Library History, Pt. 1 - Bev Russell, Library Director

(This column appeared in the September 2, 2007, Star-Herald)

Several years ago Library Director Shirley Flack wrote a short booklet, "Throughout the Years: Scottsbluff Public Library, 1929 – 1985". It has been fun for me to read it periodically and has provided me with most of what I know about the history Scottsbluff Public Library. As we plan the expansion and remodel of the library and move into this new phase of the library’s development, I hope readers find this trip down memories lane interesting too. Some of you may even recognize names of relatives and friends who were instrumental in the development of Scottsbluff and its library. The following is from Shirley’s history.

The town site for Scottsbluff was laid out in December 1899, and the plat was filed with the Scotts Bluff County clerk on January 20, 1900. Railroad tracks reached the town site in February, and by March construction began on first building, Ed H. Kirkpatrick’s grocery store. E. T. Westervelt published the first newspaper, the Scottsbluff Republican, on May 4, 1900. That spring the Presbyterian Church became the first church in Scottsbluff. It was soon followed by the first saloons. (At least, the Presbyterians beat the saloons to town.) The first school was located where City Hall now stands.

The Presbyterian Church proved important to the development of library service in Scottsbluff. In 1910 Rev. T. C. Osborn, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, organized the first library. Townspeople donated books to the library, and the Reading Room was housed in the church annex on the northeast corner of First Avenue and 16^th Street. The library room was open to the public two afternoons and one evening each week.

Around 1916 the members of the Presbyterian Library Committee contacted the Carnegie Corporation of New York about acquiring endowment funds for a Carnegie Library in Scottsbluff. One requirement of awarding funds was that local government provided financial support for a library. City Council minutes from February 6, 1917 stated that Mr. H. L. Sams approached the Council, "acting as spokesman for a number of ladies present, asked the council to take some action in regard to securing a Carnegie library." The council unanimously approved $1,500 annually for the support of the library. (HMMM—not too much less than this year’s library budget.) The Scottsbluff Public Library was officially born

Two months later, Mayor Westervelt appointed the first Library Board. (Now, I know some of these names are familiar to some in the community.) Mrs. J. M. Carr, Mrs. Peter O’Shea, H. W. Shaver and B. J. Seger served one-year terms. Mrs. Edmund Simmons, Mrs. J. B. Schrock, Mrs. E. E. Maxon, H. L. Sams and T. C. Osborne were appointed to two-year terms.

At the October 11, 1917 Library Board meeting, the Board formally accepted the Carnegie Corporation’s grant of $12,500. Scottsbluff became the second to last community in Nebraska to receive a Carnegie Grant, and no, I don’t know, which city acquired the last grant. Because a site for the new building had not been acquired, the over-crowded library moved to the rear of the Irrigator’s Bank on 16^th and Broadway. (I won’t tell you what the librarian’s salary was at that time because might have an unfortunate impact on my salary.) Not long after the move to the new location, the Spanish influenza epidemic forced the closure of the library for slightly over two months…(to be continued)

In this column over the next several months, I plan to periodically retrace the progress of the Scottsbluff Public Library. If readers have memories of the library or information about the library to share, please contact me at 630-6251 or at brussell@scottsbluff.org. Simply put "Library History" in the subject line. I would like to share your antidotes as well.

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