In 1935, a public meeting was held in the Bremer County town of Fredericksburg to formally organize a library organization. During the meeting, board members were elected, bylaws were drawn, and letters were sent to local organizations asking for help financing the library. The library was housed in the upper room of a local store until 1954, when it moved within the community hall building.
In 1975, resident Vern Upham purchased and donated a building to the city for use as a standalone library facility to be named in memory of his wife Dahlia. The library’s floor space was doubled after an expansion project was completed in 1995.
The first library in the Kossuth County of Bancroft began in 1961 in one room of the Bancroft Public School. The community came together to jumpstart the new organization by donating, cataloging and shelving books. The initial library staff was entirely made up of unpaid volunteers. The present library facility was constructed in 1969 from a combination of private and public funds.
In March 1944, resident Lenora Heft suggested the idea of starting a “Book Exchange” in the Floyd County town of Marble Rock. A committee was formed, and a the first incarnation of a Marble Rock Public Library was operated from a private residence. In 1946, the committee received permission from the town council to locate the library in the Marble Rock City Hall. The council provided bookshelves for the new library facility, which was operated entirely by volunteers.
As the collection grew, more space was needed and the library relocated to a new standalone building in 1956. It relocated again to a former grocery store building on Main Street in 1966, and in 2005, the Marble Rock Public Library debuted in its current facility.
The first public library in the Louisa County seat of Wapello opened to the public in November 1925, with a donated collection of books. Food sales, talent shows, and other events raised money for the library to purchase new books, and in 1929, the library moved to a new facility with more space; that year, the library also officially received blessings from the city council and became tax supported.
In 1960, Louis and Lillian Keck offered to build the present library in memory of his parents, John and Anna Keck. Construction was completed the following year, with a dedication ceremony held May 13, 1961. A new reading room was added in 1989. The library is open six days weekly.
The public library in the Wapello County town of Agency first opened on March 6, 1940. Volunteer workers from the local PTA and newly-formed library board created the library’s first card catalog. The library is located in a two-story brick building on Main Street, between the community’s City Hall and Post Office. It’s open 7 days a week; for updates, check out its Facebook page.
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