New Holstein Public Library

Mission:

A source of community pride: a place to read, discover, CONNECT and enrich.

History:

The library was a "success" from the start. By the end of 1929, 325 people had library cards and 3,658 books had circulated. In September 1930, parents were asked to keep their children from the library during the evening hours because conditions were so crowded. In October 1931, the library moved to larger quarters -- the old Vollstedt building, the original Vollstedt butcher shop -- on Wisconsin Avenue (east of H&R Block) where it remained for 24 years until the Arps building was constructed. At this time there were 547 registrants and circulation for 1931 totaled 11,756.

During the years the library was located in the little gray building, the 'librarian' who checked out the books was a club woman, donating her time (usually Mrs. B.G. Griem or Mrs. Oscar Dumke.) Behind the scenes, the librarian was Else Vollstedt, who from 1933 had been the one to select, order and catalog the new books and who was often the one of the desk (particularly in the 1940s when the "war effort" pulled people away to other volunteer jobs). In 1940 it was decided by the Library Board (H.C. Thiessen, president; Else Vollstedt, secretary; Mrs. Griem and Mrs. Paul Blumberg) to pay the librarians (the ones at the desk) 25 cents per hour. Else never received payment for her hours of behind-the-scene work and general responsibility for the library.

Then disaster struck. The article in the October 21, 1948 New Holstein Reporter read, "This community no longer has a public library, that most valuable institution of 19 years standing having been destroyed by fire last Wednesday evening." The oil stove which heated the building had malfunctioned. Four hundred volumes out of 2,800 were saved. The library was closed while the building was cleaned and Else tried to salvage as many books as she could.

There was a little insurance - $1,200. About 200 books were safely in the hands of borrowers. Although the library opened again in June 1949 with 800 books, the entire children's collection -- closest to the stove -- had been destroyed.

Today the New Holstein Public Library contains 32,000 books, 106  magazines, six newspapers, pamphlets, art prints, videotapes, films, microfilms, recordings. audiotapes and computers. Total circulation for 1988 was 63,939. There are more than 3,000 registered card holders from the city of New Holstein, as well as Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Fond du Lac counties.