Library History

Along with the town itself, the library has a very historic past. The library began as Lieber Public Library in honor of Mr. Edward Lieber of Detroit who built the building which is located at 214 South 6th Street.

The Sorosis Club, a women’s literary group established the library in 1922. They developed a collection by pushing baby buggies around town to gather books. To prevent the hassles of moving the books from place to place, Mr. Lieber contributed the building for the group’s resources. During the 1929 market crash, Mr. Lieber became unable to fund the completion of the library.

For years, membership consisted of purchasing a chair for the library. The group managed the library on a volunteer basis until 1969 when they decided the library had outgrown them.

That year, in the city election, citizens voted to levy for the library. It became a public supported library on January 1, 1970. Throughout the years, the library continued to grow and support the community, operating under two staff members.

In August 1998, voters were asked to support bonds for a new library building. The bond issue carried almost 2-1. Volunteers contributed towards the moving process.

On April 30, 2000, a dedication service was held in honor of the new library. A plaque honoring the Sorosis Club’s years of service was put on display in the library.