| Bartlesville
Public Library |
|
Contributed
by Sheryl Buzbee, Denise Goff, Marion G. Hicks and Liz Sprague |
1898 |
On
June 1st the first Reading Room is established by the Fortnightly
Club
(later renamed the Tuesday Club), located at Mrs. Filkin’s
Millinery Store.on East 2nd Street. |
| 1908 |
The Tuesday
Club Public Library Room was renamed and was open on
Fridays from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Also, during this year the City
Commission considered a library maintenance fund of $2,000.
In November the Tuesday Club joined forces with the Bartlesville
City Commission to
ask the Carnegie Foundation for a $20,000 grant to build a public
library. The grant committee consisted of J. J. Curl, W. H.
Johnson and Mrs. R. D. Rood. |
| 1909 |
7th and
Osage is selected as the site for the new library in January.
Mr.
and Mrs. Pemberton donated two-thirds of the 1,800 square foot
lot. |
| 1912 |
Funding
for the new library building was secured and contracts were
signed for the construction of the new building. $12,800 came
from the Carnegie Grant. |
| 1913 |
Bartlesville’s
Carnegie Library opens its doors on March 13th. 1,250 titles
were housed under the direction of librarian, Miss Mable Blakeslee. |
| 1919 |
Miss Myrtle
Weatherhold, librarian, reported on March 29th:
Circulation of cataloged books – 14,229
Number of registrations – 1,500
Number of (cataloged) books in collection – 2,000+ |
| 1919 |
Miss Ruth
Brown was hired as librarian, a position she would hold until
1950. |
| 1927 |
Library
grew to 10,000 volumes. Bonds were voted for a $25,000 addition
to the Carnegie Library building in April. Through a technicality,
the vote was voided. A new election was held in May. Even though
it passed, technicalities again invalidated the vote. In September
the Bartlesville City Commission and the Library Board decided
to move the library to the north wing of the Civic Center. An
addition to the east side of the wing was approved by the City
Commission in 1931. |
| 1936 |
The library
now contained 25,000 volumes. |
| 1950 |
In March
Miss Brown was accused of purchasing communist materials for
the library and of promoting integration. The City Commission
asked the library board to fire Miss Brown. Upon the library
board’s refusal, the City Commission disbanded the board
and then fired Miss Brown on July 25th. A new library board
was then appointed. As a result of this accusation, the American
Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee began
working with Miss Brown. In addition, the Oklahoma Library Association’s
Intellectual Freedom Committee was created as a direct result
of Brown’s case. Partially due to its timing (during the
height of the McCarthy Era) the case received national attention.
Later, a movie based on Brown’s experience was made called
“Storm Center” and starring Bette Davis. |
| 1951 |
In Spring,
according to the new City Charter, the library became an
administrative department of the City, subject to control by
a library board of 6 residents appointed by the City Commission. |
| 1953 |
Herbert
“Gene” Winn is hired as head librarian on September
1st. He
served the library in that capacity until 1983. |
| 1957 |
The annual
report to the library board in May showed:
Circulation for the year – 128,197
Number of library users – 13,700
The Friends of the Library is established. |
| 1960 |
After failing
twice in 1957 and 1959, a bond election passed for the
rebuilding and enlarging of the library on May 24th with 1,873
yes votes and 1,275 no. In October the Endacott Foundation extends
a 420,000 grant for a “Self-Development Center”
to be housed in the library. This includes a Fine Arts Room,
Reading Lounge, and a Current Information Room. |
| 1961 |
Frank Phillips
Foundation issues a $35,000 grant to refurbish the
American Legion Room above the library into a Community History
Room in September. |
| 1962 |
The Frank
Phillips Foundation gave another $15,000 to furnish the History
Room in May. |
| 1964 |
On March
19th the Bartlesville City Commission appointed a Historical
Commission to establish the History Room. Original members of
the Commission were Paul Endacott, chair, H. E. Winn, Mrs. Howard
Cannon, Bern F. Buff, Phillip R. Phillips, Don M. Tyler, John
Steiger, Gerald R. Preston, C.E. Cummings, Dr. George R. Kennedy,
Elmer J. Sark, and C. Vernon Sellers. The History Room opened
to the public with Margaret Teague Withers as curator on November
20th. |
| 1981
|
First annual
Alley Cat Book Sale was held on April 10th. |
| 1983 |
Gene Winn
retired after thirty years of service. Cynthia Pullman is hired
as head librarian. |
| 1984 |
The Library
History Room changes its name to the Area History Museum
and Archives on May 30th. On November 9th the city council approves
the contract for a new library design. |
| 1985 |
A city
sales tax increase to raise $10.5 million for a new library
facility was
put to a vote on October 2nd. The issue failed. |
| 1987 |
The library’s
first automated catalog and circulation system is installed
in
late spring. Denise Peterson is hired as library director. |
| 1988 |
The newly
appointed Bartlesville Library Trust Authority took its oath
of
office in July. Their charge was to “design, build, equip
and maintain the public library”. Original Trust Authority
Members were Debbie Benbrook, Glenn Cox, William Creel, Don
Doty, Denzil Garrison, Dick Kane, Mary O’Toole, George
Rymal and Bill Wertz. |
| 1989 |
On August
11th the “Build a Brighter Tomorrow” campaign was
kicked off
with ceremonies held at the library. This campaign focused on
the building of a new library building where the Civic Center
was located.
On September 12th a bond election was held which called for
the demolition of the old library and Civic Center and the construction
of a new library on the existing site. Total project cost was
$4 million. Of the total costs, over $1.5 million was private
donations. Election passed with 5,161 yes votes and 4,061 no
votes. On November 8th the library closed for the last time
in the Civic Center building. The temporary location was 3001
SE Frank Phillips Boulevard. The Bartlesville Library remained
there until December, 1991. |
| 1990 |
On March
17th the Oklahoma Supreme Court rules in favor of the city of
Bartlesville to build the new library on the site of the razed
Civic Center. This comes after a lawsuit brought by Preston
Gaddis which kept the project on hiatus for several months.
On June 11th demolition began on the old library and Civic Center.
In May the new Dynix Computer Automation Catalog System was
installed.
In the summer the Bartlesville Public Library receives the John
Cotton Dana Public Relations Award for the “Build a Brighter
Tomorrow” campaign.
In the fall the library receives a $60,000 donation from the
estate of Delbert and Nina Pidgeon. Director Denise Peterson
resigns in September.
The Library received a grant to purchase and set up a service
called “Books by Mail’ to serve patrons who were
not able to come to the library in person. |
| 1991 |
Jan Sanders
assumes the position of library director in January.
On February 28th groundbreaking for the new library facility
is held. |
| 1992 |
Bartlesville
Public Library and History Museum opens its doors on January
19th. A crowd of more than 2,500 attended. The library receives
national
acclaim in the December issue of Library Journal for an Architectural
Design Award.
On November 19th the “Spirit of Performance” sculpture
by Tasso Patsiri was presented to the City of Bartlesville by
Phillips Petroleum Company. The statue is placed in the front
lawn of the library commemorating Phillips Petroleum Company’s
75th anniversary. |
| 1994 |
In February
the library received $225,000 from the Evelyn H. Reid Estate
as an unsolicited donation. Youth Services librarian, Beth DeGeer,
receives the “Outstanding New Librarian of the Year’
award from the Oklahoma Library Association in May.
In November the Bartlesville City Council appoints the Bartlesville
Museum Trust Authority “to plan, finance, develop, maintain
and operate a Bartlesville History Museum”. |
| 1995 |
Jan Sanders,
library director, was elected President of the Oklahoma
Library Association for the 1995-1996 year in April. The library
purchased
two telephones for the hearing impaired (TTDs). One for public
use and
one for technical services. |
| 1996 |
Karen Smith-Woods
is hired as the Bartlesville History Museum curator in
July. |
| 1997 |
In January
the library installs a T1 connection providing patrons access
to
the internet. In April full graphic access to the World Wide
Web is made
available at six public terminals.
On June 14th the grand opening ceremonies for the library’s
“Public Information Kiosk” are held at the Washington
Park Mall, where the kiosk is installed. |
| 1998 |
On February
10th Proposition I, a city bond issue, passes allowing the
History Museum to move to the Phillips Building Annex. Yes:
3,830 and No: 3,219.
In March the Bartlesville Public Library is awarded a First
Amendment Resource Center Grant in response to the First Amendment
series sponsored by the library.
In June the annual report to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries
listed:
Circulation for FY 98 – 416,419
Total registered borrowers – 26,176
Total collection size – 95,258 items
In late summer the new library logo, “Open Your World”
is unveiled.
On September 6th the library extends its hours to Sunday. The
extended hours of 1:30 to 5:30 will be in effect through the
months of September to May. |
| 1999 |
Renovation
of the Phillips Building Annex begins in January.
In February the library receives the Ruth Brown Memorial Award.
In March the library breaks both check-out and check-in records:
Check-out – 44,685
Check-in – 30,428
On April 21st the Bartlesville Public Library receives the largest
grant ever given by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. This
grant is used to provide foster children with an emergency duffel
bag. This program is sponsored in conjunction with the Department
of Human Services and Women and Children in Crisis.
In August the library is awarded twelve new computers through
a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
On September 25th the library hosts a Free Return Weekend. Those
items considered “lost” might be returned with no
penalties. |
| 2000 |
In spring
the Bartlesville History Museum moves from the library to a
permanent position in the Phillips Building Annex. |
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