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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistory of the Bozeman Public Library - booklet form While some 1,200 patrons moved 14,000 books, Butte'sAmerican Legion Band played to the gathering. Former City Commissioner Milt Vandeventer, known for the day as "Uncle Miltie," cooked hot dogs; ! hamburgers came in from local grocers, all free to the crowd. Lehrkind's donated soda pop, ice cream cups arrived from Darigold. Concluded the High CountlY Independent News, "Ifyou were there at the library book passing, there is no doubt that it is one of the things you'll probably tell your grandchildren about. There were hundreds and hundreds of people. So many that instead of passing the books directly I toward the new library, a zig-zag pattern was necessaty to let everyone . participate. There was music, and a festival atmosphere, along with a pride in this community that has been a long time being rejuvenated since all the hassles over city finance problems. .. .All ages and kinds of people took part in the book moving, from little children who found some of the heavier books making their arms ache to adults who found themselves smiling at neighbors in line they did not know before."22 The following September 14, the new Bozeman Public Library : was dedicated. John Parker, as chair of the board of trustees, spoke. Father Samuel G. Beausoliel of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church gave the invocation. Merrill G. Burlingame, emeritus professor of history from Montana State University, outlined the history of the library. Mayor Duncan McNab dedicated the building and unveiled a plaque. The Gallatin Brass Quintet played and refreshments \vere served. In 1982, the board of trustees established the Bozeman Public Library F oundati on, a group devoted to the rai sing of money from private sources for the library. Two years later, the group was aw-arded tax-exempt status. The following year, Peg Hileman retired after a thirty- three-year distinguished career. Peg Hileman, Bozeman Public Uhrary 22 f 'I, Molly Pratt acted as chil- dren's librarian in addition to other duties. Bozeman Public Library. Patrons of the library continued to donate art 0 bj ects to decorate the building. In 1981, Marguerite Kirk commissioned a sewing machine tapestry by Frances Robinson entitled "Winter." In 1984, Shirley Luhrsen donated five thousand dollars to create a 2 70-square- foot tapestry to honor her mother Donna Markley. Artist Tracy Penfield designed and created the tapestry; she spent six hundred hours completing the project on the floor of Romney Gymnasium; when it was finished, the three-panel hanging measured eighteen feet high and decorated the east wall of the library. Li brarian Terri Dood, at that time a volunteer, was asked to initiate a program in May 1985 called Special Delivery to bring books to the homebound and to those who could not easily travel to the library. The program began with four volunteers delivering books each Wednesday to twelve homebound patrons. Forty-five other volunteers helped to mend books and file library materials as well as assisting with children's programs. A monthly newsletter, "Check It Out," began circulating in September 1985. A birthday celebration took place on July 12, 1986, to note that the library on East Lamme had been serving patrons for five years. Five hundred people joined the party on the lawn with balloons flying; Mary Vant Hull, Edna Berg. and Milt Vandeventer barbequed hot dogs; the guests enjoyed ice cream bars, a band played old tunes, and a "mountain man" entertained the celebrants. Birthday cake was served for dessert. During the first part of 1986, an essay contest entitled "Love Letters to the Libraty" was open to anyone in the county. The winners were announced at the birthday party and given cel1ificates to buy books. f' i In June 1987, the Broad Valleys Federation of Libraries, housed in the Bozeman Public Library since 1975. moved to Helena. Originally 23 July 12, 1986. Mary Vant Hull, Edna Berg, and Milt Vandeventer see to the hot dogs. Bozeman Public Library. Trees have matured around the library grounds. Bozeman Public Library. 24 ~ .. .. 21 , ;: :~s.;,< - ,j:,' :, ~',~~:~ ,~J0~ ~~~~: 20 funded by coal tax severance funding, that source of revenue had steadily decreased until it was no longer feasible to maintain a Bozeman office. The interlibrary loan program, originally supported by Broad Valleys, continued to grow and was now coordinated by Bozeman staff. The Bozeman Public Library acquired LaserCat in 1987, an on- line CD-ROM index to the Western Library Network, a two-hundred- library holding in the Pacific Northwest including Canada, which increased offerings to Bozeman library patrons by interlibrary loan. The library now had thirty books on tape. A telefacsimile machine, funded by the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust of Portland, Oregon, was now available to patrons who, unable to travel to Helena, wished to express their point of view to legislators in the Capitol. In 1987, magazine researchers, used to the fat, green volumes of the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, learned to use a new resource, Magazine Select. An electric typewriter was now available to library patrons. Readers could now check out Tom Clancy's Patriot Games, Raymond Barnett's Jade and Fire, Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, and mystery writer Sue Grafton's D is for Deadbeat, the fourth in her long series. Other new books in the library included Pierre Clitandre's Cathedral of the August Heat, The Thirty Years' War by Henrik Ti kkanen, and Feather or Lead by Nicholas Jose. Mario Vargas Llosa's Who Killed Palomino Mo/derd? was also available. In 1990, noted artist Jessie Wilbur's oil painting, "Wild Horses," was donated to the library. The children's library helped to prepare a float that year for the annual Sweet Pea parade by making paper sweet peas. Patrons could now check out Ken Burns's nine-part series, The Civil War. A computerized magazine index was now available on InfoTrac. During the summer of 1991, the library board supported an effort by the Bozeman Public Library Foundation. The group hoped to raise $250,000. So that youngsters could also donate to the drive,two engineering students from Montana State University, Justin Eggart and Bud Jackson, designed and built a six-foot high "Magnificent Dime Machine," which stood in the children's wing of the library. Kary 25 BOZEMAN PUBUC llBRARY OnlliunJroi!F"# {~C/I and i~frin1ti<'n Kary Rydland stands beside her painting. Bozeman Public Library. Youngsters line up to form SIMON THE CENTENNIAL CENTIPEDE for the Sweet Pea Parade. They won first place. Bozeman Public Library. 26 Passing the Books, Saturday, July 11, 1981. Bozeman Public Library 19 By this time, however, several very prominent Bozeman businessmen notified commissioners that they were upset by the audit problems and the possible fiscal mismanagement of the City of Bozeman. In an executive session on March 18, 1981, with an armed policeman at the door, a third vote on the city manager was taken. Mayor Duncan McNab and Commissioner Keith Swanson continued to support Gesko. James Vollmer, who said he wasn't worried about pasture for horses or airplane rides, had become concerned with regard to city finances, however, and joined Commissioners Mathre" and Stiff. Gesko lost his job by a different 3-2 vote. City Administrative Officer John Evans was named interim city manager. By July 1981, the new Bozeman Public Library was completed. Friends of Gallatin Libraries board member and campus librarian Janis Bruwelheide had an idea to involve the community that she picked up from a librarian in Utah. Why not move some 14,000 books by hand from the Carnegie across two streets, North Bozeman Avenue and Mendenhall Street, to the new building? The rest of the books would come by truck. Members ofthe library board of trustees and Friends of Gallatin Libraries, Mary Vant Hull notably, asked people to help in a "Book Brigade." Early in the morning of Saturday, July 14, it rained a bit and later on there was some hail. But weather did not stop the proceedings. Ad published in the Bozeman Daily Chronic/e, July 1981 ""''''~~-.i~--.... .~"":':;~_4T: lI'IC: .........1II'1.'"~1t:"*Co__ 11'?I"1t<lo1>(i1QU,....:!"W'"*'~ -:!:I'IO:l....,.,;,c!,u.: _.... ~......__ ,- SIGN UP AT ~tl NA fIOfUr.i t.UM ttl SKUItITY..,.,... 1Olf.MAN OAf!.. y OIIONI(U IOZlMAHfl\:llUCl..JiIJ:AniOlol~ "Judy Mathre later became the city's first female mayor. 18 Rydland decorated the the machine. She also designed Simon the Centennial Centipede, who watched over the machine as young library patrons poked in between four and five hundred dollars in dimes. By July 1 991, the fund drive was halfway fulfi lIed. On July 13, 1991, library patrons celebrated two birthdays: the tenth anniversary of the East Lamme library and the one hundredth anniversary of the Bozeman Public Library. For the children there were puppet shows and story telling. Actor Dennis Seibel entertained the adults with his impersonation of Mark Twain. The seven-piece Schlechten's Symphonic Sauerkraut Band played for the visitors. A lemonade stand was very popular, as was the ice cream and cake. Inside, patrons could check out John LeCarre's The Secret Pilgrim, Oliver Todd's Cruel April, or Baseball Cards: Questions and Answers. At left, Dennis Seibel dresses the part. Below, Schlechten's Symphonic Sauerkraut Band plays in the sun. Bozeman Public Library.t 27 To continue fimdraising efforts, the first "Night of 100 Dinners" , took place that fall. Those who wished to help fund library programs signed up for one of the dinners, held in private homes, for the most part. Library patron and wit Helen Kerr joined the TIm and sold tickets to a Phantom Party for those who didn't want to go to a dinner but wanted to I contribute to the library. In 1992, the Friends of Gallatin Libraries decided to narrow their focus to just one library and changed their name to Friends of Bozeman Pub lie Library. Dorothy Porter, the donor of $11,000 who wa scalI ed an angel by the press in 1978, died in 1992 and left another gift of$50,000. The Fraternal Order of Eagles gave three hundred dollars that year to buy more large print books. Local graphic designer Duncan Bullock created a logo in 1992 for the library; the distinctive tree decorated T-shirts, book bags, and library materials. Evenings devoted to "Night of 100 Dinners" continued in 1992 and 1993. Tickets for these events ranged from $3.50 to $50. Parties featuring suppers continued for several years; Helen Kerr continued to sell tickets to non-parties as well. In 1993, the Bozeman Public Library Foundation met its goal to raise $250,000. Although the Adult Book Discussion Group met for the first time in the fall 1993, librarian Jane Basile had led a similar group at the Bozeman library in 1991, sponsored by the Montana Committee for the Humanities. Vicky York, president of the Friends of the Bozeman Public Library, and librarian Liza McClelland formed an unofficial steering committee to encourage members to attend a monthly book discussion meeting. Selections included both fiction and non-fiction books. By June 1995, BridgerNet, a $125,000 electronic catalog by Ameritech, was in use and, within a few months, the library's venerable and long-used card catalog was removed. During the previous April and May, some fifty volunteers had barcoded books and periodicals in preparation for BridgerNet. 28 the library board of trustees and the powers of the city commission were unclear to some. Said Joe Basile, chair of the library board of trustees, "Unless we have a clear-cut understanding about who has authority to' make decisions, we will continue to have controversy..J don't know how to put these problems to bed. How do we resolve this? We can't even joke around with each other anymore...we're always in conflict."21 City Manager Gesko responded a few days later by demanding that the public be excluded from library building committee meetings. When questioned further, he stated he had become angry when he read an editorial in the Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle and he wanted the press excluded. Within a few days, however, peace reigned again with the study , of George Mattson's plans and with the promise that his firm would be paid monies now three months in arrears. The L-shaped building would be two stories with a square footage of20,000 feet. The children's room and library offices would be on the second floor. The total construction cost for the building and landscaping was estimated at $1,116,000. Total expenses for the project amounted to $1,517,000; the bond issue, together with the Tracy trust fund and the Renne donation would pay for it. ,. By the summer of 1980, it appeared that City Manager Sam Gesko had other problems in addition to his aggressive stance toward library supporters and newspaper reporters. Bozeman learned that the city manager was one of three city employees who pastured a number of horses on city land without adequate payment. Nor did they adequately pay for hay used on that land. Further, Gesko had accepted airplane travel at a discount price on at least three occasions from an Idaho developer whose local development was corning before the commission. These activities did not seem to bother three of the commissioners. But new Commissioners Judy Mathre and Al Stiff became concerned. Mathre had been involved with the League of Women Voters and Stiff was a certified public accountant. Now, questions relating to the city's audit and possible fiscal irregularities came forv'lard. Commissioners Mathre and Stiff tried to fire Gesko in the late summer of 1980, but failed to do so by a vote of 3 to 2. Again, in January 1981, another attempt to discharge Gesko failed by the same vote. 17 Montana Codes Annotated-laws that regulate public library trustees (adopted 1967) 22-1-309. Trustees--powers and duties. The library board oftrustees shall have exclusive control of the expenditure of the public library fund, of construction or lease of library buildings, and of the operation and care of the library. 4-have the power to acquire by purchase, devise, lease or otherwise, and to own and hold real and personal property in the name of the city or county or both, as the case may be, for the use and purposes of the library and to sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of property real or personal, when no longer required b~,' the library and to insure the real and personal property of the library. 8-have the power to accept gifts, grants, donations, devises, or beq uests of property, real or person ai, from whatever source and to expand or hold, work, or improve the same for the specific purpose of the gift, grant, donation, devise, or beq uest. These gifts, grants, donations, devises, and bequests shall be kept separate from regular library funds and are not subject to reversion at the end of the fiscal year. 19 The city attorney's opinion did not solve problems between the library board of trustees (now the board called themselves trustees), the city commission, and the city manager. Library Board of Trustees chair John Parker came before the city commission to say, "Under Montana Code, the library board has exclusive control of expenditures, the public library fund, construction or lease oflibrary buildings, budget preparation, appointing and setting the pay of the main librarian and operation and care of the library. ".The library board also can hold and dispose of real property in the name of the city, according to state law..."2o In the late summer of I 979, library supporter Polly Renne, wife of Roland Renne, president of Montana State University, donated $25,000 to the library to become available in October I 980. She noted that her grandfather, The Reverend Frank B. Lewis, rector of St. James Episcopal Church, was on the Bozeman Public Library's first board. Down through the years, Polly Renne's family has held public library card #3; she did not know, however, "...ho held cards #1 and #2. Edna Tracy White's earlier donation of a $25,000 trust \vould eventually grow to $40.500. In August 1979, City Manager Gesko stated during a meeting of the library board of trustees, "It is not inconceivable that the decision to build a new library will be reversed." Again, it appeared that the power of 16 Above, two patrons are some of the last researchers to use the card catalog. Be- low, library Director Steve Cottrell carries out the old. The catalog was recycled and used in library staff of- fices upstairs. Bozeman Public Librar)'. The Bozeman Public Library had "eased into the technology age."23 Some computers at the library could "speak," so that visually handicapped patrons could use the system. The Ruth and Vernon Taylor Foundation donated $25,000 to the project; the City of Bozeman funded $50,000 and a special projects fund furnished another $50,000. That same year, a children's catalog was available to young readers. In addition to the growing variety of sophisticated services now used in the library, one purchase of an old-fashioned device was needed: a typewriter for staff use. Popular books that year were Angela:S Ashes by Frank McCourt, John Grisham's The Partner, and Evening Class by Maeve Binchy. 29 After a large and year-long volunteer effort throughout the Gallatin valley, a June 4, 1996, election to raise the county mill levy for libraries from 1.5 to 5 mills was successfuL Now Bozeman could extend its open hours to Sunday afternoons during the fall, winter, and spring. More and more patrons were learning to use BridgerNet, dialing in from home to place holds and renewals on books. Another "Night of 100 Dinners" netted $5,000 for the library. The children's program "Turn Off the TV" was in its seventh year. The Bozeman Public Library now had its own Internet home page by March 1997. When librarian Steve Cottrell resigned in April that year to accept a post at Greeley, Colorado, Lois Dissly and Liza McClelland became interim co-directors until the hiring of Alice Meister the following October. In the fall, the foundation hired Kelley Davitt as coordinator to produce a newsletter, write grants, and contact potential donors. The MacArthur Foundation sold to the library at a ninety percent discount some two hundred Public Broadcasting System videocassettes in 1998. These programs covered scientific, historical, and literary subjects and were immensely popular with patrons, who checked them out in great numbers. The MacArthur Foundation donated another twenty-three videos in 1999. The Ruth and Vernon Taylor Foundation donated $10,000 for reference and children's materials. The reference materials were badly needed as patrons' questions for the year had risen to more than 10,000. The Josephine Vaughan memorial fund provided $1,800 to buy children's picture books. The library's programs for children continued to expand with the popular summer reading program and "Turn Off the TV" week. \Vhen the Bozeman Public Library moved out of the Carnegie building in 1981, the City of Bozeman used the facility for its offices, mainly the Planning Department. Some feared that the building would be tom down for a parking lot. In 1998, however, lawyers Michael D. Cok and Michael E. Wheat bought the Carnegie building for $487,000 and redecorated the building. They added an elevator; Richard Teer of Intermountain Restoration worked on the bricks outside. The Planning 30 "Why does it take two months to do this?" Gesko replied, "It doesn't take two months to do this. I'm a bit irritated at the continual harassment that I have had from one group in this town representing the interests of a few people."17 Questioned by several reporters on these matters, Gesko suggested that he did not have to talk to them and left the commission room. Finally, in May, a contract for architectural services was completed and George Mattson signed it. Mattson prepared himself for the job by visiting a number of other libraries in the region. Alas, hannony still did not prevail. Some wanted the library to be built on the west side of Bozeman Creek and some wanted the new building on the east side of the creek. Architect Mattson wanted the library east of the creek, but he did not prevail; other members of the library building committee sided with the city manager, who wanted to reserve parking on the east side of the creek for city employees. Martel Construction Company was chosen to build the library with a budget of $990,990. The company announced that their workers planned to work through the winter season. The bonds voted on in the election of 1978 finally went on sale on June 18, 1980. , Three months after David Penwell wrote Robert Planalp stating his dismay at the city charging the library for land it already owned, the city attorney completed his opinion and sent it on to the commissioners. It is true, he wrote, legislation in 1967 gave powers of control of expenditure to a board of trustees of a Free Public Library. However, Planalp went on to say, in an earlier 1947 case before the Montana Supreme Court, Local 2390 of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, A. F of L. -CI. O. et al v. City of Billings, et aI, library boards were deemed not totally independent from the local governing body. "It is my opinion the City of Bozeman should review its existing ordinances and should proceed to develop a library board of trustees pursuant to the legislative action cited in this opinion." The present library board, he said, is merely a library board and is not an official library board of trustees. Therefore, library decisions are the province of the city commission.IS ,. 15 At first the city manager assured the library group in mid-March of 1979 it would not have to use library funds to pay the City of Bozeman for property the city already owned. Shortly after, however, Gesko informed members of the press that he was mistaken and that a charge of monies from the bond issue would have to be made to the general fund of the city. The sum of $210,000 was first mentioned; later, $195,000 was noted. Eventually, a charge of$116,250 was to corne from the bond . money to the City of Bozeman. (In time, the state's attorney general I determined that it was legal to use the bond monies to buy city land.) City Manager Gesko told a press conference that if the library group chose any site that the city owned, it would have to pay for it out of the bond issue funds. "Land cannot be transferred from one department to another without charging," he explained. 12 After all, Gesko said, "if the present library is later used by another city department, that department would have to reimburse the library fund."13 One month later, he told reporter Annabelle Phillips, "If the old library is sold, a substantial portion of the money received will go to the library fund." However, he said, "If city offices are moved there, we are not going to pay rent to the library."14 Attorney J. David Penwell, alarmed at Gesko's statements with regard to the library needing to pay for city property, wrote to City Attorney J. Robert Planalp stating, "The City cannot 'acquire' property that it already owns in the sense that it is acquiring the city shop site for the purposes of using that same property for a library." Penwell further stated that bond funds to pay itself "would be an unauthorized and unlawful use of such monies. ...the bond money voted in 1978 is to be used for a library, not given to the City in payment for the city lots."15 Sam Gesko told the Billings Gazette, "This issue was smouldering until yesterday when it burst into flames with that letter." Mary Vant Hull, president of the Friends of Gallatin Libraries, wanted to know why money should be taken from the $1.4 million bond issue to "go to the street department for the old shop site when there are no plans to buy the old library from the library department. "16 While the controversy was being played out, George Mattson and members of the library board were waiting for a contract for architectural services. Mayor Ed Sedivy asked the city manager about the delay. 14 Department moved to the Alfred Stiff Building on Babcock Street. None of the monies received from the sale of the Carnegie building went to the Bozeman Public Library, despite what Sam Gesko said in 1979 and despite the fact that the library paid the city for the East Lamme land at the time. Bozeman readers had used the Carnegie Library for some seventy years. As the East Lamme Street Library approached its twentieth year, a steady and heavy increase in library use required those of the board of trustees to discuss possible changes. An increase of population of some forty percent in Bozeman and more residents moving into the Gallatin valley had exceeded all predictions. It seemed that the habits of those moving in were similar to those already here; they were major library users. Used book sales attracted crowds of readers eager to acquire books. More than one thousand residents, city and county, used the library each day. In 1990, patrons directed 15,000 questions to the library reference staff. By 2001, the number of questions rose to 60,000. In 2004, reference librarians answered 84,498 questions. Shelves in the main collection could no longer accommodate new offerings of books and periodicals, newspapers, videos, DVDs, music CDs, books on tape, and large print books. Library staff no longer had sufficient space to complete their work. The Montana Room was crammed. Computer facilities for the public were in constant use. Readers continued to meet for the Adult Book Discussion Group; brown bag lunch groups met in the community room to hear local speakers. Evening meetings featured local authors. Radio Station KBMC, whose studio was named to honor Bozeman philanthropist and music-lover John W. Fisher, was located in the library and became an affiliate of National Public Radio. The interlibrary loan service had 4,107 transactions in 1998; that number has remained the same since that time. Interlibrary loan clerk Darlene Tefertiller retired in 2006 after eighteen years of service. Mary Ann Childs took over interlibrary loan requests. Programs in the children's department had expanded many times over. Librarians Susan Howe and Cindy Christin developed new 31 activities for young people. In addition to the Friday children's story hour, now there was a toddler's story hour on Wednesdays, begun in 1988. The following year, the library hosted a tea in March for parents and their babies, introducing them to the children's library and parenting books. A "Books and Babies" program was initiated in 1994. "Turn Off the TV" was in its ninth year in 1994, and included a Survival Kit available to young patrons. Included in the kit were lists of good books to read aloud. Tuesday was Game Night; young and old played chess, checkers, board games, card games, and worked jigsaw puzzles. Thursday was Celebrity Night where local authors read from MaryPat Zitzer and children Eli Kesselheim, Ruby Zitzer, and Sawyer Kesselheim seem comfortable to spend an over- night in the library. Bozeman Public Library. Martin Lawrence reads to his daughter Verena. Bozeman Public Library. 32 number of patrons using this service increased. Cathy Nelson, the first official reference librarian, wrote library director Steve Cottrell that the numbers of questions by library patrons were increasing so fast that she needed additional help. As members of the library board, the library building committee, the Friends group, and others wrestled with the problem of selecting an architect and a site for the new library, they soon realized early in 1979 that they had another problem. City Manager Sam Gesko, hired in December 1976, seemed unusually negative toward the library group as well as to members of the press. He told the Bozeman City Commission, "If I had my druthers, I would not build a library."lO Gesko gave the impression he thought that the library group represented a small number of citizens, despite the results of the November election in 1978. Even so, the library building committee considered early in February 1979 three local architectural firms: Lowell Spring; Kommers, McLaughlin and Leavengood; Mattson, Prugh, and Lenon. They selected George Mattson's firm and sent their recommendation on to the city commission, which approved the choice a few weeks later. Some sites were eliminated early on. Gallatin County offered the city one acre near the Law and Justice Center if the library could be calted a Bozeman-Gallatin County Library, but the location was far from downtown and Gallatin County officials did not offer continuing financial support. The Law and Justice Center site was passed over, as was the old Gallatin County High School downtown. 'j Although many thought the Carnegie site might do, they soon realized that expansion and parking would be difficult. As each proposed site was examined and laid aside, the city yards at East Lamme and Rouse became more and more attractive. An anonymous benefactor contacted the City of Bozeman with a possible gift of land worth $60,000 if the library were built downtown. Thus, the Hagen and Hoffman properties adjoining the East Lamme site, which were valued at $75,000, could be obtained at a cost to the city of only $15,000.11 .. 13 County Commissioner Jane Jelinski wanted to raise the mill levy to 2.5 but commissioners Wilbur Visser and Ray White did not. Despite the county's failure to support the Bozeman Public Library at a higher rate, librarian Steve Cottrell noted that, in 1986, forty-three percent of . books checked out went to county residents.- In September 1979, library patrons learned that the Bozeman Public Library needed $11,000 to continue its work; otherwise the library might lose federal as well as state funds. Moreover, the Broad Valleys Library Federation, a twelve-county library system concerned with twenty-one libraries in southwest Montana, housed at the Bozeman library since 1975, needed support. Monies from the state, which had once been available to pay federation librarian salaries, had decreased to such an extent that support was no longer possible. Local federation librarians Kathryn Kujawa and Carol Goodger-Hill, who assisted with reference questions and interlibrary loan requests, could no longer be paid. It appeared that a budget deficit in the City of Bozeman was also a contributing factor. The following month, seventy-nine-year-old housebound booklover Dorothy Porter asked a library employee to stop by to pick up a check. It was for $11,000 and Porter was called an n angel" by the press. Said Porter, "I think the library is very essential to Bozeman. ...especially the children. I don't know how we would get along without it. US\! Librarians Kujawa and Goodger-Hill answered a variety of questions from Bozeman patrons. "I get housewives calling up for a recipe of jam \\lithout sugar. Another guy wanted plans for a hot hair balloon; I got the material for him from Washington."9 When helping patrons to obtain the materials they needed, the librarians would first search the resources of the Bozeman library; then they queried the library at Montana State University. Finally, they checked once each day with a TWX terminal to Interlibrary Loan (ILL) in Seattle. Each year, the -In 1987, desperate to collect overdue library fees and fines. the library published a list of the worst offenders in the Bozeman ])ai~l' Chronicle, December 29, 1987. "'Porter and her husband Heber operated Porter's Pharmacy, located at the Baxter Hotel. from ] 931-1955. At the time of her death in 1992, her will directed the payment of $50,000 to the library. 12 adult books downstairs or children's books upstairs. Saturday night was Survivors Night, which involved a sleepover at the library. The young reader brought one parent and sleeping bags for the adventure. Dad's Night brought in fathers to participate in an evening story hour. Special birthday programs honoring Dr. Seuss, Winnie-the-Pooh, Harry Potter, and other Ii terary notab les became popular. In 1980, 1,027 children came to the Bozeman Public Library; in 1991, 8,438 young people enjoyed the programs; in 1998, 13,167 youngsters were attracted to library events. The Bozeman Public Library had become a popular but overcrowded place. A library building committee formed in 1998 to consider options. Should the library be expanded at the present site? George Mattson, architect for the East Lamme Street facility, stated that the building could not accommodate an additional story. A bequest from the Eva Hays estate in December 1998 allowed the hiring of librarian consultant David Rexford Smith from Hopkins, Minnesota. He was to study future space needs; six months later, he reported that a library for growing Bozeman needed at least 49,000 square feet at an estimated cost of$9 to $12 million dollars. In order to facilitate private financial support I for a new library, the Bozeman Public Library Foundation increased the size of its board in 1999 and hired Wendy Bay Lewis as development director. ,. Those concerned with library issues joined together on June 28, 2001, to support a $4 million dollar bond to build a new library. David Smith, director of the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce, announced that the Chamber would not support the bond issue. Smith suggested that there were too many civic improvements to be funded at the time and a new library was not high on the Chamber's list.24 Despite this lack of support, the bond passed by a nearly two-to-one vote: 4,205 to 2,198 or sixty-six percent to thirty-four percent. That October, the library bought 14.3 acres of downtown land, the original site of the Milwaukee Road Depot, for $2,150,000. The previous owners, CMC Heartland Partners, owned some forty acres of 33 railroad land at the time. Years before, the railroad transport of asbestos from the Karst mines in Gallatin Canyon had contaminated the soil surrounding the Milwaukee Depot. By October 2003, 25,000 tons of contaminated soil had been taken to the city landfill. The bricks from the old depot had already been stored for some future use. Library folks and architects take a look at the proposed depot site. Bozeman Public Libra!)'. Overland Partners of San Antonio and Johnston Architects of Seattle were selected as architects for the new library facing Main Street. The Texas firm of Overland had established a branch in Bozeman in 1999 with Mark Headley as resident architect. The firm worked with a $10.5 million budget. Again, Martel Construction Company was named builder. It was cold on April 14, 2005, and those who came to witness the official groundbreaking for the nev'llibrary were bundled up for the event. As with the East Lamme Street library, construction workers continued building through the winter of2005-2006. The East Main Street library would become in time a premier green building in the state. At the end of each day, night flushing would remove the "used" air and replace it with fresh. Daylighting included overhead skylighting with materials tested at the Design Lighting Lab in Seattle. Also included were the use of recycled building materials, a water conservation system, as well as a photovoltaic electrical generation system. The library building was certified by the Library Board of Trustees with the U. S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in 34 Included in the League prospectus was an article by university librarian Minnie Paugh, who maintained that the university library was for the benefits of its students and faculty and could not include books for children except those for teacher education. Periodicals could not be checked out. Books for the adult non-university reader were limited. Others thought there should be little libraries sprinkled throughout the county; they had no suggestions, however, as to how this effort would be funded. Finally, through the efforts of the League and the Friends of Gallatin Libraries, a county 1.5 mill levy election for annual support of libraries took place on June 3, 1980; the results were close, but the mill levy won with late voters from West Yellowstone and Big Sky. Elated with the results, West Yellowstone immediately made plans to start its own library. The Bozeman library dropped user fees for county patrons. ---------- 1l::.ar Cou"'!J c.o...", ,ss,",e rJ, Co.... dr",'t read.. boob, rar0>ers do Pled.<;e tvnJ tht [,br8ry ! ff~~;:J:- Cartoon by John Barsness, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, July 26,1985. .. For a number of years, those who asked the Gallatin County Commissioners for more money for libraries were told that cows did not read books; therefore, there \vas no need for the county to provide further library funds by a proposed raise in the mill levy to three mills. The Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle added its opinion on July 26, 1985, chastising the wits at the county commission. "A library without books is as useless as a pasture without cows." The cows-don't-read argument "does grave disservice to rural dwellers, implying that farmers and ranchers don't care for books or learning." The newspaper endorsed a raise in levy to three mills or $90,000.7 11 In addition to working for a new city library, the League of Women Voters also studied county libraries with regard to funding. At the time, Gallatin County provided no funding for libraries. In 1974, the Friends of Gallatin Libraries group spoke to the three county commissioners, Walter Sales, George Gillette, and George Sager; however, the men were not encouraging. The libraries finally obtained a bit of federal money , given to counties that contained many acres of federal land, Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT. In 1975, a statewide referendum to provide one mill for libraries lost in fifty-four out of fifty-six counties, although Gallatin and Missoula counties supported it. When Joy Nash replaced Commissioner Gillette as he resigned, she won over Commissioners Sales and Sager to the concept ! of revenue sharing of federal monies. Each year, Belgrade, Three Forks, and Manhattan would each receive $875 for their libraries. Bozeman would get $5,687. West Yellowstone did not benefit, as it had no library at that time and got its books by mail from the Bozeman library. Finally, in June 1979, the county commissioners agreed to levy .9 of a mill to the one-time support of county libraries, or $25,000. Bozeman received $13,000 of that amount. The League soon determined that relying on federal revenue sharing to fund libraries was uncertain; they could not plan ahead on a fl uctuating yearly income. Users' fees for county residents of up to ten dollars per year at the Bozeman library had been established but seldom worked and almost always were resented. County patrons did not want to pay users' fees and tried to get around them. Although the great majority offinancial support for the Bozeman Public Library came from Bozeman taxpayers, one third of Bozeman's library patrons lived in the county. In 1979, thirty-two percent of the books checked out were by people who lived in the county. Further. the Friends of Gallatin Libraries found the imposition of users' fees to be against their philosophy of library use available to all who desired it. Some residents wondered why the Bozeman community and county residents could not use the university's libraries full time. Why didn't Montana State University provide extra services to non-students? 10 Energy and Environmental Design) at the Silver Certification Level. In 2003, the 100,00Oth book was added to the library collection. It seemed appropriate that it concerned a Montana author: James Welch. A Critical Companion by Mary Jane Lupton. On Saturday mornings during good weather, young readers could read to dogs. These animals, having come from Intermountain Therapy Animals, wore decorative bright red scarves, as did their owners. ., Reading to Dogs had become a Saturday pastime in the summer months. Bozeman Public Library. In 2004, the Institute of Museum and Library Services gave the Bozeman Public Library a community service award, one of three in the nation. At the same time, Chuck Knighton won an essay contest about how he became a library user by attending a Books and Babies program with his one-year-old son. Knighton, Library Board of Trustees Chair Brenda Davis, and Library Director Alice Meister accepted awards from presidential first lady Laura Bush in Washington, D.C. on January 22, 2004. Back home, the Montana Library Association met in Bozeman in April and awarded "Library of the Year" to the Bozeman Public Library and "Trustee of the Year" to Library Board of Trustees Chair Brenda 35 Davis. Library trustee Bob Gutzman received the "School Administrator of the Year" award. In November, trustee Alan Kesselheim received the 2003 Literary Contribution Award from the Mountain Plains Library Association for exceptional writing. Thirty-six volunteers now served at the library each week. In 1992, one hundred and ninety-six periodicals were available to patrons. In 2005, that number had risen to two hundred and thirty-nine. In the spring of 2006, members of the American Association of University Women sponsored their final book sale in the library's community room, as it had for the past forty years. Designer Kelly Bellcour created a new tree logo, used to decorate T~shirts, book bags, library bulletin, and newsletters. O~EM.<j /A~~. "'"'- oJ ~~ PUBLIC LIB II A II Y A mission statement for the Bozeman Public Library had been developed and revised for some years. Finally, a statement was published in "Check It Out" announcing that the library mission \vas: Providing the community with free, open, and equal access to general information on a broad array of topics. Providing resources to promote personal growth and lifelong learning; popular materials to meet cultural and recreational needs; and the training needed to find, evaluate, and use information effectively. When Susan Howe retired in December 2005 as children's librarian after twenty- four years of service, Cindy Christin was appointed to the post. Gail MacMillan, in addition to her duties in the circulation department, took over Ho\ve's other job--that of volunteer coordinator. Library Director Alice Meister was named Bozeman Business and Professional Women's "\\loman ofthe Year," and also was given the state award as well. 36 Roby of the First National Bank managed the trust without fee. The Friends of Gallatin Libraries needed to raise a great deal of money to build a new library in Bozeman. In June 1977, the Friends and the League of Women Voters presented a prospectus to the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce to inform residents about the possibility of a new library. The document included a short history, population projections,. site requirements, parking needs, county use, and assessments of public school libraries and the library at Montana State University.s A few months later, the Fred \Villson Archi tectural Society issued a report outlining possible sites for a ne\v facility. They included the Carnegie site, \Vestlake Park, Kirk Park, Langohr Park, the Holy Rosary : School (now the Law and Justice Center), a site at Durston and Eleventh Avenue, and the Thompson Addition.6 Late in 1977, the Friends 0 f Gallatin Librari es asked the Bozeman City Commission to place on the ballot a bond issue to build a new library. The commissioners refused to do so. Therefore, during the rest of 1977 and 1978, groups gathered 2,256 signatures on petitions to place a $1,460,000 bond issue on the November 7, 1978, ballot. The bond issue passed handily with a seventy-two percent favorable vote, or 5,364 to 2,097. The possibility of a new library in Bozeman was at hand. Now it \vas up to the library board and the city commission to choose an architect and select a site. Members of the new library building committee included head of the library board Joe Basile, librarian Peg Hileman, John Parker of the Friends of Gallatin Libraries, and city manager Sam Gesko, Jr. First, should the new library use the Carnegie site and add to the old building? Or was a spot at the Law and Justice Center a better choice? How about \Villson School, the old Gallatin County High School? All in all, there were as many as thirteen proposed library sites, scattered throughout the community. Meanwhile, architect John H. DeHaas, Jr. completed a nominations form in1979 to put the Carnegie Library on the National Register of Historic Buildings. 9 In 1945, the children's library hours were extended. Librarian Myra Tice announced receipt of several new novels including Sinclair Lewis's The God Seekel; C. S. Forester's The Sky and the Forest, MacKinlay Cantor's Wicked Water: An American Primitive, and Howard Spring's There is No Armour. In 1950, Margaret "Peg" Hileman became librarian, a career lasting thirty-three years. Hileman was able to read each new book received into the collection and prepare a review for patrons. Katherine Fisher joined Hileman and became the library's first children's librarian.... By November 1960, Hileman was assisted by Mollie Pratt, who eventually became children's librarian in addition to her other duties. By 1974, Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley had increased its population to such an extent that it became obvious that a larger library was needed. In November of that year, seventy years after the Carnegie's dedication, Mary Holter was appointed by the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce to see if there was interest in a new library. Little did she or anyone else know it would turn out to be a seven-year effort. One month later, the countywide Friends of Gallatin Libraries was founded. Although the majority of interested persons lived in Bozeman, representatives from West Yellowstone, Willow Creek, Manhattan, and Belgrade came to the meetings. Retired English professor John P. Parker became the first chair. Jan Dunbar of West Yellowstone was named vice- chair. The board included Bozeman's Helen Lockwood as secretary and Susan Zentz of Manhattan as treasurer. Other directors included Marguerite Kirk, George Mattson, Mary Vant Hull, Thelma Newby of Belgrade, and Ruth Williams of Willow Creek. The group had two goals: to build a new library in Bozeman and to get county funding for all the public libraries throughout the valley. In October 1975, Edna Tracy Cf\.1rs. J. J.) White, hoping to speed the process along, offered a $25,000 trust for new library facilities provided the funds would be used within ten years. Trust officer Jean · Katherine Fisher was the sister of library supporter John W. Fisher. for whom the library's 'adio studio is named. B In 1889, the Bozeman Public Library offered some two hundred and fifty books to its patrons. In 2006, 110,000 books were on hand. In 1992, 21,881 patrons sought answers to their questions from reference librarians. By 2005, that number had risen to 89,234 questions. Interlibrary loans have remained more or less steady since 1992 when 3,845 patrons used the service. In 2005, 4,004 readers requested publications from other libraries. During fiscal 2005-2006, some thirty-two percent of books acquired by the library came from gifts. On Thursday, June 15, 2006, Library Development Director Wendy Bay Lewis handed to Bozeman Mayor Jeff Krauss a check for $5.85 million. Thus, the library foundation's four-year capital campaign goal to raise this sum had been met. Some things stay the same. The "beer truck" of the Lehrkind Distributing Company continued to deliver and receive books on loan to the library at West Yellowstone. The John W. Fisher studio of Radio Station KBMC, still part of Yellowstone Public Radio, moved to the new library with plans to expand its coverage with more local interviews. The Special Delivery program continued in 2006, coordinated by Suzan Stobel and Judy Opperman. Eleven volunteers delivered books as well as books on tape each week to twenty-five housebound patrons. The Adult Book Discussion Group, coordinated by librarian Beth Boyson, continued to meet each month on Wednesday evenings. On Thursday evenings, the Great Decisions Foreign Policy Discussion continued to meet. Those donors who gave generous contributions to the library fund had the opportunity to name rooms in the new facility. The new community room was called the Buck and Marcia Anderson room. The children's wing of the library was called the Belle Chrisman room after the first public librarian in Bozeman. The children's study room was named to honor Tim Crawford and Kathy Hansen. The children's tutorial area was called the Jim and Sue Hamilton Family room. The Paul G. Allen Family named the teen homework room. The conference room memorialized the Dogterom family. The computer lab was nown 37 the Victoria York room. Pat and Carol Hemingway named an alcove the Ernest Hemingway room. The circulation desk honored Ruth and Vernon Taylor. LouAnn and Dave Wallin named the North Reading area. The large computer room was called the Nancy Greenwall Memorial area. The Sherffius Family gave their name to the staff boardroom. One of the galleries was named for Kathryn and James Lindgren. Anonymous donors named the following: the Peg Hileman welcome desk; the John and Margaret Parker reference desk, and the John W. Fisher Radio Station KBMC. The Friends of the Library operated the new coffee shop, Wild Joe's Organic Coffee and Tea House. Books for sale were also available in the facility. On Sunday, October 8,2006, history repeated itself. In response to many patrons who asked that the Book Brigade come out of retirement, children's librarian Cindy Christin and other community members from around the area organized another passing of the books. It had rained most of the day before the event; it was a cold blustery afternoon. However, the weather did not stop some 2,200 people to form a double line from the east door of the Lamme Street library to the entrance of the new East Main library, a distance of about eight blocks. The line included small children as well as those with white hair; some were in wheelchairs. As the first children's picture books went from hand to hand out of the old library at 2:20 p.m., Bozeman High School's Drum Line preceded the books with precision drumming and marching that gave a lift to the waiting crowd. Those first books arrived at the new library at 2:40. Along the way, the Bridger Creek Boys entertained, as did the Irving School International Singers. By mid-afternoon, some 3,000 books had reached the new library. Most of those participating returned to the old library for cookies and drinks donated by local businesses and patrons. The Awesome Polka Babes, Bebe LeBoeuf, the Gallatin Valley Junior Fiddlers, and Tom Robison with the West Wind Fiddle Band were also on hand to entertain. Seven-year-old Logan Moody played his trumpet. A slide show reminded patrons of past activities for the last twenty-five years. More than fi fry persons who had attended the Book Brigade 1981 also carne to the 2006 event. 38 The Carnegie Library was dedicated on January 19, 1904, in ~ the Opera House. After several musical selections by the local band and the university's Treble Clef Club, Mariam Cooper gave a history of Bozeman's library movement. A few days later, the Avant Courier described the interior of the building. The main floor was practically one large room, but could be partitioned. Lights illuminated the tinted i walls. On the west side ofthe main room were the stacks, the northeast corner was a reading section. Reference was in the southeast corner. In the center of all this was one immense semi-circular table at which the librarian sat. In the basement was a large lecture hall that could seat one hundred people. The librarian's private office was in basement corner.4 By now, patrons could read the popular The Virginian by Owen Wister or ' 1901's Alice Hegen Rice's Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. Librarian Peg Hileman at right and her assistant Elizabeth M. "Betty" Dodge work behind the grand desk at the Carnegie Library. Bozeman Pnblic Library. As the town of Bozeman grew, so did library services at the Carnegie. The adult section on the main floor increased to such an extent that the children's department had to move to the basement, taking up part of the meeting hall. Twelve new shelves were needed to house more children's books. A small balcony was built to house offices and a rare books room. The facility was not available to handicapped persons. The outside of the library remained pretty much the same. In 1920, however, the slate roofwas replaced with composition shingles. Librarian Geneva Cook noted in 1932 that, in November, 5,639 books were loaned to patrons compared to 3,800 the previous November. 7 approval. The following April, the election to raise the existing half-mill tax to one mill succeeded, with 398 voters approving and 35 voters not. The library group selected a site at 35 North Bozeman Avenue, sold to the city in August 1902 for nine hundred dollars by Elmirah Frazier. Frazier o\\ined nearby Frazier House, a boardinghouse located I on North Bozeman Avenue at Main Street. It was not a totally acceptable location to some. The problem had to do with activities nearby. Houses of prostitution were in business as were a number of opium dens run by Bozeman's Chinese community. A letter to the Avant Courier signed CITIZEN suggested raising fines for criminal activity and "see how soon they will leave for parts unknown." CITlZEN was also caustic about Andrew Carnegie, "the great man who squeezed his immense profits out of his enslaved employees in order to be known as a great philanthropist, and is very nervous for fear of dying rich..."3 While the women of the WCTD were busy discouraging the prostitution trade, Helena architect C. S. Haire designed aclassic dignified temple-style building featuring Roman Doric columns. Construction began in 1902, with John Davitt as building supervisor. Belle Chrisman and her colleagues predicted that the Chinese opium dens and houses of prostitution would disappear. And they did. By the time the Carnegie Library was completed, Bessie McCord had become librarian and Geneva Cook was her assistant. .......... ..~, ~ ! a"J1:U' l.Jbf'tiTy. thn.flluvr .+100m ~............., -- -- ~~ Carnegie Librar)', 1904. 6 Book Brigade, October 8, 2006: Bozeman Higb School's Drum Line leads the wa)' from the old Iibrar)'. Gene Smith photo. Friendl)' members of the Brigade applaud the drum line. Gene Smith photo. 39 Patrons of all sizes passed the books. Bozeman Public Library. The )"oung lad)" is serious. Gene Smith photo. 40 ] 893's most popular book, was already in the collection. In 1898, she added the popular Quo Vadis? by Henryk Sienkiewicz to the library. In 1896, library board member and postmaster Frank Nesbitt was arrested on eight counts of embezzlement of funds from the post office. This event was a great shock to the community, as he was highly regarded. After spending some months in the Bozeman jail, Nesbitt was taken to Helena for trial in a federal court. He was found guilty on three counts and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary at Deer Lodge. Having studied the philanthropic activities of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, librarian Chrisman began to hope that Bozeman could become a beneficiary of his efforts to place libraries throughout the United States. By the time he was done in 19]8, Carnegie had donated some $41 million to this effort for construction of 1,679 libraries across the nation. Seventeen such libraries were located in Montana. After checking with City Clerk T. M. Pierce, Chrisman wrote to the librarian in Great Falls seeking advice as how to proceed, as Great Falls had just received Carnegie money. Chrisman heard from Great Falls and sent the information on to City Clerk Pierce, who made a report to the city council on September 5, 1901. Council referred the matter to the library committee and chairman Joseph M. Lindley. Belle Chrisman composed the letter to Andrew Carnegie. His secretary, James P. Bartram, wTote back in February 1902 with questions. Did the City of Bozeman have a site in mind? How much money would the City of Bozeman pledge each year? The City of Bozeman answered James Bartram. Yes, it had a site in mind. Yes, the City of Bozeman would pledge $],500 each year for library support. The answer came back and was read to the city council on March 24, 1902. "If the City of Bozeman pledges itself by resolution of the council to support a Free Public Library at the cost of not less than One Thousand Five Hundred (1,500) Dollars a year, and provides a suitable site, Mr. Carnegie will be glad to furnish Fifteen Thousand (15,000) Dollars for the erection of a Free Public Library."2 It had taken only six months between the original request to Andrew Carnegie and his 5 tax would insure that "hundreds of children, our children, shall have their minds poisoned by pernicious dime novels." 1 Voters passed the half-mill tax for a library in 1891; about nine hundred dollars was collected. Now the Bozeman Public Library was official. The first books bought by the library probably included Arthur Conan Doyle's stories as well as those by Rudyard Kipling. Anna Sewall's popular bestseller Black Beauty was doubtless an early choice. Mayor George L. Ramsey named the board ofthe Bozeman Public Library in spring 1892. The Reverend Frank B. Lewis, rector of St. James Episcopal Church, was chosen as secretary. Merchant Lester S. Willson became president; postmaster Frank J. Nesbitt was vice-president; banker Peter Koch, Mariam Skeels (Mrs. Walter) Cooper, Lizzie D. (Mrs. Albert E.) Davidson, and Belle Keith Chrisman completed the board.. On January 9, 1895, the board of the Bozeman Public Library appointed thirty-six-year-old Belle Keith Chrisman librarian with a salary oftwenty dollars per month. The collection had increased to 2,877 books; 215 library cards had been issued. Belle's father John Chrisman came to Montana from Missouri in 1864. His wife, also named Belle Keith Chrisman, and six-year-old daughter Belle came the following year but went back to Missouri until 1884 when they returned to stay. The family lived at 218 East Mendenhall. John Chrisman eventually became county treasurer. Both Belle and her sister Mary E., Bettie to her friends, taught in Bozeman and county schools. Bettie became county superintendent of schoo I s in 190 I. The ir brother Joseph A. eventually became a rane her in Fergus County; the two sisters also had ranches there. Miss Chrisman probably ordered the best seller of that year, 1895, Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. The year before Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda came out and was 1894's top seller. Probably Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, · The Reverend Le",,'is had come to Bozeman from Connecticut in 1879: General Willson came from New York in 1867: Frank Nesbitt came from Canada in 1862: Peter Koch came from Mississippi in 1870; Belle Chrisman came from Missouri in 1884: Lizzie Davidson. mother of three children. was wife to a Canadian engineer who at one point superintended the city's water plant. Mariam Cooper's husband was involved in a number of downtown business enterprises. 4 Crowds line the blocks down Lamme Street to Broadway. Bozeman Public Library. Passing the books to the new library on East Main. Mar}' Vant Hull is in fore- ground. Gene Smith photo. 41 Fred and Katie Cady predicted in their Opinion column for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that participating in the Book Brigade would be "an experience of a lifetime. "25 Certainly, the event illustrated the hearty community spirit toward the Bozeman libraries. The Bozeman Public Library on East Main Street opened to the public on November 12 with a dedication ceremony. Patrons flocked to the new facility, having been without a library for four long weeks. In recent years, many new Gallatin Valley residents have joined with the older library patrons to support with enthusiasm the expanding activities of library use in ways perhaps not imagined by those young men in 1872 that decided they wanted a public library in Bozeman. A number of their regulations still apply, i.e., no spitting on the floor, but in 2006, both men and women could enter the library at the same time. 42 The rules and regulations included no smoking or spitting on the floor, no discussions of politics or religion, no loud talking or unnecessary noise. Alas, a few months later, the association dissolved. The books went to the office of Judge A. D. McPherson. Later, John Bogert stored them. In 1885, another group of men formed a library committee. The. Young Men's Christian Association met on Halloween to start the YMCA Library Institute of Bozeman. By January 14,1886, a room was rented in the Monroe Building, located at Main Street and Templar Avenue (now Tracy Avenue), for twenty dollars per month. Fifty cents paid the drayage bill to bring in the books from Bogert's office. This group received the treasury of the earlier men's group, which consisted of$85.90 left from donations from its members. The YMCA donated $32.75. Women from the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) decorated the facility. Again, Bozeman women used the library in the afternoons and. the men came in the evenings. The collection now included some seventy books that cost $320 to acquire and $80 worth of magazines. Some of these materials were so heavily used that soon they became tattered and torn. After this happened, the men gave them to the local school. The organization lingered until October 1888, when it, too, died. Judge Luce stored the remaining books in his office in the Mendenhall Building. Fire destroyed some of the books on April 27, 1889. At this point, businessman Walter Cooper offered rent-free room for six months. Postmaster Frank Nesbitt donated lumber for the shelves. In July 1890. the Bozeman Free Library was founded and 250 somewhat shabby books were moved to city offices in the Opera House at a cost of $1.50. In the treasury was $3.05. The following year, Mayor John V Bogert appointed a library committee: merchant Lester S. Willson, marble works owner H. H. Hodson, and stable owner E. D. Ferguson. Bozeman's aldennen proposed a one-half mill levy for library support. The Bozeman Chronicle voiced its support for the library levy, especially to benefit children. "Most of them will read good, wholesome literature, if they once acquire a taste for it -- if not trash, for which many children particularly, seem to have a natural taste." The rejection of the half-mill 3 *t.t;'*.$ '.~o 'ft$iQ't;tt.A1t',l'O.:$ OF THn Directors of the Bozeman Public Library \l'lUif ~:.~ t At d\.lh1.' b~t.o", * f !l.n~.n ~n. L Nu newspaper, buuk ur magil.dnc 'i,'!..'in he aHH\\-ed ill J.e Lil"a'l wilh"", Ih.: ~alll" ~hall be or ",do ;0 char- 'del' J.' ,hall be Jrll\oveu by Ihe [,euII,ve C",nlll,llee. II. The Rcauillll. RQom shall he ullder ,;.l!;\rge o[ Ihe Librarian, alld ~o one ill ~He~rs fer tI",.s ,1;;11 he al- lvwe,llhe pri,'ilege of lhe same. III N" Jlerwn shan lake atl} new~l'''per r; om 110" Ii k~. ur dd~H':C in ;my way ~UI)' boult. mn-.galjm.~. ~lf.~wg,p2p-er ,,' <Jlher property of the ,\ssocintj"'L IV. Nil p1,T:o;tm :shaH lake more HWIl WH.' book liom the L ihr"'.... al I he Ii me; mJr slla II be I~k c all v book wi I 10- "ulgi,'in!\ a receipt III Ihe Librmiall r,.. Ihe ."11\1", IIIIf ~-;haU he- tab: ti 'ict;ond one whhnut rCHilllmg the jjr~.a. rn"'r o;;,haH .::un-' pcff;f~n keep- a nn.ok own: lhan h\'fl ". n.k;<. ,\ n, lR_'r,ulI "fiend in g ,14'111 b~ !i IIt'<I III c ,u OJ l,r 2:: celll~ fur e-adl anu t"VCf.\' ~"'"Ct'k in 'i,.":....-:c,:c"".<: rhL'rt'{ll: lJule':-s ::lHllCho"h,. Il<Js fclt1:s-h..'rcd !n>.; HaOle hn fhe ho-uk :L1 \\'hi(!1 ~a$e jj llm~r he ieHu Bed HlIIHt'djah..+..' No (':m.:ydotl.t:-dia~, dh.:jiHt"'\lh..'~~~ \~-r '._)~hl.;! hnt,ks ;)1' n:.:Jen."UF' ~ ha U ~lt:: W k. -en 1 H \ Hl l lit: I ihnH Y ...#-.. Belle Keith Chrisman 1895-1903 Bessie McCord 1903-1916 Geneva Cook 1916-1949 Myra Tice 1949-1950 Margaret Hileman 1950-1983 SteYe Cottrell 1983-1997 Alice Meister 1997- v All J~"'age, I" book, lHuM be sellkd by the ",elll- ber hUHu"j,,!! 110" some h"r",e he shoH enlilled 1<1 III k e an,,! 10 "r ,,,IUlll e. V!. f [Iud tn I k i 11 g. u nllceessary n()i.~c, disc u ssiml "f politics Qf rdigion. smuking Qr sp,lling upun the 11 ,~;r Of" po> i I i v el y forbidden j 11 rhe Li 10 rar)' ru lllll. N umber of Questions Asked Reference Librarians Annually VI! 1992: 21,881 1993: 25,829 1994: 27,196 1995: 31,616 1996: 32,897 1997: 39,850 1998: 42,140 1999: 44,564 2000: 60,188 2001: 65,605 2002: 68,427 2003: 84,498 2005: 89,234 Nun-me m bers arc nor "dmi !ted. e.~ccpt 13d, os "n U :'->lnmgcf5 .tlCcnrupalllcd b::' ;tI member. Visi1015 will please rcgislef theit names in llle -'V,~it<)r', !.look .. \'111. (~enth."m~nly dcpprhncnt LG c:\pt;'c~eJ at aU time.~ n Illl' Inenlbl'TS~ and the vit llntion vi- any of tlle-$C rulc 'l'ill pc pu"ished hy a nllC or <1l1C u"ilar I,'r Ihe fir" ntk.H-LC" Hvc ~luHaf$ h'f" the $.l:t..:umL l-n.. the thtr( l''<:lmj~jolt. "the L-ibmriml ..hall he empo\'\'creu (0 .l:'l .~\':<;.<;: the. \lnctT ht1t any rncrllbcr >:;0 111lc\i ~nay ~lprt"3111 1 he- F :':.":ct:"utlvc CUlluniuc-e rJlf..}-I:" E~.~LJ_'.;.' _if T. :flPlH,UY ~ .:}.., ;.-r.-;:; ]:\'1 tcJnlnr uf '.1", Ex,wuJ;t'" nulnlllillM, ," A. 11; .~:'{;;.~J:;iP, -i.';I~t,.rj:all. 2 43 End Notes 1. "Shall we have a public library?" Bozeman Chronicle, April 1, 1891. 2. "The Bozeman Library." Bozeman Chronicle, January 20, 1904. 3. CITIZEN. "The Library Site," Letter to the Editor, Bozeman Avant Courier, August 8, 1902. 4. Bozeman Avant Courier, January 22, 1904. 5. Propectus for a New Library Building for the City of Bozeman. Friends of Gallatin Libraries, June 1977. 6. "A Site Feasibility Study for a New Library Building for the City of Bozeman." Fred Willson Architectural Society, March 31, 1978. 7. Editorial, Bozeman Dai(v Chronicle, July 26, 1985. 8. Carol Schmidt. "$11,000 Gift Saves Library Cutbacks," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, October 4, 1979. 9. William Nell. "All One Does is Ask," High Country Independent News, August 1980. 10. Annabelle Phillips. The Bozeman T'rail, February 15, 1979. 11. "City is Offered a Gift of Land." Bozeman Daill' Chronicle, March 7, 1979, and "Downtown Backed for New Library," Bozeman Dai~l' Chronicle, March 8, 1979. 12. Annabelle Phillips. "City Plans Seventeen Layoffs," The Bozeman Trail, March 22, 1979. 44 Bozeman has always been a community of readers and its libraries have been the centers of intellectual inquiry. Despite a few stumbling blocks from county and city officials, large groups of Bozeman citizens have joined together on several occasions to improve their library resources. The first effort to establish a library in Bozeman occurred in 1872, eight years after the founding of the town. John V. Bogert, soon to be Bozeman's first mayor, David Carpenter, Henry Horr, Lester S. Willson, C. A. Biegler, and others formed the Young Men's Association of Bozeman, the first library association in Montana. First, they met above Lester Willson's store on East Main Street. At some point, they reserved a room in Colonel E. M. Black's building over William M. Alward's Drug Store at 118 East Main Street, formerly the Spieth and Krug Brewery. They began to collect books and periodicals. What was unusual about this venture is that men were involved. Usually, women started new libraries in the West. Perhaps some of the young men had reasons other than reading in mind, for they hoped to meet the young ladies in town in the library. Young women had become more sheltered than in the 1860s. In this attempt, the young men were foiled, however, as the women were restricted to using the library room on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 3 to 5 in the afternoon and the men on Tuesday and Saturday evenings from 7 to 9.'" ... Nearby, Fort Ellis bad what was reputed to be a good library, but only military personnel could use it. The to\'ro of Three Forks started its library in a boxcar. Belgrade "...as to reserve a library room as well. - ~ 1 13. "City Panel Picks City Shop for Site." Bozeman Dai(v Chronicle, March 14, 1979. 14. Annabelle Phillips. "City Clears Site Obstacles to Construction of New Li brary," The Bozeman Trail, April 19, 1979. ...... ~'.. V' '"' :. '. ': :',::..::' " '<;~~J~0~~~;r;';.~J::~' ,:'~~(:;: t~~f:~~~:~ . .' ....~: ~ 15. J. David Penwell. Letter to the City Attorney J. Robert Planalp, AprilS, 1979. 16. James DeWolf. "Library Backers Hit City Plan," Billings Gazette, April 12, 1979. 17. Annabelle Phillips. "Gesko Charges Harassment," The Bozeman Trail, April 26, 1979. 18. J. Robert Planalp to City Commissioners of the City of Bozeman, July 16, 1979. 19. Library Laws of Montana, Montana State Library. 20. Annabelle Phillips. "Legal Rights of Library Board Questioned by Member," The Bozeman Trail, June 7, 1979. '............,.,~.~. b~~~~:.:k.~~-.~_:~-;~:.Z;; .; 21. Val Bickwermert. "Gesko Stirs Doubt Over New Library," Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle , August 17, 1979. Spieth and Krug Brewery Hall at 118 East l\'lain Street, which later became AI- vard's Drug Store. Library books were stored above the drug store on the second floor. I\Iichael A. Leeson, ed., History ofMon/una, 1739-1885. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. 1885. 22. Opinion, High Country Independent News, July 15, 1981. 23. Annual Report, 1995, Bozeman Public Library. 24. David Smith. "Big Picture Prompts Chamber to Withhold Support for Library Bond," Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle, June 13,2001. 25. Cady, Fred and Katie. "Join the Book Brigade; It's an Experience of a Lifetime," Bozeman Dai(v Chronicle, October 7, 2006 45 Bib liograp hy Annual Reports. Bozeman Public Library. 1984-2005. Barrett, Glen. "Gesko Wants Public Out of Meetings, .. Bozeman Dailv Chronicle. August l7. 1979. Bick\vermert, Val. "Gesko Stirs Doubts Over New Library," Bozeman Daj~v Chronicle August 17, 1979. Bozeman Avant Courier, January 22, 1904. Bozenwn Chronicle. "Shall We Have a LibraryT April I, 1891. Acknowledgments _' "The Bozeman Library," January 20, 1904. . "Libraries Date Back to 1872," March 29, 1983. I greatly appreciate the written materials that Mary Vant Hull and George Mattson graciously allowed me to read regarding their periods of service to the Bozeman Public Library. Retired librarian Molly Pratt also gave me good information. Librarians Alice Meister, Cindy Christin, Lois Dissly, Terri Dood, Mary Jo Stanislao, Pam Henley, Katie Biehl, and Susan Howe read earlier versions of this story and gave me good criticism. Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle. Obituary, Belle Keith Chrisman, May II, 1917. _' "City Panel Picks City Shop for Site," March 14, 1979. _' "Let's Hope Cattlemen Can Read," Editorial, July 29,1985. _' "City Folks Shorted: Visser and White Need to Respect all of Their Constituents, " Editorial, August 9, 1985. Eleanor Buzalsky of the Gallatin Historical Society helped with research, as did Kim Allen Scott of Montana State University's Special Collections and Rich Aarstad at the Montana Historical Society. _' "Get in Line to Help the Library Move Some Books," Editorial, September 28,2006. Burlingame, Merrill G. "TIle Historical BackgroUfld of the Bozeman Public Library," September 14,1981. I am indebted to Dan Himsworth, Chris Edwards, and Sean Faris oflnsty-Prints for their perserverance, diligence and expertise. Cady. Fred and Katie. Opinion, "Join the Book Brigade; It's an Experience of a Lifetime," Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle, October 7, 2006. CITlZEN. "The Library Site," Letter to the Editor, Bozenwn Avant Courier. August 8, 1902. Collection Management Policy. Bozeman Public Library, 1999. Datko, Karen. "City Finances Critical Issue," Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle. March 19, 1981. _' "City Commission Fire Sam Gesko," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, May 19, 1981. DeWolf, James. "Library Backers Hit City Plan," Billings Gazette. April13, 1979. 46 Dissly, Lois, "Librar)' Automation History." Griffin, Brook. "Book Brigade Scheduled Sunday, " Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle. October 7, 2006. _' "Helping Hands," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, October 9,2006. _' "Literary Jomney," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, October 15, 2006. Haire, C. S. Letter to P. T. Morris, Mayor of Bozeman, November 29,1902. High COlin try independent NeIl'S. "Opinion," July 15, 1981. Houston, E. Lina Early History of Gallatin County. Montana. 1933. Kesselheim, Alan. "Carry on Tradition of' 81 Book Brigade by Supporting Library Bond," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, May 29, 2001. Library Laws of Montana Montana State Library Mattson, Prugh, and Lenon. Papers :over photo: Herb Kirk reads Mother Goose rhymes to his great randda ughter Mariquita Harris. Doug Loneman photo, c 1999. Mengel, JoAn. "Accord Reached on Library Funds," Bozeman Daily Chronicle. April 19, 1979. _' "1904 Library Receives Critical Look," Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle, December 4, 1977. lack cover photo: Cindy Christin :over design: Sean Faris. Montana Library Laws, Rules and Public Library Standards. Montana State Library, January 2000. Montana Session Laws, Chapter No. 416 (p. 909),ApprovedAprilI4, 1975. National Register of Historic Places Inventory. Nomination Form, February 3, 1979. Prepared by John DeHaas, Jr., architect. Parker, John P. "Public Library, 1976," Guest editorial, Bozeman Dai~v Chronicle, June 27,1976. Penwell, 1. David. Letter to the City Attorney 1. Robert Planalp, April 5, 1979. :opyright: 2006 Phyllis Smith Phillips, Annabelle. The BozenuJIJ Trail, February 15,1979. _' "City Plans Seventeen Layoffs," The Bozeman Trail, March 22, 1979. _' "City Clears Site Obstacles to Construction of New Library," The Bozeman n-ai!,April 19, 1979. 47 _' "Gesko Charges Harassment," The Bozeman Trail,Apri126, 1979. Planalp, J. Robert. City Attorney's Opinion, July 16, 1979. Prospectus For a New Library Building for the City of Bozeman. Friends of Gallatin Libraries, JlUle 1977. Public Policy Manual of the Bozeman Public Library. Board of Trustees, 1999. Reese, Skippy. "Let's Visit the Bozeman Public Library," Bozeman Dai(v Chronicle, August 9,1970. ~. PUBLIC liBRARY Response to Public Comments. Bozeman Public Library Building Project, November 2002. Richard, Susan L. "Carnegie Library Architecture for South Dakota and Montana: A Comparative Study;' Journal of the West, July 1991. The Bozeman Public Library, 1872-2006: A History Ring, Daniel F. "Carnegie Libraries as Symbols for an Age: Montana as a Test Case," Libraries and Culture, v.27, n. 1 (v'linter 1992). Schmidt, Carol. "$11,000 Gift Saves Library Cutbacks," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, October4,1979. Smith, David Rexford. "Library Space Needs Assessment," March 1999. Smith, David. "Big Picture Prompts Chamber to Withhold Support for Library Bond." Bozeman Daily Chronicle, June 13,2001. by Phyllis Smith Smith, Marjorie. Column, Bozeman Dai(v Chronicle, September 22, 2006. Smith, Phyllis. Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley: A History. Falcon Publishing Company, 1996. Strahn, B. Derek. "The Saga of Bozeman's Carnegie Library," At Home, Bozeman Dail,v Chronicle,Apri12oo3. Friends ofthe Bozeman Public Library Bozeman, Montana 2006 Vant Hull, Mary. "Reminiscences of the Struggle to Replace the Old Carnegie Library (5,000 square feet) \vith the 1981 Library (20,000 square feet)." January 29, 2006. _' "A Short HistoI)! ofFriends of Gallatin Libraries," June L 1987. Fred Willson Architectural Society. "A Site Feasibility Study for a New LibfaI)' Building for the City of Bozeman," March 31, 1978. Young Men's Association. "Rules and Regulations," JanU3I)' 1,1873. 48 i :9 ..:I t et.. III ~ ..0 .+-J .,..-1 S rJ) rJJ .,..-1 ......... ~ ..0 ~ ~ co ~ -_. .... -~