The Allegan District Library just finished out its centennial year - or we should say its centennial year as a Carnegie Library.
"In 1914, library leaders secured a grant from Andrew Carnegie for $10,000 to build the current building we're in now," says Lindsey Dorfman, the new director of the library.
The library is so old that when you look up the word "library" in the World Book Encyclopedia, the Allegan library is one of the entries.
The Allegan Library in 1914
"100 years ago there was a national debate as to whether or not libraries should even collect fiction. So certain people felt that libraries should just have very scholarly materials," says Dorfman. "Today genre fiction is one of the most popular things we circulate."
Dorfman says, of course, there was no music or movies at the library either.
Libraries Versus The Internet
Though a few people use the library for internet access, many of us have the internet at home - which means we aren't going to the library as often as we once were. Back in the old days, the library was the one place you could go to do research for that school paper or article.
"There's so much information out there and that can be a problem," says Dorfman. "So one of the ways that we're staying relevant is we're helping people sift through all that information. And find the information that is actually good and relevant to what they're looking for."
E-Books Growing, But Not Very Fast
Dorfman says back in 2010, many thought e-books would over take printed books. But now Dorfman says it seems people like both mediums equally.
"I have patrons who use our e-book services through overdrive - and they can download them right from home," she says. "But they'll also come in the next week and pick out a print book and read that as well."
