{"id":1220,"date":"2024-02-20T13:59:14","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T19:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/?page_id=1220"},"modified":"2025-04-22T08:34:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:34:46","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/?page_id=1220","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wetmore Library<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The beginnings of the Wetmore Library date back to the early 1900s, when Charles A. Caldwell rented books from a shelf in his shop for ten cents. Later, the Wetmore Study Club took up the cause, sponsoring a small library housed in a lumber yard. This effort ended during World War II, with the collection transferred to the public school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1961, the Study Club re-established a summer library in the Legion Hall using books from the State Extension Service. Volunteers staffed the library, which for one summer operated out of Dr. Lapham\u2019s building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A turning point came in 1966, when Mrs. J.C. Quay of Texas donated $50 in honor of her mother and aunts. The Club used the gift to start a year-round library with help from local organizations. With the support of Mayor Robert Carson and the city council, a room in City Hall was provided. Initial furnishings were built by Don Cordon and Robert Cress, and the first books purchased were the Little House<\/em> series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1967, the first official Library Board was formed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Chairman<\/strong>: Mrs. Donald Cordon<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Vice-Chairman<\/strong>: Mrs. Edgar Campbell<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Secretary<\/strong>: Mrs. Glynn McCall<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Treasurer<\/strong>: Mrs. Anthony Ketter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Additional members: Mrs. Robert Cress, Mrs. J.S. Brock, Mrs. Ivan Bryant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Key developments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • 1971<\/strong>: Lion\u2019s Club moved the library to Dr. Lapham\u2019s building. A special election established it as a city library.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1972<\/strong>: Library joined the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1973<\/strong>: Moved to the east room of the First National Bank.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1975<\/strong>: A Building Fund was created.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1979<\/strong>: With the bank\u2019s move, more space became available for the library.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Wetmore Experiment \u2013 1980<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      A NEKLS-led project, \u201cThe Wetmore Experiment,\u201d proposed a new library design. Local Lions Club members remodeled the space by removing partitions and connecting rooms. Volunteers included Robert Carson, Don Cordon, Larry Fund, C.M. Mapes, and Hubert Suther.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      New equipment donated or added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Display tables, book drop trucks, a card catalog, steel shelving, and a typewriter (gift from Mrs. R.L. Hart)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Community Support<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Spaghetti suppers (1980 & 1981) by the Wetmore Study Club<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • A cakewalk fundraiser at the Wetmore Fall Festival<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          The library has welcomed visitors from across the U.S., including California, Texas, New Jersey, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n\n\n\n

          Source:<\/strong> By Irma V. Cordon, from \u201cSome History of Wetmore\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Wetmore Library The beginnings of the Wetmore Library date back to the early 1900s, when Charles A. Caldwell rented books<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1220","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1220"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1297,"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1220\/revisions\/1297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wetmorepubliclibrary.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}