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Show BOX ELDER JOURNAL, iately north of the County Court House, is five and a half by twenty rods, and has no buildings other than the fire station on the west and the present library building near the central Thursday, August 28, 1975 part). Our II ri Brigham Unas Before the new building designed by architect D. Leo Madsen could be constructed, the old library had to move. Miss Bott was then librarian and had the job of moving all the books, magazines, newspapers and files to the old Boothe building which was later a wagon store. This was unsuccessful and circulation fell rapidly, but it was only for a short period since construction of the new buildling was completed by December, 1915. The Box Elder News reported on Dec. 16, 1915 : The library cost $12,000 and is a thing of beauty both from within and from without. heritage jf fimterest im Ithirairiyj by Sarah Yates Settlers in Brigham City directed their efforts toward building homes, growing food, and forming a community during the first years of settlement. Although schools were provided early for the young children, it was some 40 years before the city turned its attention to a library or high school. Establishment of the citys first newspaper in 1890 was instrumental in pushing for cultural advantages already enjoyed by other cities. Mansfield S. Snow, editor of the Brigham City Bugler, noted that the only semblance of a public library was a small collection of childrens books in the Fourth Ward schools. In 1897, he urged the establishment of a public reading room in the column of his newspaper: If the people of Brigham City really want a free reading room (to help keep the boys off the streets nights and cultivate a taste for good literature) the Bugler has a proposition to make. Provided the city will furnish a suitable room with furniture, light, and fuel and a reliable man to look after it, the Bugler will see that the room is furnished with books, papers, magazines, etc. Although the city did not act, the stimulus for a library brought about a project by the four LDS wards with the work delegated to the Young Mens MIA under Superintendent Stohl and President Minnie the entire room, a downstairs lecture room, and workrooms in the south end of the basement, the new library offered plenty of room for the books moved from the old building. Citizens responded to the empty shelves with an enthusiasm that found many new books purchased and donated so that the new shelves were soon filled. However, the lecture room downstairs was never used as such. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers used it as a relic room soon after it opened, and a small childrens library was later installed. When the relics moved to the courthouse in the mid 1920s the room was used entirely as a childrens library. Staffing became more stable, PUBLIC READING ROOM and first local library was erected in 1898 and served until 1915, with Miss Bott remaining and located first on Main Street where the Chamber of Commerce building is now and 'then building up the reference and moved east to the middle of the plot of land. magazine collection by conducting book drives occasionally. The next librarian was Edith Mortensen, who trained under Miss Bott. She only remained a year and then left to train as an architect, with Miss Bott returning in 1919 until called to fill a mission. Became Librarian Miss Iretta Peters became librarian in 1919 and served until 1937, when she was asked to become the librarian at Box Elder High school. She became with the tastes of the local reading public and greatly increased the offerings of the library, as well as the attractons of the childrens room. During depression years circulation rose to unknown heights, with some 70,000 books circulated during 1933. As pro- The decision to build a library was easy, but raising funds was o not. Some people donwell-to-d- ated small sums, business ses were helpful in donating cash and goods, the lumber companies donated some of the lumber, and the remainder of the funds were made through ward dances, bazaars and dinners. hou- sperity returned, circulation City pense account. Fund-raisin- g events continued, and the city donated $20 to the library. A plan of five cents a week for each book circulated was adopted, and this fund helped to pay most of the expenses other than that of the librarian. First Librarian On Feb. 12, 1899, John Baird was called by Oleen Stohl to become the first librarian. Actually, he was supposd to be the telephone operator and take charge of the library in his spare moments. The telephone company had been asked to place the town telephone in the library in order that the two jobs could be held by one person, exchanging free rent for the payment of a small salary. Librarian Baird was called on a mission soon and his sister Rena Baird (Hopkins) took over, remaining until about June 1899, when the telephone was moved. Until 1905 the position was filled by a different person Jessie almost every year Guyman (Nelson), Jennie Holton (Roberts), Amy Holton and possibly others who are not in the records. George Lorenzo Ingram Zun-dwas the first librarian who stayed in the position, which he was given when an illness forced him to limit his activities in 1905. While working as librarian, he read a great deal and resigned his position to attend Brigham Young college in 1907. Again, there was a rapid turnover in personnel from 1907 to 1911 including Ethel Reese (Jensen), Maude Bullen (Fors-gren- ) and Alice Forsgren. In June, 1908, the system of book circulation changed and the fee was no longer charged. With both the telephone companys assistance and this source of funds gone, the library struggled along for three years until its savings were exhausted The MIA had lost interest and DYERS SEED - HOW MAN naCEIZE 3 H csi ff ''' Library Growth L. Snow. one-stor- ' With a large upstairs library room centered by a librarians alcove that afforded a view of 01-e- First Building property north of the courthouse from Main street to First East was donated and construction was completed in December, 1898, at a total cost of $1,000 to $1,100 for building and furnishings. y To save money, the frame structure was not plastered but was lined with cloth and then covered with wall paper. There were two entrances, one on the northeast and one on Main street. The one room of the library proper began with bookshelves on the north wall at first, gradually enlarged to cover the east wall. The town telephone was placed in one corner of the building, with a heating stove in the center, and other furnishings included the librarians desk and a few chairs and tables. Funds to run the library were not fixed and expenses were paid as they occurred, with $200 per year at the maximum ex- was built with Carnegie Funds in 1915 and has served the city for 60 years without significant change in the building, although recent interior redecoration and equipment have updated services offered. THE PRESENT LIBRARY in 1911 the library was closed for one year. Types of Books About 300 volumes had been in existence at the time that the library opened, primarily those which had been collected by the MIA of the four wards. Citizens gave many books but actually few of the books were used, although they helped to make the new library have more impressive numbers of volumes on the shelves. Gradually, the books were evaluated, and the better books placed on the lending shelves. Much of this work was done by Nephi Anderson, a town school teacher and literary man. At first most of the books were on church subjects, for the church donated volumes of this nature free while others had to be purchased or obtained from private citizens. By 1909, an inventory of the books found 2,000 in the library and by 1913 the number had grown to nearly 5,000. Each librarian worked out a system for checking books, but with the rapid turnover in staff this was confusing. As patrons and the number of books grew, , came librarians for a short period; Elvira Petersen (Hess) and Henrietta Bott ( Johnson). Her greatest contribution as the last MIA and first city librarian, however, was introduction of the Dewey Decimal system in book arrangement and cataloguing. When firt opened, the library had no system of arrangement and books were placed in any manner on any shelf that had room as they were returned. Later they were placed alphabetically and catalogued in the same way. On April 1, 1913, the MIA library was officially deeded to Brigham City. The library commission included Mayor R.L. Fishburn, Chairman A.M. Merrill, Secretary E.P. Horsley, Oleen N. Stohl, F.W. Fish-burJ.F. Merrell and W.L. Eddy. This did not mean a new library, but a change of policy. The building was moved nearer to the center of the plot of ground, and was repainted and repapered and had new furniture installed. There was a regular monthly income, and books and magazines were purchased more frequently. Appeal to Carnegie In 1912 the city fathers had proposed a new plan for the library, for the city population had grown enough to be eligible for a Carnegie library. The plan was put to the people and they voted that they would agree to be taxed to raise the $2,000 for the first years maintenance. The Carnegie commission was asked- for $20,000 and the reply stated that $10,000 could be granted. This was rejected and negotiations continued until finally a figure of $12,500 was agreed upon with the usual stipulation that the city contribute the site and raise one tenth of that amount for general maintenance. A resolution accepting the Carnegie offer was adopted by the city council on July 10, 1914, with the notation: We hereby authorize the library board to use any unoccupied portion of the plot of ground on which the present library now stands for well-know- In Recent Years Citizen action in the early 1970s called attention to the meager sum still budgeted by the city for the library, and a special increase was made to aid in new book purchases. Miss Fern Tovey, librarian since 1974, has worked closely with the library board in a three-fol- d plan to improve the appearance of the building, broaden the media offered, and extend services both inside and outside the library. Under the program the building has been cleaned and rede- - Contest focuses on seeds A prolific dyers woad, that commonly observed weed hereabouts which is attracting ever more attention. The latest evidence of public interest came at the Box Elder County fair when about 500 persons entered guesses on the number of seeds produced by one plant. Jennifer Tingey, Bear River, Woe to the earns masters count. each donated 300 pounds of cleaned, high protein wheat as prizes. Both Grover and Rhodes are members of the county weed board. e Lindsay said the winner would receive 300 pounds of wheat, with 200 pounds for second and 100 pounds for third. first-plac- The seeds were contained in a bottle which was part of a display on the plant which is commonly referred to as mustard seed. Ward. Harold Lindsay, county extension agent, originally offered $10 for first place. However, two area farmers, Dale Rhodes, Tremonton, and Norm Grover, Brigham City, in Wide Range The agent noted that guesses the contest ranged from 250 to 3,000,000. He said the plant from which the seeds were taken was not one of the largest ones Ive seen. for several years has to stir public concern weed which has sprinto Idaho and which to become an even greater economic nuisance unless curbed. Lindsay attempted about the ead north threatens earned masters degrees. corated; purchases of stereo equipment and earphones, tape recorders, film projector, and media necessary to complement this equipment have been made; a youth section is being developed, children and youth programs expanded, and services extended to the county jail, retired persons, the blind, etc. Many of these purchases and projects have been made possible by donations from organizations and individuals, as well as by the increased city budget. Miss Tovey notes that circulation has grown considerably, with more than 700 applications for new library cards by mid- year actual mother, Effie Baty, Harper Lee B. Heiman, Jr., of Brigham City, recently received a masters degree from the University of Montana. A total of 1,644 students were awarded degrees during the 78th annual commencement exercises. Heiman was among 298 stuwho emerged the winner with her estimate of 10,953 seeds. She was just a bit too high. harvested The single plant near the Brigham City airport produced 10,820 seeds by Placed Second Dean Kunzler, Park Valley, placed second with a guess of 10,500 seeds, while a girl from Massachusetts, Jackie Potvin, was third with a 10,250 entry. She is visiting with her grand- Resident dents dyers wood 1975. As to the future, library exold perts say that the building is outdated and too small for the services which should be offered to a community the size of Brigham City. Many recommend a unified county library system such as that adopted by neighboring Utah counties. Whatever decisions are made, Brigham City has a heritage of interest in the cultural advantages of a public library. Fight Them All Heart Attack, Stroke High Blood Pressure Rheumatic Fever Help your Heart... Help your Heart Fund SUMMER SHOP $ MART AND SAVE! Two lengths to choose from - Sizes 8 to 16 MISSES POLYESTER SKIRTS 600 1200 S.M.L. 300 FLEECE LINED VESTS Come in and see our BIG NEW Selection of Boys SHIRTS-JEANS-SOC- have been serving Box Elder County for 40 years and want to show our appreciation. We Anniversary Combo Library Reborn Elder Stake MIA President Oleen Stohl was urged to reopen the library by a number of citzens, and called Ida Young (Thorne) to open the library in May, 1912, and make it her mission. After a year of being closed, the library was a dirty, cold, littered building, and Miss Young was very discouraged with the job until she circulated four books her first day at work. Miss Young was the first librarian to receive a decent salary $35 a month, which was raised to $60 a month when the city took over the library. She was also the first to have library training, having attended the University of Utah. She trained two assistants who later be dropped to normal levels as the library competed with school libraries, radios and the motion pictures. In 1937 . Phyllis Baird was appointed as librarian, and was replaced in the fall of 1938 by Vivian Sheffield as a temporary librarian until Gladys Holton (Clinger) took the position. She remained with the library until 1943 one year after her marriage. Her assistant Yvonne Morris (Beecher) then held the post until soon after her marriage in 1946. In 1947, Miss LaPreal Wight became the city librarian and filled that position until her retirement in 1974. Like Miss Peters, she continued building of reference works, church and history publications, fiction and n biography. She was also in the community for her book reviews of current works for literary and social groups. EXTENSION AGENT Harold Lindsay is pictured with dyer's wood contest display from the county fair. Jar at right contained 10,820 seeds. Misses sizes a system had to be devised. A record book was provided for the names, dates, and fees involved and this worked well as long as there were only 50 books a month checked out. There were also newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals on hand for persual within the library. These were primarily gifts, either donated as subscriptions by individuals or presented by the publication itself. Box S' v' the erection of such building. 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