| Montfort
and Allie B. Jones Memorial Library, Bristow |
|
Contributed
by Jessie Allen and Connie Green |
1909 |
In
October the library began as a project of the Bristow Culture
Club. |
| 1911 |
In December
the Culture Club sponsored a Lyceum with the benefits
going toward the library. |
| 1912 |
The Culture
Club held a book shower in a vacant store building in March
resulting in gifts of 67 books. The books were cataloged by
Morton House and a librarian was hired at 50 cents per afternoon.
Until 1922 the library was financed by another book shower,
and gifts of books and equipment by individuals and clubs. The
Culture Club also published and sold a cookbook which ran through
two editions and is still prized by Bristow cooks. During this
time the library led a “nomad” existence. |
| 1922 |
A new site
for the library was secured for a 99 year lease for the price
of
$1.00. |
| 1923 |
A neat
brick building was erected at a cost of $17,500 to the City
of
Bristow. |
| 1935 |
The original
67 volumes had become 1,363 when the library was handed
over to the City by the Culture Club. By 1936 the collection
had grown to 5,732 with a circulation of 4 books per capita. |
| 1947 |
In May
8,678 volumes filled the shelves with approximately 1,324 readers
or over 100 readers daily. |
| 1987 |
The library
housed over 13,000 books and provided a variety of services
to the community. 2,658 active patrons are registered and over
29,000 materials were circulated. |
| 1997 |
Plans have
been underway to move into a larger, refurbished, more
functional building with three times the space. |
| 1998 |
The library
moved into its new building and changed its name to the
Montfort and Allie B. Jones Memorial Library.
|
