Shhh! Secrets of the Library’s Past (and Present)

Published on August 06, 2024

By Hannah V.

“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert.”-Andrew Carnegie

When I think of Siouxland Libraries, I think of bright colors, large play spaces, computers, Lite Brites, bookmobiles, programs, and friendly librarians. While that may be the current state of the library, it’s interesting to look back at the history of our library to see just how we have evolved over the years. The first incarnation of the public library in Sioux Falls began in 1875 and has lasted in one form or another for the last 149 years.

1875

The very first library was a single reading room over the Williams Brothers’ store at the corner of 9^th Street and Phillips Ave. The room was a project that was spearheaded by Louisa Churchill Gale with the help of other civic minded citizens. The room was filled with newspapers, periodicals, and books for public use. Gale ran the room herself and kept it going for more than a year before she was forced to close it because of “petty persecutions” and extensive grasshopper damage.

1879-1886

In 1879 a group of women formed a recreational reading circle to entertain them through the winter months and as that grew and evolved, the ladies formed the Ladies History Club in 1881. The club’s main purpose was to establish a public library. In 1884, a men’s literary society was formed, called the Humboldt Society. The two committees came together to form a joint committee and in 1886 received their charter from the Dakota Territory (South Dakota wouldn’t become a state until 1889), and became the Sioux Falls Library Association. The original board of directors of the Sioux Falls Library Association included: W.J. Skillman, E.P. Beebe, W.R. Kingsbury, Mrs. Eliza T. Wilkes, Mrs. M. A. Kinney, and Mrs. Lona I. Robinson. This was a membership-based organization. To join it was an annual membership of one dollar, or a lifetime membership of ten dollars. 

1890-1899

In 1890 Mr. J. M. Bailey Jr. opened his library in his private residence for public use and the collection of the Sioux Falls Library Association was transferred to his home. It stayed there until 1892 when, upon Bailey’s death, the collection was transferred back to the original reading room. The library soon moved once again, just half a block down to 122 S Phillips Ave. By 1898 the library contained over 2,000 volumes, and it was said in 1899 that “the selection of books has been carefully made and embraces such a variety of subjects that the reading public is well served.”

1899-1901

In 1899 the councilmen of Sioux Falls voted to impose a tax that would go towards supporting a library. The Board of Education (for the first and only time) appointed a library board that worked to prepare by-laws, rules, and plans for the opening and maintenance of a library. They then procured the All Souls’ Church on the corner of 12^th St. and Dakota Avenue to use for the library. They hired Miss Marcia Hoagland of Fort Wayne, Indiana to organize the library and train staff. The Sioux Falls Free Public Library opened the doors to the public on December 15^th, 1899. Miss Helen George was appointed acting librarian with a salary of $400 per year.

1901-1903

The Sioux Falls Public Library had only been open for two years when Senator Richard F. Pettigrew became friends with Andrew Carnegie while in Washington D.C. It is noted that as a result of the friendship, Carnegie offered the city of Sioux Falls $25,000 to build a library. The gift was accepted with the request that he up the donation to $30,000 so that the building could be furnished with stacks, chairs, tables, and other materials that would be needed. On July 20^th, 1903, the Carnegie Free Public Library officially opened to the public. The shelves at the time of opening held 4,602 books and they had 2,985 registered borrowers.

1912-1919

With demand for the library ramping up, they opened a new branch called the East Side Branch Library in 1912 which was in a corner of Mr. F. J. Watson’s store on the corner of 6^th St. and Weber Avenue. It then was moved to Mr. A. L. Turner’s East Side Pharmacy on 6^th St. and Franklin Avenue. In 1919 it then moved to the corner of 7^th St. and Weber Avenue and was connected to the back of the East Side Fire Station. 

1932-1935

To combat the lack of space issue, the basement of the Carnegie building was remodeled to be the Children’s Department and space on the main floor was made to create a separate reference area. Unfortunately, in 1935, the East Side Branch officially closed its doors in June of that year, with all its materials being transferred to the main library building.

1951-1959

In 1951, after receiving three separate petitions from residents, the very first bookmobile was purchased for $6,300! The second bookmobile was purchased in 1956 and the third was purchased in 1959. With three bookmobiles and the one Carnegie Free Public Library building, circulation was rapidly increasing. The shelves were at capacity with a total of 48,021 volumes (which was more than nine times the number of items that was on the shelves when the library opened in 1903!) In 1954, when looking for other options to increase space, the library ended up renting space from the city and the Children’s department moved into the Red Owl building on 416 S. Philips Ave where it stayed until 1972.

1972-1988

After decades of trying to find ways to fund and maintain an expansion to the library, it finally happened. On December 9^th, 1972, the Carnegie Free Public Library closed its’ doors for good. The new downtown library, named the Sioux Falls Public Library, opened December 26^th, 1972. The size of the collection at that time was 110,879 books! Though they were finally in a space that fit with room to grow, interest in another library grew as soon as 1978. After a sizeable bequest to the library from Ruth Kennedy Caille after her passing in 1979, plans for a new branch moved forward. The new branch, the Ruth Kennedy Caille Branch Library (known as the Caille Branch) named in honor of the generous benefactor, opened its doors on October 10^th, 1988.

1989-1995

Another library branch started being considered as early as 1989, just one year after the Caille Branch had opened its doors. But while a new branch was in the works, another game changer was happening. By June 1^st of 1995, the Sioux Falls Public Library had merged with the Minnehaha County Rural Public Library and Siouxland Libraries was born. On September 17^th, 1995, the Harriet L.J. Ronning Branch Library (known as the Ronning Branch) opened for business, making it the first library to open under its current header of Siouxland Libraries. With the addition of the Ronning Branch and the new rural branches, Siouxland Libraries as of 1995 had eleven library branches plus one bookmobile that serviced the city and county of Minnehaha.

2005

Only ten years after the city and county library systems merged and the Ronning Branch opened, did Siouxland Libraries open another branch. This branch was named through public suggestions since no single benefactor or family was involved in this library. The Oak View Branch Library, named by the Anderson family because of the native Burr Oak trees in the ravine by the library, opened on May 19^th, 2005.

2008-2010

Though not closed for this entire period, the Downtown Library underwent a renovation that added 19,500 square feet to the building, allowing for separate areas for babies and toddlers, children, and teens, along with a beautiful reading room that has a double-sided fireplace and glass walls.

2013

Eight years after the last library opened, Siouxland Libraries opened their latest branch (and the last branch that has been opened since the writing of this history). The Prairie West Branch opened on August 6^th, 2013.

2016

Twenty-eight years after opening the Caille Branch Library in 1988, they reopened after a large renovation. The renovation included rearranging different sections of the library and, sadly, removing its iconic train.

2022

The most recent renovation of our existing libraries happened in 2022 at the Ronning Branch. Those that had visited before this may notice some neat changes, particularly the inclusion of a drive thru window in their book drop. This allows customers to drive through and drop books off and even grab some holds without ever stepping out of their car.

At the time of this writing, Siouxland Libraries contains 13 library branches across the city of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County along with a bookmobile that services the same area and a courier truck that transports materials between branches. We have 82,160 cardholders and 270,570 physical items in the collection and about 41,596 digital items! Though much of the physical manifestations of the library have been renovated, moved, or demolished all together, there are still some markers through Sioux Falls that show the history of the public library. On the retired East Side Fire Station there is a marker on the building denoting it as a Branch of the Public Library. The original Carnegie Library building is still standing and still in use as a city building. Currently it contains the City Clerk's office, a multipurpose room, offices, records, and the city council chambers that are used whenever the council meets. 

Only time shall tell where Siouxland Libraries goes next, but I hope I’m around to see it!

Sources used:

"History." Siouxland Libraries, https://www.siouxlandlib.org/about/history. Accessed 22 July 2024.

Meeker, Jill M. "A History of Siouxland Libraries: an Illustration of Growth and Service of Library Services in Minnehaha County, SD." 9 Dec. 2010. Masters Project LIS 695, University of Southern Mississippi, student paper.