Moorhead Public Library Records (S4974)

1873-

Historical Sketch

The Moorhead Public Library was established in 1904, when the Women’s Club of Moorhead, Minnesota persuaded the Moorhead City Council to establish an annual library fund. Andrew Carnegie, retired steel magnate and philanthropist, donated $12,000 for the construction of the first library building which opened in 1906. The building has since been replaced by a modern structure, which opened in 1962 and was remodeled and enlarged in 1988. Moorhead Public Library today is part of the Lake Agassiz Regional Library, a seven county library system for west central Minnesota.

Collection Description

Material includes annual reports, correspondence, staff newsletters, early financial ledgers, scrapbooks, and photographs concerning the library and its activities since 1905. The collection includes plans and information on the construction of the current building, two articles on the history of the library, and a long range plan for the Lake Agassiz Regional system. Also of special note is the manuscript journal of the Red River Congress, organized in 1873 by Solomon Comstock and several other early Moorhead settles, as a lyceum and civic improvement group. All materials are in excellent condition.

Inventory

Box 1

  • Adult Education Services
  • Annual Financial Reports. 1968-72
  • Art Grants
  • Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes. 1966, 1968, 1995-96
  • Building Statistics
  • Children's Book Week
  • Correspondence. 1936, 1938, 1949, 1972-73, 1994-95, 1997-98
  • Display Signs
  • Feasibility of Relocating the Lake Agassiz Regional Library Headquarters. 1994
  • Film Catalog
  • Friends of the Library
  • Governor's Project
  • Librarian's Report. 1958
  • "A Look at Women from Our Past and the Moorhead Public Library," by Terry L. Shoptaugh. Area Woman, Summer 1986
  • Magazine Articles and Flyers
  • Miscellaneous
  • National Library Week. 1965-68, 1971-73
  • Newsletters - Moorhead Promoter
    • Public Libraries Newsletters. 1994-95
  • Newspaper Clippings - General. 1950-99
    • Friends of the Library, Ada Library
    • Funding
      • Miscellaneous State and Federal
      • Revenue Sharing
    • Gifts and Memorials
    • Hawley Library, New Building Campaign. 1974
    • Miscellaneous
    • National
      • Children's Book Week
      • Library Week
        • Ada Public Library
        • Moorhead Public Library
    • Relocation
    • New Acquisitions and Services
    • Personnel
      • Berg, Gertrude
      • Boe, Mrs. Victor
      • Brand, Clarence
      • Cary, Mary
      • Hinrich, Mrs. Ronald
      • Kyllo, Kathryn A.
      • Loegering, Betty Lou
      • Parks, Robert Emmet
      • Runquist, Miss Myrtle
      • Wefald, Mrs. Verna
      • Wilson, Mrs. T.C.
    • St. Ansgar Hospital Library Service
    • Summer Reading Program I & II
  • Northern Lights Library Network Government Documents Bibliographies
  • Pamphlets
  • Photographs - Bookmobile
  • Children
  • Christmas
  • Library
  • Building
  • Day
  • Oversize

Box 2

  • Photographs, continued
    • Miscellaneous
    • Negatives
    • Other Libraries
    • Special Events
    • Trailblazers Reading Club
  • Postcards, Bookmobiles
  • Public Relations
  • “The Public Library of Moorhead and the Women's Club” by Nellie Price. 1945
  • Slides
  • Statistical Reports. 1960

Box 3

  • Vol. 1 - Standard Accessions. 1905-14
  • Vol. 2-4 - Circulation Statistics. 1961-71
  • Vol. 5 - Guest Book, Open House Clay County Bookmobile. 1949
  • Vol. 6 - Guest Book, 50th Anniversary
  • Vol. 7 - Guest Book. 1962-70

Box 4

  • Vol. 8 - Journal of Red River Congress/Moorhead Lyceum and Library Association. 1873-79
  • Vol. 9 - Ledger. 1912-30
  • Vol. 10 - Ledger, Cash. 1914-40
  • Vol. 11 - Ledger, Warrants. 1930-45
  • Vol. 12 - Minutes. 1906-39

Box 5

  • Vol. 13 - Scrapbook/Photograph Album - July 1940
  • Vol. 14 - Scrapbook/Photograph Album, Clay County Bookmobile. November 1949
  • Vol. 15 - Scrapbook/Photograph Album. Undated
  • Vol. 16 - Scrapbook/Photograph Album. 1987
  • Vol. 17 - Circulation Statistics. 1911-1914
  • Vol. 18 - Extension Statistics. Aug. 1969 - Dec. 1970
  • Vol. 19 - Offset Printing Log. 1975-83
  • Vol. 20 - Record of Applications. 1906