Caption: “Library assistant Lynn Elbert presents a program for children in the large auditorium of the library in the 1960s. Prior to the establishment of the Kirkwood Public Library in 1924, residents took the train to the Mercantile Library in St. Louis as early as the 1850s and ’60s. They also could pay an annual $1 fee to borrow from the St. Louis Public Library. The idea for a Kirkwood library got its impetus from a 1922 committee of the League of Women Voters – growing quickly to a community-wide interest. Soon a group of women began a campaign to collect books celebrating “Library Day” on March 8, 1924, when over 2,000 books were collected. The first Kirkwood library was located on the second floor of the old city hall at the corner of Kirkwood Road and Madison. On May 10, 1924 the Kirkwood Public Library opened, and it was the first publicly supported library in St. Louis County. A separate building was constructed in 1940 at Jefferson and Taylor.”
Story Hour
By Nick |
Photograph of story hour led by Lynn Elbert in library auditorium.
Nick O'Neal is the Director of Technology & Online Services for the Kirkwood Public Library. He has been with the library since July 2012. He enjoys playing video games, listening to Classic Rock, and watching movies. His favorite authors include Timothy Zahn, J.R.R Tolkien, Douglas Adams, Michael Crichton and Clive Cussler.
