The Allegan Public Library :
A History

• 1843
  Allegan incorporated and the village officials voted $25 for a library to be housed in the township clerk’s office. It consisted of 200 volumes.
• 1907
  The library has been housed in the Masonic Temple for 3 ½ years and had increased to 4700 volumes and 2000 card holders
• 1909
  The library bought 340 new books for $261.28 at an average cost per volume of 77 cents. There were now 5,401 volumes available. The City tax of ½ mill was $878.21. Allegan Township appropriated $325.00 of the library’s income of $1,203.21.
• 1912
  The library is closed 14 days for quarantine because of scarlet fever.
• 1913
  Librarian Lenora Porter received a $10,000 pledge from the Carnegie Library Commission to build a Carnegie Library.
• 1914
  The present Carnegie Library building was formally opened on Hubbard Street. The total cost was $13,000.
• 1929
  The library circulated 31,822 books for an average of 6 ½ books per person. It housed 10,404 volumes.
• 1942
  A set of Britannica Encyclopedia’s were purchased for $148.52.
• 1958
  The book budged was $2,100. A “best seller” cost $4.50 - $5.00.
• 1966
  The library bought 1,926 books for $7,319. Circulation set a new high at 33,646 items.
• 1976
  Librarian Barbara Hanson was instrumental in the library expansion that resulted in the present addition. The size of the building was almost doubled.
• 1986
  The free loan of video cassettes was introduced as a new service.
• 1990
  Librarian Donna Roop saw to the introduction of our first library computer system for circulation control and on-line catalog of holdings. We had entered the technological age! A new record high of 71,013 items were circulated.
• 1994
  The book budget was $16,000 and a “best seller” cost $16.95-$27.50. The collection grew to 62,903 items.
• 1995
  A library millage passed increasing revenues by ½ mill for a total library millage of 1 ½ mill.
• 1999
  Director Ann Perrigo oversees the remodeling of the library . After closing for three months, the library reopens in May.
  The number of hours the library is open to serve the public increases.
• 2000
  The library receives four new computers (complete with Microsoft software), a content server and laser printer from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.

Allegan Public Library
Last modified October 31, 2002
apl@triton.net
http://web.triton.net/a/allegan/