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Revision as of 23:13, 1 January 2025 by Aumnamahashiva (talk | contribs) (created art. - split from KCLS due to length)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Kenosha Public Library (KPL) | |
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 Gilbert M. Simmons Library, formerly the main library and currently a branch library of the KPL. | |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | December 20, 1895 (1895-12-20) (incorporated) |
| Service area | Kenosha, Wisconsin |
| Branches | 5 |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | 137,750 (2022) |
| Other information | |
| Director | Brandi Cummings (Interim) |
| Employees | 70 (2022) |
| Parent organization | Kenosha County Library System (KCLS) |
| Affiliation | SHARE Consortium |
| Public transit access | Kenosha Area Transit |
| Website | mykpl |
The Kenosha Public Library (KPL) is the public library serving the city of Kenosha, and is the resource library for the Kenosha County Library System (KCLS), of which it is a member.
Governance
The KPL is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Mayor of Kenosha and approved by the City Council. The board is composed of nine citizen members: eight City of Kenosha residents and one representative of the Kenosha Unified School District. KPL is a member of the SHARE Consortium.
Organization and services
The library has an Outreach department and five branches:
- Simmons Neighborhood Library (1900)
- Uptown Neighborhood Library (1925)
- Southwest Neighborhood Library (1981, rebuilt 2004). The KCLS main resource library.
- Northside Neighborhood Library (1993)
- Kids@Uptown Lofts (2024)
The library offers audiobook, e-book, and eMagazine services, including OverDrive eBooks & eAudiobooks, TeachingBooks Library, Ebsco eBooks, and Online tutoring, delivered via the library's website.
History
Early efforts
In November 1841, less than a year after the village of Southport (Kenosha from 1850) was incorporated, an editor of the village newspaper, the South Port American, published a proposal for establishing a free public library "open to all". Local private circulating libraries were established as early as June 1842. On November 25, 1843, a group of prominent residents made the first attempt to establish a public library, forming the Southport Library Association. The association's members included William Bullen, one of the founders of Southport, and Frederick Winslow Hatch, the Episcopal rector of St. Matthew's Church and former Chaplain of the United States Senate. Despite electing directors and adopting bylaws, the association, chaired by Hatch, made no further progress.
In February 1871, local businessman and future Kenosha mayor Zalmon Gilbert Simmons purchased several hundred books and established a free library for Kenosha County residents; as Simmons was a member of the local Unitarian church, he established the library there. Books could be checked out one at a time for two weeks, with a single renewal allowed. In June 1873, Simmons first proposed a library building be erected in what would become Library Park, "to surpass any other in the state." On May 22, 1883, a special election was held to determine whether Kenosha should accept a bequest of approximately $3,500 from the estate of a Caroline Field to establish a public library named the "Cahoon Library." Despite the vote being in favor, subsequent legal difficulties delayed the city from moving forward; though a court ruling in March 1890 gave the city permission to accept the bequest, the project failed to advance.
Beginnings and the first Kenosha Public Library
Upon arriving in Kenosha in 1894, George W. Johnston, the recently appointed editor of the Kenosha Evening News, soon recognized local demand for a public library, and used his paper to promote the cause, publishing several articles on the subject. He also canvassed local community leaders. With their support assured, on the evening of November 14, 1895, 40 prominent local residents assembled in the parlor of the Hotel Grant to begin the process of establishing a public library board. At the meeting, a five-member organization committee was nominated and elected, comprising Johnston and businessmen Colonel William W. Strong, James Cavanagh, George A. Yule, and John O'Donnell.
On December 20, 1895, the committee formally incorporated the Kenosha Public Library, with a constitution and bylaws providing for election of officers, a board of directors, and a provision that any county resident "of good repute," be eligible to join the library association upon agreeing to terms of membership and annual dues of $2.00.
Recognition
KPL was named the Power of Libraries Award Winner in 2018, Wisconsin Library Association's 2020 Library of the Year, and a finalist for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2021.
References
- ^ "2022 Statistics at the Public Library Level by System and County". Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ "2019 Kenosha County Library System Plan" (PDF). Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- "Board of Trustees". mykpl.info. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
- "SHARE Consortium". lakeshores.lib.wi.us. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- "Kenosha Public Library: Locations". Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- "Digital Resources". Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- "Public Libraries". South Port American. 4 November 1841. Retrieved 27 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Circulating Library". South Port American. 28 June 1842. Retrieved 27 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Library Meeting". The Telegraph-Courier. 5 December 1843. Retrieved 27 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Free Library". The Telegraph-Courier. 23 February 1871. Retrieved 28 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Child Library Is New Unit In City Progress". Kenosha News. 11 April 1929. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Cahoon Library". Telegraph-Courier. 26 December 1889. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Field will case". Kenosha News. 3 April 1890. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Library History". Telegraph-Courier. 19 March 1896. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Library In Sight". Telegraph-Courier. 19 March 1896. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- Strong, William W.; Barnes, Clara P. (31 May 1901). First Annual Report of Gilbert M. Simmons Library For the Year Ending May 31, 1901 (Report). Gilbert M. Simmons Library. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- "The Library Incorporated". Kenosha News. 20 December 1895. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Power of Libraries". SirsiDynix. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
- "Kenosha Public Library honored as Library of the Year". Kenosha News. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
- "2020 Awards Announcements". Wisconsin Library Association. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
- "KPL selected as finalist for National Medal for Museum and Library Science". Kenosha.com. Retrieved 2024-12-25.