When the Garwood Theatre closed its doors in 1978, the public library in the Clayton County community of Garnavillo moved down a floor to the main level of the former theatre building. The restroom, magazines, and information desk sit where the concession stand and ticket area once were, while the former auditorium space now contains the library’s adult fiction, non-fiction, and reference sections, plus audiobooks, videos, CDs and public computers. Finally, a children’s section occupies the back portion of the building, a space once used by the Garnavillo fire department.
Organization of the Hamburg Public Library dates to 1886, when the first library was established in the local high school. An 1890 fire destroyed the library, but the community stepped to the plate with money and book donations to rebuild the collection. By 1915, a permanent library space was desired, and Mayor Richards wrote Andrew Carnegie requesting a grant for a new facility. The following year, a $9,000 grant was awarded, and the new library was dedicated in June 1919.
The origins of the Rockwell Public Library can be traced to 1902, when the local Women’s Club began a book exchange program in 1902. By December 1913, the library had a permanent location and a growing collection of books donated by residents and provided through the State of Iowa Traveling Library. The library has moved twice since, first in 1964 to a new building adjacent to the original, and to the current location in 1995. The Main Street building was purchased and renovated through the fundraising efforts of the library’s Board of Trustees.
When a library was first established in the Madison County community of Truro, books were added to a rental shelf and loaned to residents at a cost of 10 cents each. As money was raised through the rental fee, new books were purchased and added to the library collection. The library moved to the current building in 1966, which was expanded in 1978. The first computer was installed in the Truro Public Library in 1998, and interior renovations were completed in 2005.
Moving forward, the Truro Public Library has created a set of short- and long-term goals for operation, including growing the video library, maintain copy machine availability, update collections with new materials, and purchase a new computer every three years.
Readyln resident Glennis Meier led the effort to establish the first community library on March 27, 1965. The library originally was located in the back room of the City Hall, with books purchased from local donations and fundraisers. As the library collection grew, more space was needed, and the present library building was constructed in 1968. In 1992, a multi-purpose room was added to the brick library, which now provides patrons with books, CDs, DVDs, public computers, and wireless internet access.
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