Allen County Public Library
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Allen County Public Library | |
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| Location | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
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| Established | 1895 |
| Number of branches | 14 |
| Director | Jeff Krull |
| Employees | 3,147 |
| Website | Allen County Public Library Website |
The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has been part of the social and cultural fabric of Fort Wayne, Indiana and surrounding communities in Allen County since 1895. Then known as the Fort Wayne Public Library, it served residents with 3,606 volumes in a room in City Hall. Since then it has grown to consist of the main library in downtown Fort Wayne and thirteen branches in the city and outlying communities.
Also, the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Area was acknowledged by Places Rated Almanac in 1998 as holding the highest "reading quotient" of any city in the nation.[1]
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[edit] Timeline
1895 – The Library opens in City Hall on January 28 with 3,606 volumes.
1898 – The Library Board purchases the Brackenridge Home at Wayne Street and Webster Street for $14,000.
1904 – The Carnegie-funded library building formally opens.
1923 – Service to county residents begins. Fort Wayne Public Library becomes the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
1944 – Main Library expansion begins with the purchase of the Hollywood Building on Washington Boulevard to house administrative offices.
1952 – The Young Adult Department opens in the basement of the Main Library, the first such department in the country.
1968 – The 173,500 square foot building at Wayne and Webster Streets is dedicated on August 21.
1977 – Construction of the new addition to the Main Library begins.
1980 – The Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County officially becomes the Allen County Public Library by act of the state legislature on January 1.
1985 – An estimated 5,500 people eat 2,731 pizzas at the Library's 90th birthday party.
1997 – The Library Board and staff begin system-wide space needs analysis for all library facilities.
2001 – Allen County taxpayers approve bond financing of the $84 million library expansion project.
2007 - The renovation and expansion of the Main Library nears completion. The Grand Opening was held on January 27, 2007, with Jeff Krull, current Library Director, and Randall T. Shepard, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, among the speakers.
[edit] Genealogy
The Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Collection is the second largest genealogy collection in the United States. Only the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (a private institution) is larger.
[edit] Branches
- Aboite Branch
- Dupont Branch
- Georgetown Branch
- Grabill Branch
- Hessen Cassel Branch
- Little Turtle Branch
- Monroeville Branch
- New Haven Branch
- Pontiac Branch
- Shawnee Branch
- Tecumseh Branch
- Waynedale Branch
- Woodburn Branch
[edit] Facilities
The Main Library has five public meeting rooms that accommodate from six to 500 people. These rooms are available for use by the community for all kinds of meetings and events. In addition, the building has six small group study rooms, a computer training room, and a theater. Library branches also have meeting rooms and study rooms.
