000 to build the library.
John Werling designed the new building. It was a single-story building with a style called Renaissance Revival. The outside walls were made of pink-buff brick. The lower part of the building was made of rough granite. The main entrance stuck out a little. It had a triangular top called a pediment. Inside this triangle, you could see the letters "A.C." These stood for Andrew Carnegie, who helped fund the library.
The Carnegie building opened on January 1, 1904. It held 3,885 books! This building served the community for many years. But eventually, it became too small. The old building was later renamed the Le Mars Civic Center. It housed groups like the Le Mars Arts Council. In 1979, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical places. Today, it is known as the Le Mars Arts Center.
When the library outgrew the Carnegie building, the library board looked for a new home. They found an old Red Owl Supermarket building. It was much bigger, with 7,600 square feet of space. After some discussion and a lot of work, the new location was approved. The library moved into its new home in 1976.
In 1986, the Le Mars Area Woodcarvers gave the library a special gift: a totem pole! It showed mascots from local high schools. It also featured the Tonsfeldt Round Barn and a corn stalk. In 2018, the totem pole was moved to the Le Mars Art Center. This is the old Carnegie building that used to be the library.
Modern Updates: 2017 Renovations
The library got a big makeover in 2017. In April 2017, the library moved temporarily across the street to the Le Mars Eagles Club. Architects from FEH Design and contractors Wiltgen Brothers, Inc. worked on the building. They changed how the space was used. They also made the inside look new and added more natural light.
The updated library now has a special area just for kids! The library reopened to the public on December 20, 2017. The money for these updates came from many places. This included private gifts, grants, and special loans.
