Friday, September 3, 2010

Celebrating Wisconsin's Clintonville Public Library


Links to August 20 and August 26 Waupaca County Post articles.

Excerpt from 8/ 26 article: In February, 1905, the Christian Endeavor Society offered its collection to the city of Clintonville, if the city would provide housing and care for the books. The offer was refused. But in December, the offer was repeated and accepted. The City Council appropriated $200 for library use and appointed the first Library Board.

Two rooms at the city hall were provided for the library-one to house the books and one to be used as a reading room. Miss Emmeline Sedgwick was appointed the first librarian with Meta Zachow as her assistant. The salary was five dollars per month, equally divided between the two women. The library was open Wednesday afternoons from three to five and Saturday from three to five and seven to nine. During the first five months under city supervision, 231 peopled signed library registration cards, 1111 books were checked out and the library owned 558 volumes.

On Dec. 6, 1909, the Library Board began the policy permitting people outside the city limits library privileges for a fee of one dollar per year. All children from outside the city limits, but attending a Clintonville school, had free access to the library. In April, 1914, it was decided "that the fee of one dollar per year for library privileges to our country friends be taken off and they accorded the same privileges as our city people." This policy is still in effect
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