Orchard Public Library

The Orchard Public Library has been located in various establishments in Orchard. In 1907 it was located in the school building and later that year was moved to the Sherman Shoe Shop. By 1911 it had been moved to the Terrill Paint Shop. In 1922 it was in the "old town hall" and was later moved to the Walmer Bakery and the Drayton building. The first in 1950 when a room was added to the back of the building to house the library. Public restrooms were added at the front. The second remodeling was in 1979 when the library area was enlarged and new paneling, carpeting, heating, lighting and shelving were installed. In 2000 the garage portion of the building was remodeled as a multi-purpose room and the entire library was recarpeted. The library seems to have operated mostly on donations until 1924 when $.05 per week was charged for use of a book. At that time the library was sponsored by the Wimodausis Club. Also in 1924 the Library Board approached the Village Board for financial support and received $15.00. By 1956 the library was receiving $6.00 per month from the Village Board. That amount has increased gradually over the years to the present amount.

The library collection has grown from ninety-three books in 1903 to 306 books in 1924 to 2,750 books in 1949 to over 11,000 items at the present time. The collection now includes books, magazines, microfilm, audio tapes and video tapes. In 1991 the library purchased its first computer for use by the staff in cataloging materials and keeping records. Six computers are now available for both staff and public use. The library offers access to the Internet for public and staff via Carroll's Web with a networked broadband connection. The library has access to several reference databases and netLibrary provided by the Nebraska Library Commission through funding from the Nebraska Legislature for public and staff use.