By Kerri Rempp
Discover Northwest Nebraska
From old-school hardback books to the newest technology, the Chadron Public Library, housed in one of Chadron’s historical buildings, is the perfect family-friendly stop during your Northwest Nebraska vacation.
Get creative in the facility’s makerspace, explore its vast collection of books, movies and audiobooks, challenge each other to a board game or the PlayStation equivalent.
The library’s recently expanded makerspace includes a laser cutter for engraving on wood, metal, tile and leather and 3D printers to make an assortment of objects, said Librarian Rossella Tesch. Computer programs allow users to download or design their own templates. Cricut and die cutting machines, as well as a sewing machine and button maker, offer hours of fun. Library staff members train visitors on the machines to ensure everyone’s safety.
In addition to an extensive in-house collection of books, movies and audiobooks, the Chadron Public Library also offers access to online collections through OverDrive, NebraskaAccess, Project Gutenberg, TumbleBooks and more. The online catalog includes magazines and books for all ages in multiple languages.
Want to view Northwest Nebraska’s night skies? Ask the library about its Space Explorer Backpacks, complete with a sky chart and telescope. Need computer time? The library offers seven desktop and two laptops for public use, and charging stations for your personal devices and wi-fi access are readily available. Looking for a projector and screen for an event or need to 3D print a special part for your washing machine? The library staff can help!
A collection of local and regional history is also available for review, though it’s use is limited to upstairs under the watchful eyes of the library staff.
“It’s very precious,” Tesch said.
Adult book clubs and yoga classes are standard features at the Chadron Public Library, and one area is dedicated to a permanent book sale. Next door, the Library Annex is a fully-stocked house of books that opens once a month for sales. Author appearances, speakers and other special programming are scheduled throughout the year as well.
Every October, the Chadron Public Library presents the Trading Stories Native American Film Festival. This year’s event is scheduled for Oct. 12-15 and will focus on extraordinary Native women and women’s issues. A complete schedule for the film festival can be found at https://discovernwnebraska.com/trading-stories-film-festival/.
Downstairs, the library’s teen room includes graphic novels, board games, a PlayStation and an Xbox, both with pre-loaded games.
“We just purchased the gaming chairs,” Tesch said. “The kids love these.”
The library hosts a variety of programs for middle school students throughout the year, from robotics and drone flight to fingerprint analysis. Younger children can color or draw, play with bricks and blocks or put on their own puppet show.
Children’s programming through December includes:
- Pre-school storytime every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
- Board Game Club the second Friday of each month at 3:30 p.m.
- LEGO Club the first Friday of each month at 3:30 p.m.
- STEAM Club the third Friday of each month at 3:30 p.m.
A newly-created Teen Advisory Board gives students their first hands-on civics training and helps the library shape its children’s and teen’s programming.
The Chadron Public Library has evolved to embrace today’s technology, but it has its roots in the earliest concept of libraries. Today, past and present merge inside a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The community of Chadron, led by Dr. J.S. Romine, Fannie O’Linn and Mary Hayward-Smith, began discussing the formation of a library in 1889, according to the library’s history. Within a month, the trio had solicited 100 members and by 1894 had a collection of 415 books. From that time until 1904, however, little is known about the status of the library. In 1907, the public was once again enthusiastic about the idea of a library and after establishing several hundred members, the city’s mayor approached Andrew Carnegie for financial assistance.
Carnegie, a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist, donated money to construct more than 2,500 libraries worldwide, between 1883 and 1929, including 1,689 in the United States. He required cities to meet certain criteria, and Chadron was no exception. The city had to demonstrate that it could raise $500 annually and provide a site for the library. A lot at Fifth and Bordeaux streets was selected in 1911, and George Berlinghoff of Lincoln served as architect while he was in town designing the Chadron Normal College building.
The Carnegie-funded library opened in 1912. Chadron’s library became one of 69 Carnegie libraries in Nebraska. While nearly 40 of the buildings remain standing and in use as something other than a library, only 18 remain as libraries today. Twenty-five of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Chadron’s was added to that list in 1990.
The building was expanded in the 1960s through a bond issue, and supporters of the library are currently working on another expansion proposal to accommodate the latest technology and programming advancements.
The Chadron Public Library is open Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Friday-Saturday noon – 5 p.m.