Allen County Public Library Expansion and Renovation Project

The ACPL has a practice of keeping at least one copy of every book purchased.

Allen County's Public Library History Timeline

What Happened When

1816	The first Indiana Constitution provides for libraries.
1824	Allen County is "laid off" or created and Fort Wayne chosen as county seat.
1824	$500.00 set aside for library in Allen County from monies received from the proceeds of the sale of town lots as provided for by the first Indiana Constitution.
1841	The list of books held by the library appears in the Fort Wayne Sentinel and includes such titles as Nicholas Nickleby, Spy, Lord Byron's Works, Don Quixote, and Plutarch's Lives.
1855	The working Men's Institute forms in Fort Wayne and the Young Men's Literary Society merges with it, providing a library for men.
1859	Wayne Township library is listed in City Directory at Berry and Calhoun.
1867	Working Men's Institute moves to the Allen County Courthouse.
1881	D.N. Foster and Col. R.S. Robertson helped the state legislature pass legislation to levy taxes to establish and maintain libraries.
1887	Emerine J. Hamilton Reading Room for Women established.
1892	Women's Club League petitions for a library.
1894	Library Room set aside in City Hall.
1895	January 28 - library opens with 3,606 volumes in City Hall, 117 books from the Women's Club League; 800 from the Allen County Teachers' Associations; 1,028 from the high school including the Working Men's Institute, 247 donated documents; 1,414 purchased documents.
1895	January 29 - Mrs. Susan Hoffman, Head Librarian begins circulating books at ten in the morning.
1898	Miss Margaret Colerick is appointed Head Librarian after the death of the second Head Librarian, Mrs. Clara Fowler.
1898	Board purchases Brackenridge home at Wayne and Webster for $14,000 and the library remains there until 1901.
1901	Women's Club League petitions Andrew Carnegie for a grant of money to erect a new and more adequate building, but is refused on the first try. The second successful petition is accompanied by an endorsement from the mayor and moves Carnegie to offer $75,000.00 if the city will provide the site and at least 7,000.00 annually for maintenance.
1901	Library moves to its temporary home in the Electron (Standard) Building on Berry Street.
1902	Library adds 150 books in German to the collection.
1904	Carnegie library formally opens. Total building cost is $110,000.00 and building site is $14,750.00.There was a cost overrun and Carnegie sends an additional $15,000.
1907	Children's Department opens.
1912	First branch opens on South Calhoun Street. This was later to be known as the Shawnee Branch.
1912	Business and Municipal Department opens. Later the name is changed to Business and Technology.
1915	Orders Department opens.
1916	Extension Department organizes to serve factories, fire stations and hospitals.
1917	Cataloging Department is created.
1919	Little Turtle branch opens at Sixth Street and Wells.
1920	Petitions circulate in county to secure and extend library services to county residents.
1920	Woodburn branch opens.
1921	Monroeville and New Haven Branches open.
1922	Pontiac Branch opens.
1923	Service to county residents begins. Fort Wayne Public Library becomes Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
1923	Harlan deposit collection becomes Harlan Branch.
1925	Largest library meeting ever held in state of Indiana is held in Fort Wayne. It is a meeting of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio librarians and trustees.
1927	Publicity Department is created.
1927	Tecumseh Branch opens.
1928	Adult Circulation Department has a collection of 37,493 books.
1929	First bookwagon hits the streets.
1933	Claude Bowers, noted author, former Fort Wayne resident, and Ambassador to Spain decries the drastic budget cuts for the Fort Wayne library. He states that the Fort Wayne library is "more responsive to reading needs of the community than the libraries of New York City..."
1935	Adult Circulation Department splits into the Reference Division and the Circulation Division.
1935	Rex Potterf becomes Head Librarian complete with national controversy.
1944	Main Library expansion begins with the purchase of the Hollywood Building on Washington. This building becomes known as "The Annex" and houses the general library administration offices.
1948	Record Department opens.
1952	The Young Adult Department opens in the basement of the Main Library.
1959	Rex Potterf retires.
1960	Fred Reynolds becomes Head Librarian.
1961	Original Genealogy Department opens with Dorothy Lower in charge.
1963	Reference Division answers 4,785 questions
1963	Library receives first class status from the state of Indiana.
1965	In August the Main Library moves to temporary quarters in the old Purdue Extension Building at Jefferson and Barr while the "new structure" goes up on Webster and Wayne. Books are packed in cardboard beer cartons for the move.
1968	Books are repacked in beer cartons for the summer move back to the "new structure" at Wayne and Webster. Dedication of the 173,500 square foot, $3,000,000.00 building is August 21.
1968	Talking Books Department opens.
1970	Waynedale opens.
1972	Hessen Cassel and Georgetown branches open.
1973	New Shawnee branch opens.
1977	Construction of the new addition to the Main Library begins.
1979	Fred Reynolds retires.
1979	Robert Vegeler becomes Library Director.
1980	January 1st the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County officially becomes the Allen County Public Library by act of the state legislature.
1980	Board names Rick J.Ashton Library Director when Robert Vegeler retires.
1981	Grand opening for the Main Library 55,000 square foot addition is January 18.
1982	ACPL becomes a Cooperating Collection of The Foundation Center in New York.
1982	First Summer Reading Program for young adults held at the Main Library.
1983	Sunday hours at the Main Library begin in January.
1983	Readers' Services Department is created by joining the "old" Readers' and the Reference Department.
1984	Award winning Adult Basic Reading Center opens as part of Readers' Services.
1985	Rick J. Ashton leaves to become Library Director at Denver, Colorado.
1985	Steven Fortriede is acting director.
1985	90th birthday party held. An estimated 5,500 people eat 2,731 pizzas, the largest carryout order ever made at that time. Noble Roman's, Coca-Cola and WMEE-FM contribute to the success.
1986	Jeffrey Krull is hired as the new Library Director after a national search.
1986	CLSI is awarded automation contract to computerize library circulation.
1988	Library "goes live" with new automation system.
1990	Repairs and limited renovations performed at several library facilities; two new branches (Aboite and Dupont) constructed.
1995	Dupont Branch expands.
1997	Library board and staff begin system wide space needs analysis for all library facilities.
2001	Allen County taxpayers approve bond financing of $84 million library expansion project.
2002	Main Library plans move to temporary site at 200 East Berry.
2003	Ground is broken for branches in Woodburn, New Haven, and Monroeville.
2003	February grand opening is held at the temporary quarters at the Renaissance Square.
2003	Shawnee Branch re-opens after renovation. Woodburn and New Haven Branches have grand opening celebrations.
	Laurabelle Hibbets McCaffery March 17,2004 Some dates varied in different accounts of the same event. Dates that were most consistent are used. Sources used included, but were not limited to: Articles from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel; Documents written by Rick J. Ashton, Margaret M. Colerick, Paul Deane, Jr., Steven Fortriede, Betty Henning, Laurabelle Hibbets McCaffery, Fred J. Reynolds, Robert H. Vegeler, Virginia G. Williams; Allen County Public Library publications; Griswold, Bert J. Pictorial History of Fort Wayne. Vol.l.; This material was edited by Roseanne Coomer.