Dublin Core
Description
A temporary home was found for the library when the Coralville City Council voted permission to use the northeast corner of the community room in the basement of City Hall, 405 2nd Avenue, for that purpose.
Volunteers scraped and repainted the walls, built shelving, installed new lighting, and tiled the cement floor. A campaign to collect used books was launched and many hours were spent sorting and cataloging the donations. Two of the most significant quantity donations were the private libraries from the families of Professor John Briggs and Attorney William R. Hart.
In June, Mrs. Amelia Bruner and Mrs. Ardys Cota held a silver tea1 as a library benefit, and the Coralville Teen Library Committee sponsored a car wash and a bake sale to purchase a set of World Book Encyclopedia. An approrpiation of $1,500 from the City was used to purchase books and equipment. Civic groups, organizations, and individuals donated time, money, books and furnishings to the library.
Official opening was set for September 13, 1965, with 2,250 cataloged books ready to circulate. Limited hours were maintained with the library open from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Volunteer librarians, serving on a rotating basis, were Virginia Wenman, Pauline Lovetinsky, Faye Peters, Della Hartvigsen, T. Patricia Dee, Frances Rogers and Jean Schwab. Penny Bloom directed a story hour.
In 1966, when Council members saw that community promoters were serious about the library, they included the project in the city budget. Several previous
1Silver tea: a tea at which voluntary contributions of money are given usually for special fund-raising or charitable purposes. (Merriam Webster)