Early Library History

                            The Chautauqua Club organized the Current Club in Coffeyville which contracted a library from the Kansas Traveling Libraries Commission.  In  February, 1906, four women's clubs were federated, and the Federation  assumed the responsibility of providing a permanent library.  Annual membership tickets of $1.00 were sold to provide funds for book purchases.  In  April, 1910, $5,000 in bonds was given voter approval to purchase a library  site.

                            In April, 1910, a library board was appointed with the charge of constructing and operating a public library for the city.  A letter was written to  Andrew Carnegie requesting funding for library construction.  On January  6, 1911, James Bertram responded for Carnegie with an offer of $25,000  for construction of a building provided the city maintain support in the amount of $2,500 a year.  On February 2, 1911 the city commissioners  passed a resolution to establish a library and support it by a tax levy.

                           The library was designed by A. C. Henderson and constructed by Charles  S. Davis.  On April 24, 1912, the Carnegie Public Library opened with  a dedication program sponsored by the Federation of Women's Clubs which formally turned over to the public library all the books in its collection, nearly 2,000 volumes. 
 

                             By 1965, it was evident the Carnegie building could no longer house the size of the collection nor the services then being provided.  The library was placed under the Urban Renewal Project in April 1968, as part of the downtown renewal effort.  The project was transferred to the Community Development Program in October, 1975, and construction on a new 14,000 sq.  ft. library building began in January, 1978.  The library moved to the new site and opened in July, 1979.

                            The Coffeyville Public Library building offers a 65 seat meeting room, a  separate children's area with a tiered amphitheater for story hours, and two  reader's lounges equipped with armchairs and tables.  Internet and stand  alone computers are available for the public.  A video and DVD collection, CD and  CD-ROM collection and audio book collection have been added since the  new library opened.  The genealogy section provides four microfilm readers  and over a 1,000 volume collection for family research.  A small archival/storage  addition was built in 1998.  In August 2006, Karyl Buffington retired and Helen Rigdon was appointed as the  new director.