Potwin Public Library

The Potwin Public Library was started in the mid 1930’s by a group of ladies from the Senior Study Club. Each lady brought their extra books to Mrs. Collingwworth’s home. They also held food sales to buy books.

The library was first located in the Community House in the southeast upstairs room. The first librarian was Anna McNary, followed by Marie Swift, Edna Ferking, and Betty Whiteside with assistant June Slater.

In 1973, Wheat State Telephone Co. gave to the city the old stone bank building, which was built in 1904. The building had previously been the telephone company’s offices. After extensive remodeling the city turned the building over to the library. The books were moved into the new library with the help of the Potwin Girl Scouts.

In 1982, Mrs. Florence Kerr left the library $5000 in her will to help improve the library. New shelves, typewriter, air-conditioner, film projector and many more items needed were purchased with this money. In 2005 the library was again remodeled, with new carpeting, paint, and shelving added.

The library has many services for the young and old. Story hour is held each year from September to May for pre-school children one day each week. The children’s room contains a large selection of books for young adults, juveniles, and pre-school. Audio books, large print books, videos, and a wide selection of books are all part of our permanent collection. Being a part of the South Central Library Association allows books to be loaned to our library out of Hutchinson on a rotating basis, with new books being delivered every two months.

One unique feature of our library is the location of the restroom, which is in the old bank safe.