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Public Library of Enid and Garfield County

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Coordinates: 36°23′45″N 97°52′45″W / 36.39583°N 97.87917°W / 36.39583; -97.87917
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Public Library of Enid and Garfield County
Sun shines outside of the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County.
Map
36°23′45″N 97°52′45″W / 36.39583°N 97.87917°W / 36.39583; -97.87917
Location120 W Maine Ave, Enid, Oklahoma 73701
Established1899
Other information
WebsiteCity of Enid Oklahoma: Library

The Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, is a public library located in Enid, Oklahoma, the county seat of Garfield County, Oklahoma.

History

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The library began as a one-room library in the Patrick and Bray building on the downtown square sponsored by the Enid Study Club in late 1900.[1] In 1905, the city of Enid acquired the library. In May 1909 Enid received a $25,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to build a Carnegie library.[2][3] The Enid Carnegie Library was a Mission Revival style building designed by A. A. Crowell and built by DC Bass and Sons Construction.[4] The Enid Library merged with the Garfield County Library in 1960.[5] By the late 1950s the library system had outgrown the Carnegie library, storing 60,000 books in a facility that was built to hold 20,000 books,[6] and the building itself was falling into desrepair as the oldest government building in the city.[7] It was located at 402 N. Independence,[6] and was in operation from October 8, 1910[2] until October 18, 1964, when a new mid-century modern style building was opened at 120 W. Maine, the library's current location.[8] Following years of vacancy, the Carnegie library was demolished in 1972, and is now a vacant lot.[9] In 2010, the library underwent renovations modeled after the San Jose Public Library System.[10] The library building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The Enid and Garfield Library made national headlines in 2022 when the library board enacted a policy that banned displays about gender and sexuality, and as result meetings of a local romance book club.[11]

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  • 402 N. Independence, former location of Enid's Carnegie Library.
    402 N. Independence, former location of Enid's Carnegie Library.
  • A piece of Enid's Carnegie Library sits on display in the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
    A piece of Enid's Carnegie Library sits on display in the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
  • The members of the Enid Study Club, the women who founded the library in 1899.
    The members of the Enid Study Club, the women who founded the library in 1899.
  • Plaque from 1910 details the architects, trustees of the library.
    Plaque from 1910 details the architects, trustees of the library.
  • Plaque from 1964 details those involved in creating the new building.
    Plaque from 1964 details those involved in creating the new building.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The members of the Enid Study Club". The Enid Eagle. 22 November 1900. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Carnegie Library dedicated to city after years of patient effort". The Enid Daily Eagle. 9 October 1910. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  3. ^ McClure, Mabel (24 November 1935). "Carnegie Library Notes". The Enid Morning News. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  4. ^ Buchanan, James Shannon, "Carnegie Libraries", Chronicles of Oklahoma: Volume 79, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2001, pg 461
  5. ^ "Joint meeting of Enid-Garfield County Library Board is held". The Enid Morning News. 23 February 1960. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Will request library vote on July 31". The Enid Daily Eagle. 10 July 1962. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Facts about the library". The Enid Daily Eagle. 9 March 1957. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  8. ^ City of Enid, Oklahoma: Overview Archived 2011-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Dyer, Daniel "Lament for a Library Lost: Enid's Carnegie Public Library, 1910-1972: R.I.P. Archived 2012-08-25 at the Wayback Machine"
  10. ^ Barron, Robert, "The San Jose Way: Renovation designed to make Enid's library more user-friendly", Enid News & Eagle, December 7, 2010
  11. ^ Willingham, AJ (23 April 2022). "A library's canceled romance book club calls attention to growing censorship". CNN. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
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