1907
To support the Library Board, the Library Club was organized on January 3, 1907, with 26 members. Mrs. C. W. G. Hyde was first president. At that time books were available from 9 to 4pm on week days at the Robbinsdale State Bank. The members voted to contribute an additional dollar a month to the salary of the Librarian. For a while the Village Council gave one dollar per month but decided it could not afford this expense. It did allow the books to be placed in the Village Hall free of charge, including lights. Previously, the books, mostly donated by citizens, had been kept in the Hotel and later in the drug store. Miss Clara Sessing served as Librarian. Books began to disappear from the shelves faster than they could be replaced. Finally, the ones that were left were placed in storage for two years. In November, 1917, a small
building on Main Street was purchased for $225 and moved to lots on Rockford Road west of the railroad tracks. These lots had been donated and purchased earlier. It was stuccoed, given hardwood floors, redecorated and opened to the public on June 28, 1920. The Village Council gave $100 to buy 38 books. Mrs. E. N. Russ and Mrs. E. Forsaith took care of the Library for one year, each donating her salary to buy books. In 1921, Frances Pollard became Librarian and served over thirty years.
The Library Club maintained the Library until January 7, 1922, when it was turned over to the Hennepin County Library system with 1,500 volumes. However, the club still owned the building and grounds and maintained them. After Miss Pollard’s death, the Library Club set up a memorial fund in 1962 to purchase books for the Library. For 70 years the devoted women of the Library Club worked hard to see that this service be provided to Robbinsdale and the surrounding area.
We honor those first 26 members:
Mrs. Donald G. Colp , Mrs. Robert Craig , Mrs. Eudora Donaldson , Mrs. J. Dutton,
Mrs. S. J. Franklin, Mrs. H. I. Horton, Mrs. C. E. Howard, Mrs. David Huston, Mrs. C. W. C. Hyde, Miss Emily Hyde, Mrs. E. K. Jaques, Mrs. Arthur L. Jones, Mrs. Carl Jones
Mrs. E. Peteler, Mrs. Willard Randall, Miss Amy Robbins, Mrs. John Ruble, Mrs. W. S. Sayre, Mrs. Harry G. Shrimpf, Mrs. H. R. Stillman, Mrs. George E. Swift, Miss Ruth Donaldson, Mrs. Kate Howe, Mrs. John Trump, Miss Lillian Trump, Mrs. Nelson Nash.
This post is part of a series based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett.