Tulare’s first Library was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1882 and called Library Hall. It was located at what is now 88 W. Tulare Avenue and it was used as a recreation center for its employees on their off time.
For the first year the total budget was only $982.89. The first books housed in this library were all donated by the Railroad. The books were kept behind locked glass shelves that lined two walls of the meeting room. When a patron wanted a certain book the librarian would unlock the case, retrieve the item and then lock the case back up. To use the services at Library Hall there was a fee of $.50 per person per month. The remaining space in the building was used for parties, dances, and billiards. In 1986 the Railroad relinquished ownership of the building to the City. Today it is the oldest surviving building in tulare and now home for the Tulare Women’s Club. In 1905, with the aid of a $10,000 donation from the Carnegie Foundation, a new library was built on the corner of Kern and I Street.
Miss Elizabeth LaCell joined the library staff in 1931. Within four years she became the head librarian. Over the next twenty-eight years she could be found working at the Carnegie Library serving the community and running the storytime and children’s programs. In 1963 she directed the move to our current location on the corner of Tulare Avenue and F Street. This location hosted an open house to celebrate the grand opening on May 19, 1963. The doors officially opened for business the next day on May 20, 1963.
The Library has undergone many changes as our community continues to grow. What was once all done by hand and without technology by just two or three employees now takes a staff of nearly fifteen. Not to mention the help of volunteers. Currently plans are underway for the construction of a new library that will be located on the corner of Cross and M Street. This new location will include a formal chamber for the city council, seperate circulation, reference, young adult, juvenile, and computer areas. There will even be a cafe. This is an exciting time for the Tulare Public Library and the entire community!
Posted by alex on July 15, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I like your WordPress site. I was on the Tulare County Public Library’s website and I noticed that Tulare does not have a branch: http://tularecountylibrary.org/branch/index.htm
I was curious if your Library is affiliated with Tulare County or is it a city library? Is there a reason why your library is not under Tulare County if it is not already?
Posted by Tulare Public Library on July 15, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Thanks Alex. We have always been a “city” library. When they started a county library system years (and years) ago we were already a city library and decided to stay that way. There is not much difference, except for the funding comes from the city and all of our employees are city eployees. Have a great day!
Posted by Belva Seaberry on September 16, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I remember Miss LaCell (noted in your historical account) well! She encouraged my reading and led me to books of interest on my weekly visits to the library so many years ago. She was so helpful, kind and interested in all research problems brought to her. Growing up, I took her as a model of what all librarians should be (Imagine my surprise when I found other librarians are merely human!). Just wanted to share this tribute with someone!
Posted by Tulare Public Library on September 16, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Thank you for sharing! Glad you have such a fond memory of the Tulare Public Library, hope we can provide you with many more!!
Posted by Carlos Rangel on June 23, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Hi,
I am curious as to what happened to the old Carnegie library on the corner of Kern and I St? It is an architecturally appealing building and I am wondering if it was torn down for some reason.
Posted by Tulare Public Library on June 26, 2010 at 11:14 am
The short story is the city went through a phase in the 1970s, like many small towns, where preservation was not a priority. Buildings like the Carnegie library and movie theatre were demolished. Vacant for awhile after the new library was built in 1962, there were a couple of attempts to convert to office use but no one wanted to invest to bring it up to current building codes.
The same process is going on right now with the old Linder Hardware building. Many people want to keep this building, but bringing an un-reinforced masonry building up to code is very costly.
We’ll have more detailed information in our Genealogy and Local History room, including local news items about the demolition and previous attempts at re-use. There hours are 11-5pm Tuesday-Thursday and 11-4pm Fridays and Saturdays. You can also call them at (559) 685 – 2342. Thank you for your question!