History:
The Colo Public Library was started by the Epworth League. They canvassed the community, pulling little red wagons to collect any books people would donate to start the library. The library was located in the upstairs of the city hall, which has since been demolished. Members of the Epworth League operated the library for a while. On March 23, 1939 the first library council meeting was held at the school house. Marie McCoy was elected chairman, and Grace McCollom was elected secretary-treasurer. They were open one hour on Wednesday noon for the school children, with preference given to the country children at this time. They were also open on Saturdays from 1-5 PM and 7-9 PM, Saturday nights being a very busy night in communities at that time. Dues of 10 cents per child and 25 cents for each high school student and adult were charged to raise money to purchase books. Ruth Kimberly was elected chairman for the summer months.
The first funding from the City of Colo was received on July 1, 1940. It was $213.00, therefore their funds were very limited. The first hired librarians were high school girls paid by N.Y.A. funds. The library board consisted of the three ministers (Evangelical, Methodist, Catholic), the school superintendent, and a representitive from the B.F.&T., W.O., and C.L. clubs. The board held several special projects. They purchased new drapes and helped in various ways. They asked for a library board of nine members to be appointed to organize and hold regular meetings. In 1975, the library was closed and preparations were made to move into a new library located in the South end of the west side of the newly built community building / fire station. The new facilities opened on August 1975. In 1988, the Library expanded into the area that formerly housed the City clerk's office. During this period of time, many shelves, video storage cabinets, circulation desks, etc., were made for the library by Clayton Hopkins.
