Roosevelt's federal relief administration. Work was started on the building on September 17, 1935 and completed on July 15, 1936 . On August 06, 1936 the library was open to the public.
The building plans designed by Oklahoma City architect E. Paul Prins, called for a rustic Craftsman-style, two-story building with a basement. The building was to contain quarters for the library, a pioneer's museum, clubrooms for various civic organizations and auditorium, kitchen, public lavatories, a nursery, and an apartment for the building caretaker.
It was planned carefully to serve several definite community needs. It will provide convenient quarters for the Public Library, for Boy Scouts, for the American Legion and Legion Auxiliary, for other civic and social organizations, and spacious auditorium for public meetings.
The first story is occupied by the Public Library. The second-story is the community center. It is used for weddings, social events, meetings, family reunions, and many other gatherings. This room will seat 100 people comfortably.
A smaller meeting room is directly across the hall from the community center. Smaller groups hold many meetings here. The Mangum Lion Club meets in this room every Tuesday.
The Mangum Boy and Girl Scouts utilize the basement. This basement was originally the living quarters for the librarian. The main basement area has been painted with bright and cheery primary colors and designs for the enjoyment of the children.
The building with outside dimensions of 50 by 72 feet was constructed of native Greer county limestone a portion of which was obtained south of Mangum and the major part 23 miles northwest of the city. The limestone was cut by hand most of the work being done by men without previous experience as stonecutters. Many of the workers became skilled masons while working on the building.
On February 26, 1936 , a WPA crew of 30 men cut and laid the floor and walls. Employees received $21.00 for eight hours of work for seventeen days a month.
In June 1936, a fire broke out due to spontaneous combustion causing $15,000 in damages. The crew had the building repaired in three weeks. The library opened August 6, 1936 , at a total cost of $39, 428.
In the year of 1988, Friends of the Library was formed as a tax-exempt group to encourage full use of facilities and cultural events for all ages. Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. in the library.
The Board of Directors meets quarterly to provide local guidance. State support is furnishes by State of Oklahoma Department of Libraries. The library is city owned and operated.
Old Greer County Genealogical & Historical Society started on September 21, 1989 . It meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the library. Greer County newspaper, census records, marriage and divorce records, probates, civil and criminal dockets, and school enumerations are available. Indian microfilm is also available. For those wishing to join, membership dues are $10.00 per year.
In the summer of 1995 the name of the library was changed from Mangum Public Library to Margaret Carder Library.
Ever year the library has the summer reading program in July and Let's Talk About It Oklahoma in September.
The library is open 40 hours a week.
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