Wabasso Public Library

In 1932, as the Great Depression deepened, the Progress Club of Wabasso sponsored the renovation of the council room at City Hall, under the condition that it would get refitted and redecorated with bookshelves so that a lending library could be housed there.

Many local citizens donated books to the fledgling collection, and new books were purchased by the Progress Club to supplement it. On Saturday, April 23, 1932, the Wabasso Public Library opened its doors for the first time.
Over the course of the next 10 years, the library continued to be maintained by the Progress Club. In 1935, the collection was moved to the balcony of Leistikow’s General Store on Main Street, which is where Salfer’s Food Center stands today. Usage of the Library grew, and eventually the Village Council passed a millage tax so that they could hire a regular librarian. In July 1940, Dorothy Starken became the first head librarian.

In the fall of 1941, philanthropist Charles O. Gilfillan announced he was going to sponsor the construction of a new building for the Wabasso Library. The site chosen was – for lack of a better term – the village rock pile. In November, a crew of 18 men, prodded by local spirit, pooled their efforts to removing the several tons of boulders offsite.

The new brick and mortar building was completed in the fall of 1942. Gilfillan gifted it to the City of Wabasso in memory of his mother, Fanny. The Wabasso Library Board of Trustees was established and appointed by the Village Council that same year.

The collection was moved into the new building alongside with more new books in November of 1942, this time boasting a collection of about 1,000 items. Gilfillan also gifted an 80-acre tract of land, with the proceeds of the rent going directly towards the needs of the library.
Dorothy Starken held the position of Director until resigning in 1960. Rachel Kratzke then became Director, and began offering Story Hour to children on a regular basis. Kratzke would resign in 1969. Malanea Schueller became the next Director.

In 1974, the Plum Creek Library System was founded, and in 1979 the Wabasso Library joined. Suddenly, the citizens of Wabasso had access to the collections of multiple libraries across seven other counties in southwest Minnesota.

In 1985, Schueller retired and Marilyn Daub became the Director. In 1987, a Friends of the Library group was established for the primary functions of programming, promoting, and fundraising. In 1988, construction began on a new addition to the building that doubled its space. Through an enormous amount of fundraising, the new addition was completed by late 1989.

In 1996, the card catalog went digital with the purchase of the library’s first computer. Dial-up Internet came soon after in 1997, along with the advent of a brand new service: a public computer terminal.