According
to the centennial publication, Manawa 1874-1974, the library in Manawa
was started by a gentleman by the name of Roger C. Bigford in 1910.
The library was housed in the Odd Fellows Hall and the books in its
collection were donated by Mr. Bigford and others. Not long after that,
the library was put under the direction of the Manawa Woman's Study
Club whose members organized, cataloged, arranged and circulated the
collection for several years.
In 1923,
the library had its first paid librarian at the annual salary of $100.00
per year. This was also the first year that the municipality provided
support for the library. For many years the Woman's Club gave teas,
had card parties and cookie sales to raise funds for the library.
In 1947,
the library moved to the second floor of what was then City Hall where
it remained until 1966. In 1966, A. Sturm & Sons presented the city
with a building they had purchased and renovated which was to be used
for a new library. At that time the city council officially named the
library the Sturm Public Library. From 1966 to 1993, the library maintained
steady growth in number of items in the collection, number of items
circulated and number of registered borrowers. Also increasing was the
amount of tax dollars used to operate the library.
In 1993
A. Sturm & Sons again came through for the library by donating $400,000
to the city for the purpose of building a new library facility. The
building would be a lasting memorial to Carl, Clarence, Arthur and Paul
Sturm, the four brothers who started A. Sturm & Sons earlier in the
century. The city committed to operating the new facility and the library
board committed to finding additional funding for the project. On June
1, 1994, the new library opened its doors to the community. It has been
busy ever since.
While
early in this century it was common for libraries to be funded and operated
by volunteer organizations, this is no longer the case today. The library
is the recipient of several generous donations each year, but the majority
of funding comes from local and county tax dollars. This support is
an achievement for which the community can be proud. Today, the Sturm
Memorial Library is a model small library in the state of Wisconsin.
Staff continue to offer quality service to patrons and the advent of
technology has allowed the library to expand beyond the borders of the
building. Serving the people of Manawa and surrounding countryside is
the number one priority of the library and will continue to be so for
many years to come.
