History

Overview

On July 1, 1893 the City Council of DeKalb passed an ordinance to establish a public library. The ordinance grew out of a request from the Ladies of the Library Association, which had been conducting a public reading room for several years. In 1893, the Library was granted the use of a room on the second floor of City Hall, then located at 125 S. 2nd Street. From 1923 to 1931 the library was housed on the second floor of the DeKalb Daily Chronicle Building on Lincoln Highway.

In 1931 the Haish Memorial Library Building was dedicated, made possible with a bequest of $150,000 in the will of Mr. Jacob Haish. The Indiana Bedford limestone facade reflects the Art Deco Style of the period. A major addition, the West Wing, opened in 1979 and in 1980 the library was listed in the National Register of Historic places, joining the Ellwood House, the Gurler House, the Glidden House, and the Egyptian Theater as DeKalb landmarks.

Details

The following information was adapted from a DeKalb Public Library brochure titled "The Ladies Started Something BIG! DeKalb Public Library 1893-1993."

In the late 1880's a group of determined and public-spirited citizens formed the Library Association of DeKalb. The Association solicited funds for periodicals and the ladies of the Association voluntarily took turns keeping open a public reading room.

At the instigation of the Library Association, the City Council passed an ordinance on July 1, 1893 that established a public library located in a room on the second floor of City Hall. The reading room was almost closed in 1895, but the Library Association raised $300 to subscribe to periodicals and an attendant was hired to oversee activities.

By 1898, the city reading room (under the leadership of Eliza B. Murray, who had been hired at $3 per week in 1896 and who would serve as librarian until 1927) was taking on the attributes of a library. So Annie Glidden organized the Library Whist Club, not only for the unworthy purpose of playing bridge, but also for the more worthwhile philanthropic purpose of providing good books for the library.

DeKalb may have had a library, but the library did not have a suitable home. The reading room adjacent to the city jail was hardly ideal. Negotiations with the Carnegie Foundation were conducted sporadically, but no building resulted.

In 1923 the library moved to the second floor of the Daily Chronicle building at 114 East Lincoln Highway. When the floor above the library was leased for roller skating, the library was forced to shorten its hours.

On February 15, 1931, the beautiful Haish Memorial Library Building was dedicated. Built on land provided by the City and financed by a bequest of $150,000 from barbed wire millionaire Jacob Haish, the striking building with its Art Moderne edifice was considered the most beautiful in the state and gained national recognition through a feature article in Architecture magazine.

The building proved quite adaptable to the changing times. During the 1960's the art gallery in the east wing was transformed into a separate children's room, the stacks were expanded upward, and the lower level utilized. In 1978-79, a two-story addition on the south side of the building provided space for an expanded main floor reference room and a new children's room on the lower level. The former art gallery began a new life as the fiction wing. In 1980, the Haish Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, young visitors to our Youth Services area enjoy story times and special programs for all ages, including our popular summer reading and Read-To-Me clubs.

Our youth services collection serves preschoolers through 8th graders and contains over 31,000 books, in addition to magazines, videos, kits, cassettes, software, and computers for children's use. We keep in touch with local schools, presenting programs and gathering and sharing information. Staff members work closely with parents in guiding children's reading.

In the Adult Department, the Outreach Program, a service of which we are especially proud, was launched in 1973 with the philosophy "If you can't come to the library, the library will come to you." Most of the materials circulated by this program are large-print books, many of which have been donated by, among others, the Library Whist Club.

No matter what the era, taking advantage of the latest technology and automation has improved our ability to serve our public.

At first, the library carried only magazines, newspapers, and donated books. By 1900, the first books were purchased and the library began to catalog them. "Finding lists," which listed the author and title of books in the collection, were made available to the public. In 1914 a card catalog was ordered. A computerized online catalog is now in use.

In the early 1900's, library automation meant a typewriter and a 75¢ ribbon. In the 1950's the Women of the Moose presented a projected-book machine and several books on film. In the 1960's a phonograph record library was established by the Friends of the Library. In the 1970's, microfilm and a copy machine were added. Microfiche debuted in the 1980's. In 1989 the library joined the computer age with an online circulation system.

Today, databases and computer systems link us with area libraries and resources throughout the country. Our automated circulation system checks materials in and out, indicates reserve books and location of materials, and generates overdue notices. Using this computer network, our interlibrary loan service obtains instant data about materials available and fax and e-mail facilitate lending to and borrowing from other libraries. Patrons utilize CD-ROM and online indexes to quickly access information.

The reading room begun by the ladies of the Library Association was open seven afternoons and six evenings per week. By 1900 the population of DeKalb was 5,904. The library had 900 books. The earliest known circulation statistics record that from May 1902 to May 1903 the library circulated 7,788 books.

Today, the library is open 68 hours per week to serve our population of 39,018. The library has over 110,000 books, subscribes to over 300 periodicals and offers videocassettes, compact discs, DVDs, and books on tape and compact disc. During the 2004 to 2005 fiscal year , customers checked out 376,529 items.

Over the past 100 years, the modest reading room furnished with gas lights and magazines has become an ultramodern library offering a myriad of services and the latest technology.

But some things have not changed. The commitment of the ladies of the Library Association remains our commitment today. We are dedicated to service to our residents. We go to great lengths to find the information you need. As in the days of the small reading room, we like to talk about books and help our users. In every department, we measure success by our ability to serve you, our users.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS...

 ...A GLORIOUS HERITAGE
 ...A CHALLENGING FUTURE