Sedalia's Carnegie Library Celebrates 125

The Sedalia Public Library, 311 W. 3rd, is now 125 years old, and a celebration was held Thursday afternoon to commemorate the occasion.

Refreshments were served downstairs and a presentation was held upstairs in the Queen City Room featuring Missouri State Librarian Janet Caruthers and local historian and author Dr. Becky Singer Imhauser.

Dr. Imhauser provided an oral history of the Carnegie library to a few dozen people attending the event.

Faith Smith was the first official librarian, for instance, in 1901. Another factoid was that the library could have been located at Broadway and Ohio, where Subway is located now.

“I enjoyed the research,” Imhauser said after the program. “I followed it from its beginnings. I love the way the library has changed over the years, but yet kept its feel and how it’s influenced the community, particularly during the Depression and the war.”

“It’s been emotional today. Mom passed away two years ago this month. And this was her favorite place from the beginning. She was probably one the library’s best customers when it comes to spending dimes at the microfilm machine,” Imhauser recalled.

“She would come in and not move until she had to have her neck adjusted at the chiropractor,” she noted. A photo of Betty Wasson Singer working at the microfilm machine was included in Dr. Imhauser’s slide show.

“She instilled that love (of research) into me in the library. She always talked about the importance of a library,” Imhauser told KSIS. “When she moved back her to Sedalia, she did research on her four books about the history outside Sedalia.”

Caruthers focused her speech on Andrew Carnegie and how funding was provided for Sedalia’s Public Library.

“And just how important libraries are to communities. And how they bring people together. They can be a place for someone to come in and relax, and take a book home, or come in for a place to warm up (or cool off),” Caruthers said, adding that most Carnegie libraries in Missouri are still active but a few have been converted into other businesses, like a bank, for instance.

There were a total of 33 public Carnegie libraries built across Missouri from 26 grants awarded between 1899 and 1917, alongside academic libraries built at two separate institutions.

Scottish immigrant and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,681 free public libraries across the United States between 1886 and 1917. Of those, roughly 1,280 continue to actively serve their communities today, including 33 historic locations in Missouri.

Library Director Jamie Sparks spoke briefly with KSIS, said she was excited to see so many people attend the 125th celebration.

“The library has been through a lot,” Sparks said, referring to the mandatory relocation 13 years ago when the foundation had to be shored up and the operation of the library had to be moved to the McLaughlin Building in downtown Sedalia for about a year.

“It’s an honor to take care of it,” Sparks said. “I just love how the community respects and loves this building. And it’s just such a special place.”

For those who are not frequent visitors to Sedalia Public Library, Sparks noted that anyone can sign up for a library card.

“You get a free card if you are a Sedalia resident. And you can pay a non-resident fee of $20 for the whole year for your entire family (if you live outside of Sedalia) so it’s a steal,” Sparks stated.

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The next big event at the Sedalia Public Library is a Route 66 Podcast Program called “The Mother Road at 100 Years Old: Voices of Route 66,” presented by Anthony Arno on Wednesday, Aug. 5 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Queen City Room.

Arno will be sharing a multimedia presentation showing a historical look at America’s Main Street.

Attendees are invited to participate in Route 66 Trivia following the presentation.