|
The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) is a consolidated county library with nine locations in Marathon County, Wisconsin, U.S.A. The Marathon County Public Library has its headquarters in Wausau, and branch libraries in Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, and Stratford. The Marathon County Public Library was founded in April 1907 on the site of the MCPL - Wausau Headquarters, but it was known as the Wausau Free Public Library at that time. As of 2012, the Marathon County Public Library system serves a population of 134,735 people, with more than 75,000 active library card-holders in Marathon County alone. (Any Wisconsin resident may obtain a library card through MCPL.) Its collection contains 313,008 books, 29,703 audio and video materials, 607 magazine and newspaper titles in print, access to thousands of magazines and newspapers electronically, and 247 art prints. The Marathon County Public Library operates in cooperation with the Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS), a state library system of 26 public libraries and 212 non-public libraries. ==Early years== The first library in Wausau was formed in 1871 by the Pine Knot Literary Society, a men’s literary club.〔“History of Marathon County and Representative Citizens,” by Louis Marchetti, published 1913 by Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago.〕 The club had more than 700 books, some of which were purchased and other were donated to the collection by the club members.〔 The library was kept in the offices of the Wisconsin River Pilot newspaper and residents could purchase membership to the club and the right to check out books for $3 per year or 25 cents per week.〔“Wisconsin Heartland: The Story of Wausau and Marathon County,” by Michael Kronenwetter, published 1984, Pendell Publiishing Co., Midland, Mich.〕 In 1879, the Pine Knot Literary Society donated their library to the Ladies Literary Club of Wausau, who managed the collection under the same subscription arrangement until 1897, when the Wausau Free Public Library was established.〔“Wausau in 1900,” compiled by George Alfred Martin, published Dec. 25, 1900, as a supplement to the Wausau Pilot, The Central Wisconsin and the Wausau Herald newspapers, Wausau, Wis.〕 At this time, the city of Wausau agree to appropriate five percent of its license fees each year (between $600 and $1,750) to purchase books for the library.〔 Around this time, the library was moved to the northwest room on the second floor of the courthouse where it remained, rent free, for three years courtesy of the Marathon County board.〔 By 1904, the library collection had moved several times – from the basement of a bank to a store building – and had no permanent home.〔 On July 5, 1904, the Wausau City Council adopted a resolution to accept a gift of $25,000 from steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to build a library building.〔 Walter and Sarah Alexander in 1905 donated the land from Walter’s uncle Walter McIndoe’s homestead to the city to use as a park and location for the library building.〔 On July 11, 1905, the library board accepted plans designed by architect George W. Maher and began construction.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Marathon County Public Library」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|