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Allen County Libraries: an appreciation and a (brief) history

By Emily LaRue

Fort Wayne Reader

2016-02-19


If you’re a child of the 80’s (like me) you may remember Allen County Public library’s (ACPL) dial-a-story program. All you had to do was call to hear a friendly voice read a story. Or maybe, like me, you participated in the summer reading program.

Those memories are one of many reasons for my love of ACPL. And I’m not the only one - there were over three million patrons in 2014. Even people who aren’t frequent library patrons are aware the main branch showcases a world class genealogy section. And what local child hasn’t marveled over the larger-than-life-globe? Many patrons, taxpayers, and even Andrew Carnegie have played a role in the library system we know today. What most people don’t know is the origins of the library system and how far we have come from the first library to the fourteen we currently have.

The origins of our library system are humble. The first “library” occupied a room in the back of city hall in 1895. From there, it moved two more times until October 20, 1898, when it was built at the corner of Wayne and Webster, where the main library is still located today. The library quickly outgrew this building, so The Women’s League petitioned Andrew Carnegie, the famous steel magnate, to construct a larger building. Interestingly, some Fort Wayne residents found it embarrassing that Carnegie was asked for money. They believed the wealthy of Fort Wayne should step up to provide the funding, not a stranger. Nonetheless, Carnegie gave $90,000 and the new library was dedicated in 1904. Unfortunately for us today, that columned, Grecian style building was razed in the late 1960’s. Many citizens were against tearing down the building, but it had structural issues. The next library was built and stood until 2007 when it was remodeled to make way for the latest incarnation.

Early librarians wanted to bring the library’s resources to the masses, but they knew that only people who lived nearby could use it. Even so, money to build library branches was not available until 1912 with the opening of the Southside branch on South Calhoun Street. However, ‘book deposits’ were a close ancestor of the branch. Book deposits were just what they sound like - a place with a collection of books. In 1909, one book deposit location was inside the Wayne Knitting Mill on Main Street. Shortly after book deposits came the pre-cursor of the bookmobile, the book wagon. The book wagons (and then later bookmobiles) traveled around and brought books to people. In fact, Fort Wayne had one of the first bookmobiles in the country.

Many of the oldest branches are named after famous Native Americans. According to Cheryl Ferverda, Communications and Development Manager for the library, this idea came from one of the first librarians. “Beginning in 1926, the library began naming its city branches for Native American chiefs and tribes at the suggestion of Margaret Colerick, librarian at the main library,” she says. “The thought was that Little Turtle, Tecumseh and Pontiac were great chiefs connected to this area and that it was proper to name the libraries after them.”

But why aren’t more branches named after Native American chiefs? Ferverda says, “In 1964, a library board member, Allan Tremper, caused a stir when he stated the libraries should be named after the white men who contributed to the libraries, not after ‘savages’ that had little to do with books. At this time, the libraries were under the direction of Fred J. Reynolds who came up with a new system for naming the libraries.” This naming system had more of a European feel. Ferverda says Reynolds, “Came up with Hessen Cassel, explaining that Cassel was a town in Hesse in Germany. People from Hesse settled in this area, the name Hessen Cassel has been prominent in this area for quite a while.”

Even a staid institution like a library has some curiosities along the way; like those of the four-footed variety. The Little Turtle Branch and the main library have had cats in the library at various points in history (although, too bad, none recently). There have even been book burnings. No, this wasn’t inspired by Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. It was the contagious disease policy during the 1920’s. Books that were returned from homes with residents who had quarantinable diseases (scarlet fever, chicken pox, measles) were burned.

As one would expect from a literary institution, the library has had to deal with issues of censorship. In the late 1950’s, books which had racy content (by 1950 standards) were placed in a separate section from the other books and were listed as ‘Q’ for questionable. Generally, books labeled ‘Q’ were those with sexual content. I wonder where 1950’s librarians would file Fifty Shades of Grey?

While there haven’t been any lions, tigers, or bears, there are people who believed the library used to be inhabited by ghosts, according to Ferverda. She says, “Before the renovation and expansion of the main library in 2007, there was a folk tale explaining the slight, rhythmic wobbling of book shelves in the lower levels of the building. This was said to be caused by the ire of the Native Americans who were upset because the library was built upon the site of an ancient burial ground for them. They let their feelings be known by making the shelves vibrate.” Perhaps this was the result of overactive imaginations? Not so, she says, “I know for a fact that the shelves did vibrate, having seen this myself many times over several years, however, they no longer vibrate since the library was remodeled.” Seeing that the library shelves no longer vibrate since the remodel, does that mean the old building was falling apart or that the ghosts are pleased with the remodel?

So, if you haven’t been to one of the libraries recently, visit one again soon. And even though dial-a-story is no longer around, there is still something for everyone.

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