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NEGenWeb Project
Resource Center
On-Line Library
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LIBRARIES The earliest library in Nebraska was the military post library at Fort Atkinson (now Fort Calhoun, Washington county). Several hundred dollars were invested in books and magazines, as shown by the post records. This library was removed when the post was abandoned and the Sixth regiment transferred to Fort Leavenworth in 1827.
Among the early acts of the Nebraska territorial legislatures were several incorporating library and literary associations. The first of these was the Otoe county lyceum and literary association, approved January 26, 1856. Its object was declared to be "the promoting of the general interest of education and the establishment of a library and reading room." The Brownville lyceum, library and literary association was incorporated February 9, 1857, and the Falls City library association on December 21, 1861.
The oldest library in Nebraska is the state library, which dates from the Kansas-Nebraska act of May 30, 1854. The libraries at the University of Nebraska, Peru normal school and Doane college were presumably, historically coincident with the establishment of these schools in 1869, 1869 and 1872 respectively.
Public, though probably not free., tax-supported libraries, were established at Lincoln in 1875, at Omaha in 1877, and at Crete in 1878. The Red Ribbon temperance movement founded must of these libraries. Women also were active in founding the first libraries. Libraries were regarded as counter attractions to the saloons.
In 1878 the Nebraska state historical society was organized, and its library started.
The first public library act was approved on February 25, 1875. It applied only to the "city of Brownville." The act under which most of the public libraries of the state have been organized was approved February 17, 1877. It remained on the statute books without change until 1901, when the. word "free" was inserted in one paragraph, and the maximum levy changed from one to two mills. Meantime certain municipal charter legislation, in fact, amended the general library law as applied to cities of the metropolitan class. The Omaha public library is assigned to the control of one of the departments of the city government, which consents to the appointment of a library board of five members.
In 1911 the general library law was amended to provide for the establishment of township and county libraries. No county libraries have been established, but a number of townships have flourishing libraries, some of them housed in Carnegie library buildings. A maximum levy of three mills was established by this act. In 1919 the legislature amended the general library law by reducing the members of library trustees to five, and raising the limits of levy for public libraries to five mills. There are now over one hundred public libraries in the state.
The Nebraska public library commission was established in 1901.
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LIBRARY STATISTICS, 1919-1920. School and College Libraries.
School Location Vols. Librarian Bellevue College
Bellevue
6,750 ......
Brownell Hall
Omaha
1,200 ......
Cotner University
Bethany
4,900 Mrs. Bessie Johnson
Creighton University
Omaha
45,000 W. T. Kinsella
Doane College
Crete
14,015 Nora Hjelm
Franklin Academy
Franklin
6,614 Esther A. Beck
Grand island College
Grand Island
...... ......
Hastings College
Hastings
6,500 Flora Fisher
Lather College
Wahoo
3,000 F. A. Linden
Nebraska Wesleyan
University Place
10,000 May Ingles
State Normal School
Chadron
4,958 Mabel Harris
State Normal School
Kearney
15,000 Anna V. Jennings
State Normal School
Peru
17,418 Elva E. Rulon
State Normal School
Wayne
6,700 Jessie Jenks
Union College
College View
7,000 G. G. Andrews
University of Nebraska
Lincoln
138,500 Malcolm G. Wyer
York College
York
2,600 Mary Cave
STATE LIBRARIES.
Department Location Vols. Director State Library
Lincoln
75,820 H. C. Lindsay
Public Library Commission_.
Lincoln
19,719 Nellie Williams
Legislative Reference Bureau
Lincoln
*15,000 A. E. Sheldon
Rtate Historical Society
Lincoln
55,000 A. E. Sheldon
*Material consists chiefly of pamphlets and clippings.
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STATE INSTITUTION LIBRARIES.
Institution Population (exclusive of employes) Volumes in Library Annual Circulation Volumes Added During Biennium Expenditures for Biennium Books Periodicals Binding Supplies and Travel Girls' Industrial School
98
778
1,974
189
$218.88
$119.00
$24.00
......
Boys' Industrial School
208
857
5,351
164
183.03
44.10
27.50
......
Home for Feeble-Minded
564
802
1,032*
348
235.33
53.70
6.50
......
Hospital for Tuberculous
78
331
1,387
83
42.09
73.55
......
......
Industrial Home for Women
90
455
1,799
178
69.64
31.80
2.00
......
Orthopedic Hospital
59
1,213
2,241
257
207.46
86.05
8.00
......
Penitentiary
300
3,796
14,213
327
360.07
145.25
......
......
School fo Deaf
170
1,482
1,529*
358
308.64
54.40
8.00
......
Soldiers' Home, Burkett
417
1,280
2,095
183
140.27
91.40
27.00
......
Soldiers' Home., Milford
132
531
484
127
75.56
32.7O
36.50
......
State Hospital, Ingleside
1,155
1,037
4,814
289
317.98
......
51.00
......
State Hospital, Lincoln
779
887
2,110
225
251.87
140.95
......
......
State Hospital. Norfolk
642
792
5,883
284
249.29
74.60
41.50
......
All Institutions
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
286.49
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TAX-SUPPORTED LIBRARIES 1920 population given wherever available.
Place Population* Mill Levy Income Volumes Patrons Circulation Librarian 1 Ainsworth
508
...... ......
......
......
......
Mrs, Anna Toliver
2 Albion
1,978
$ 600.00
3,000
800
10,000
Mrs. Jennie Gradon
3 Alliance
4,591
3 1,751.00
7,177
4,500
11,624
Mrs: Prettyman
4 Alma
1,058
3 572.00
2,532
1,058
3,957
Mrs. Jennie Taylor
5 Ansley*1
775
3 ......
......
......
......
Mrs H. L. Fowler
6 Arcadia*1
745
3 1,069.00
1,546
483
Mrs. P. I. Cromwell
7 Arlington
695
3 450.00
732
384
3,883
Mrs. A. E. Bashford
8 Arnold*
933
...... ......
......
......
......
Laura Peterson
9 Ashland
1,725
2 500.00
2,650
950
534
Dorothea Scott
10 Auburn
2,863
1 1/2 750.00
2:000
950
8,197
Lillian Scofield
11 Aurora
2,962
1 1/2 1,246.00?
6,766
2,764
14,920
Lillian Moore
12 Bayard1
2,127
...... ......
......
......
......
13 Beatrice
9,664
2 3,000.00
11,855
9.096
36,512
Mrs. C. A. Anderson
14 Blair
2,702
2 1,000.00
2,645
712
8,270
May McQuarrie
15 Bloomfield
1,431
3 500.00
1,230
935
900
Mrs. Mae Durbin
16 Broken Bow
2,507
3 1,250.00
3,400
742
1078
Emily Robertson
17 Burwell
1,214
3 862.00
1,345
799
6:304
Ruth I,. Borden
I8 Carroll
448
2 175.00
989
125
Mrs. M. S. Linn
19 Cedar Rapids
766
2 200.00
1,657
360
7,432
Mrs. E. L. Melvin
20 Central City
2,410
2 1,000.00
3,917
1,081
10,080
Margaret Anderson
21 Chadron
4,412
3 1,438.00
3,294
17,666
Mrs. Elizabeth Smith
22 Chappell
1,131
...... ......
......
......
......
Rev. Herbert C. Gans
23 Clarks*1
540
...... ......
......
......
......
Mrs. Fern A. Beardsley
24 Clay Center
965
1,812.00
1,012
461
3.443
Mrs. Lois Noland
25 College View
2,249
900.00
2,965
2,671
3,837
Mertie Wheeler
26 Columbus .
5,410
1.35 2,000.0
6,232
2,155
19,830
Rose Riddell
27 Cozad
1,293
...... ......
......
......
......
Edith I. Allen
28 Crawford
1,646
1/2 196.00
1,989
886
4,838
Mrs. C. J. Hornsby
29 Creeighton
1,446
2 828.00
939
401
4,844
Winnie Jane Alann
30 Crete
2,445
1,000.00
5,470
4,805
Mrs. C. F. Baker
31 David City
2,216
2 1/2 1,200.00
5,000
891
4,000
Lillian Simpkins
32 DeWitt
623
2 1/2 300.00
1,400
640
Amy Plucknett
33 Fairbury
5,454
2 2,159.00
7,569
2,900
34,297
Agnes Smith
34 Fairfield
784
3 645.00
797
6,367
Bertha Crawford
35 Falls City
4,930
2,043.00
9,427
839
32,225
Mary Hutchings
36 Franklin
1,055
3 1,109.00
2,578
219
12,775
Mrs. Mamie Humprey
37 Fremont
9,605
1 1/4 2,812.00
9,636
4,876
39,357
Sara E. Gosselink
38 Friend
1263
...... ......
......
......
......
Rotha Doner
39 Fullerton
1:595
3 950.00
3,710
1,279
14,303
Mrs. Nettie Johnson
*Township. 1Too recently organized to report.
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