History of the Oakfield Public Library:
In 1899, Oakfield started its first library. The Oakfield Free Library was the first library in Fond du Lac County that was located in an unincorporated village.
In 1903, when Oakfield became an incorporated village, the village took over control of the library. The collection was moved into the former George Herman shoe repair shop. The building, located across the street from the present Oakfield Community Center and Library, was very small.
In 1912, a new village hall was constructed. The building was two stories, with the village hall upstairs, and the library and fire department downstairs. They opened the doors to the residents of Oakfield in 1913. This was the home to the Oakfield library for many years.
In 1963, a new building was finished in town to house both the fire department and the village hall. Plans were made to renovate the old building, now housing only the library into a larger building.
In 1965, the Women’s Study group of Oakfield made renovating the library a priority, and with their help, remodeling began, and the top floor of the building was removed. Walls were removed between the library and the old fire department, making for a much larger area for the library. An open house was held in 1969. At this time, the library held about 10,000 volumes.
As the year 2000 approached, there were plans being made for a new library. The library had been in its current location on east Main Street for nearly 90 years. In 2000, building began on a new building which would house the fire & police department, village offices, community center and the library. Completed in early 2001, today, the library is located in what was a shell of the old fire department.
