Melvin Public Library News
4/02/09
To honor one of the library’s founders in this, the library’s 75th Anniversary year, April 5-11, 2009 has been declared Esther Ficken Week at Melvin Public Library!
A group of dedicated young women known as The Melvin Junior Woman’s Club founded the library in 1934 as a way to do something good for their community during the tough economic times of the Great Depression. One of the enthusiastic members of that club was Esther Ficken.
Esther was also one of the original members of the Melvin Public Library Board of Trustees when the village library later became a township library and she served for many years as a library trustee.
Esther is still an active patron of the library, a great promoter of books and reading, and also a member of the library’s book club The Pageturners.
For more information on the founding of the library read the history of the Melvin Public Library which is included in this issue of the newspaper.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Apr 17, 2009
Mar 31, 2009
Melvin Library Celebrates Anniversary
Founded in 1934, Melvin Public Library is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2009. The library primarily serves the residents of the village of Melvin and town of Peach Orchard and is a member of the Lincoln Trail Libraries System.
The library's collection numbers over 10000 items and includes adult books, children's books, large print books, audio books, magazines, videocassettes, DVDs, reference and genealogy material, and microfilm.
The library offers many services including public Internet access, computer and printer, fax machine, copy machine, TV/VCR, tax forms, student financial aid forms, and adult and children's programs.
The library is open Monday through Wednesday from noon to 6:00 p.m., Friday from noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The library's book discussion group The Pageturners meet the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the library and new members are always welcome!
The library's collection numbers over 10000 items and includes adult books, children's books, large print books, audio books, magazines, videocassettes, DVDs, reference and genealogy material, and microfilm.
The library offers many services including public Internet access, computer and printer, fax machine, copy machine, TV/VCR, tax forms, student financial aid forms, and adult and children's programs.
The library is open Monday through Wednesday from noon to 6:00 p.m., Friday from noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The library's book discussion group The Pageturners meet the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the library and new members are always welcome!
Mar 13, 2009
Melvin Public Library History
The library began as a project of the Melvin Junior Woman’s Club in 1934. It was during the Great Depression and the members were looking for a way to provide entertainment and recreation for community residents because in their words “no one had much money and very few ever got out of town.”
Club members collected and donated books and the library began with about 50 volumes on a shelf in Ben Kaufman’s grocery store on Main Street where the Post Office is now located. When Mr. Kaufman died his store was sold and Bill Holmes, who had a grocery store next door where the Evergreen Cafe was later located, provided shelf space.
In 1939 a WPA (Work Projects Administration) government program worked with the group to form, as they put it, “a real library.” The village board gave the group the northeast room in the town hall and the WPA helped secure books on loan from the State Library in Springfield and employed the first librarian, Miss Gertrude Lamoreaux. With about 1400 books on the shelves, Melvin Public Library was open for business.
The WPA project ended in 1942, and the first Library Board of Trustees was elected in 1943. Members were Dorothy Freehill, Glyde Dietterle, Rev. Turner, Walter Iehl, Esther Ficken and Adelaide Dixon. The board then held a referendum to become a township library and it passed overwhelmingly. New shelves were built, new books were added and the library began to grow.
When more space was needed the village board offered the northwest room in town hall that was formerly used as a jail, the wall was removed, and this became the children’s library. In 1965 another room was partitioned off from the back of the building and a rest room and air conditioning were also added to the library.
In 1967 when Illinois libraries were organized into groups, the library became a member of The Lincoln Trail Libraries System, headquartered in Champaign.
Improvements to the library in the last several years include painting and redecorating, adding a new circulation desk and book return, landscaping the building, adding computers and Internet access, adding copy and fax machines, adding new programs and services, building new shelves and expanding and updating the collection.
In 1998 a group of local readers met and formed a library book discussion group and the Pageturners have now been meeting together monthly for over 10 years and have read and discussed over 100 books.
Founded in 1934, the library is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2009 and continues to provide material and services to residents in the village of Melvin and Peach Orchard Township as well as people from neighboring communities.
The library began as a project of the Melvin Junior Woman’s Club in 1934. It was during the Great Depression and the members were looking for a way to provide entertainment and recreation for community residents because in their words “no one had much money and very few ever got out of town.”
Club members collected and donated books and the library began with about 50 volumes on a shelf in Ben Kaufman’s grocery store on Main Street where the Post Office is now located. When Mr. Kaufman died his store was sold and Bill Holmes, who had a grocery store next door where the Evergreen Cafe was later located, provided shelf space.
In 1939 a WPA (Work Projects Administration) government program worked with the group to form, as they put it, “a real library.” The village board gave the group the northeast room in the town hall and the WPA helped secure books on loan from the State Library in Springfield and employed the first librarian, Miss Gertrude Lamoreaux. With about 1400 books on the shelves, Melvin Public Library was open for business.
The WPA project ended in 1942, and the first Library Board of Trustees was elected in 1943. Members were Dorothy Freehill, Glyde Dietterle, Rev. Turner, Walter Iehl, Esther Ficken and Adelaide Dixon. The board then held a referendum to become a township library and it passed overwhelmingly. New shelves were built, new books were added and the library began to grow.
When more space was needed the village board offered the northwest room in town hall that was formerly used as a jail, the wall was removed, and this became the children’s library. In 1965 another room was partitioned off from the back of the building and a rest room and air conditioning were also added to the library.
In 1967 when Illinois libraries were organized into groups, the library became a member of The Lincoln Trail Libraries System, headquartered in Champaign.
Improvements to the library in the last several years include painting and redecorating, adding a new circulation desk and book return, landscaping the building, adding computers and Internet access, adding copy and fax machines, adding new programs and services, building new shelves and expanding and updating the collection.
In 1998 a group of local readers met and formed a library book discussion group and the Pageturners have now been meeting together monthly for over 10 years and have read and discussed over 100 books.
Founded in 1934, the library is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2009 and continues to provide material and services to residents in the village of Melvin and Peach Orchard Township as well as people from neighboring communities.
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