| Chickasaw
Regional Library System, Ardmore |
|
Contributed
by Donna Goodman, Lelia Milberg, Diana McMahan, Louise Rankin
and Wanda Shank |
| 1956 |
Some
federal funds became available for library service to rural
areas
under the Library Services Act. It was decided by library leaders
of Oklahoma that since city libraries in the state were meager
and in many places non-existent, these funds should be used
in this state to develop library systems, which would make possible
not only library service to rural areas but increased library
resources to cities already having libraries. The library board
and librarian of the Ardmore Public Library asked that a demonstration
of a system be set up for this area with Ardmore library as
the headquarters. |
| 1960 |
In April
a demonstration of a library system began with LSA funds,
generous financial support from the Daube and Merrick families,
and supervision by the Oklahoma State Library. The county commissioners
of Carter, Johnston, Love, Marshall and Murray counties signed
a contract asking for this service in cooperation with each
other. The Chickasaw Multi-County Library had been born. Existing
libraries at Ardmore, Madill, Sulphur and Wilson became cooperating
units of this larger unit of library organization. A big red
bookmobile began regular stops at community centers throughout
the area. |
| 1961 |
In June
the Healdton Community Library opened. It had become evident
that bookmobile service was not sufficient for the avid readers
of this town and the city and multi-county library cooperated
in organizing a community library. |
| 1962 |
In May
Love and Johnston Counties voted a 1 mil levy to support the
library. County commissioners for these counties signed a contract
creating a permanent library district. Carter and Murray counties
voted but did not pass the levy. In November Carter County voted
a 1 mill levy and joined the system. Marshall county voters
did not want to continue to support the library. |
| 1963 |
The Ardmore
library building was completed. The building, for which
bonds were voted in 1956, was the largest in the system and
as such, it was the logical place for Chickasaw service center
to be located. More than half of Chickasaw’s materials
were placed on Ardmore library shelves, staff desks were moved
to the Ardmore workroom, Chickasaw staff began to do secretarial,
bookkeeping, processing, reference, interlibrary loan and all
behind-the-scenes work for Ardmore except book selection, and
the bookmobile was parked behind the building. Chickasaw had
a new address. |
| 1965 |
In January
the Love County branch of the Chickasaw Multi-County Library
was opened in Marietta in the former meeting room of the city
council, which they donated for library quarters. In December
Murray County voters authorized 2 mills to support their participation
in the system by an almost 3 to 1 vote. |
| 1966 |
In July
library board members voted to change the name of the library
to
“Chickasaw Library System”. Also, in January, a
retired bookmobile from
the Oklahoma State Library was parked in Tishomingo to serve
as temporary quarters for the Johnston County Branch. In April,
the Sulphur Library was moved to new quarters, a branch was
opened at Davis, and the bookmobile began to serve the rural
communities in Murray County. This was made possible by a grant
from the Oklahoma State Library for interim service. |
| 1967 |
In May
the Oklahoma Library Code had been written and signed into law,
changing somewhat the structure of the state library and multi-county
libraries. Libraries in the Chickasaw System were asked to become
either integrated parts of the system or to withdraw to comply
with the new state law. Healdton Community Library became a
branch of the system on unanimous vote of the Healdton Board
and the Healdton City Council. In September Chickasaw moved
to 22 Broadlawn Village in Ardmore. The Wilson library became
a branch of the System on recommendation of the Wilson Board
and action of the City Council. The Davis Library was also opened.
In July the Ardmore Library board members and Ardmore City Council
members meeting secretly determined to take the library out
of the system. At a joint official meeting between them and
the Chickasaw Board, Ardmore Library Board members and librarian
told the Chickasaw Board that the Chickasaw Library must be
moved. No official public vote was taken by either the Ardmore
Library Board or by the Ardmore City Council. The Ardmoreite
refused to carry the story, reporting only the fiction that
the Chickasaw Library was moving because of lack of space in
the Ardmore Library. |
| 1968 |
OTIS (Oklahoma’s
Teletypewriter Interlibrary Loan Service) began. The
Chickasaw Service Center was transmission site for interlibrary
loan requests of all public, school, and college libraries in
nine counties and connected this area with libraries all over
the state and nation. In 1971 Garvin County was added to the
district making Chickasaw Library System the transmission site
for the ten Planning District Number 4 counties. |
| 1969 |
Coal County
demonstration began in May, using the first state aid funds
($50,000) ever to be allocated for public libraries of Oklahoma.
The school furnished a little house for library quarters and
Lamel Study Club, school officials, Community Action Program
people, and other individuals worked together to renovate the
building. |
| 1970 |
Coal County
voted a 2 mill levy and joined the System in March. At the
same time that they voted yes for the library, they voted no
on three state questions. In October the Atoka County demonstration
began with the state’s second state aid grant. In December
Community Activities, Inc. pledged “up to $242,000 from
private sources for the purpose of matching federal funds for
construction of a new headquarters and service center building
for the Chickasaw Library System”. |
| 1971 |
In August
Atoka voters approved a 2 mill levy to participate in the library
system on a permanent basis. In October the Oklahoma Department
of
Libraries approved $152,383 in LSCA funds for the Chickasaw
Library System’s headquarters building. Since this amount
was smaller than needed, efforts were made to get more funds,
but to no avail. Deadline for matching these was set for April
1, 1973. |
| 1972 |
In May
Johnston County Library moved into the new Community Building
In July, since the City of Ardmore had for almost five years
furnished no building or any utilities for the Ardmore facility
as other towns with libraries were doing, the Chickasaw Board
voted to terminate walk-in services in the Service Center and
give bookmobile service to Ardmore as it did to other towns
furnishing like support. In October the City of Ardmore, Community
Activities, Inc. and private donors made available enough funds
to pay rent and utilities for the rest of the year. |
| 1973 |
In answer
to a request on March 6th that Community Activities make their
intentions clear on whether they would increase their support
for the library building, they wrote on April 2nd that they
did not wish to proceed at this time with the project. In July
the City of Ardmore decreased their support and began paying
only rent for the Ardmore service. |
| 1974 |
In June
Carter County passed a one mill increase for library service
by a
59% majority. In August the Ardmore City Council voted to withdraw
city support and pay no rent or utilities. |
| 1981 |
In November
the Ardmore headquarters of the Chickasaw Library System
moved into new facilities at 601 Railway Express. |
| 1994 |
With Board
approval the name of the system was changed to “Chickasaw
Regional Library System”. |
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