Logan County Public Library

Mission:

The Logan County Public Library seeks to enrich, inspire, and entertain the Logan County community.

History:

Logan County Public Library has operated since August of 1967 at 201 West Sixth Street in Russellville, Kentucky, with branches in Adairville and Auburn. The building was constructed with federal and state funds and a grant from the Thomas P. deGraffenried bequest to the city of Russellville designated “for the education of the people therein.” An addition that almost doubled its size to 11,538 square feet was completed in 1974.

In the years prior to the establishment of a library taxing district by petition in 1966, limited library services were offered from locations in the Russellville High School basement, the Woman’s Club building, above a doctor’s office, the armory, and the Old Southern Bank of Kentucky where the Jesse James gang pulled off a bank robbery in 1868.

The Woman’s Club is credited with providing the first public library service in 1925.  The W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration) maintained a library as one of the federal government’s recovery projects following the Great Depression in the 1930s.  The first publicly supported library service began in 1940 when a “Library Committee” raised $9.10 by raffling off a donated table to open an account.  Small donations from the city and county governments, the city and county boards of education, civic clubs, and individuals covered payment of rent, the librarian’s salary of $1.00 a day, supplies, and the purchase of books for children and adults.

Services have continually changed to meet user needs and to embrace new opportunities as modern technology continues to develop. Adaptation of space usage also has undergone a number of changes to accommodate services. These changes, along with consistently increasing usage, have resulted in the new building at 225 Armory Drive.  A community-led strategic plan is the foundation of the library’s goals and objectives.