Ark Valley News - The century mark

A family reads together in the Valley Center Public Library. The library was started in 1923 by the Progressive Women's Club.

The century mark
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: March 16, 2023

There have been many constants at the Valley Center Public Library over the years.

Storytimes. Easter egg hunts. Best-selling novels. Newspapers.

And the bell at the front door.

"We still have it," said Terry Foster, the library's assistant director.

"It's a counter. It's a patron counter," Director Janice Sharp said.

"And if you're out in the stacks, you know somebody has come in," Foster added.

And they've been coming in for a century.

The Valley Center Public Library is celebrating its 100th birthday this month with a party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 20 and with a look back at what got it here.

"Libraries are for everybody," Sharp said. "To me, every community should have a library."

Valley Center's library started in 1923 with a trunk holding a few dozen books the Progressive Women's Club bought from the state library board and kept in the homes of club members.

The club moved the library into the front of the McCluggage Drugstore in downtown Valley Center and then moved to a room in the Masonic Hall on Main Street, where the Commercial Club met. By then, the collection numbered 600 books.

After a bunch of fundraising — quilt shows, Stunt Nights and special dinners — the club purchased a former American Legion building at 321 W. First in 1950 for $2,400.

The move allowed the library to grow to 8,000 volumes.

In 1984, the women's club reached an agreement with the city to sign over the former Legion building if the city would build a new library on the site.

The library opened in 1985 and was named in honor of longtime Progressive Women's Club member Edna Buschow, who worked to build and equip the new building. She also helped secure a $51,000 grant from the Kansas State Library Advisory Commission.

The new library was welcome and functional, but it wasn't perfect.

For large gatherings, the shelves had to be scooted to the edges of the main room, and it was anything but quiet when the train rumbled down the nearby tracks.

The space limited the library's programs and services as its collection ballooned to 50,000 volumes. The library board discussed an expansion for years.

It finally came to a head six years ago when the Friends of the Library raised enough money to partner with the city on a new Valley Center Community Center & Library in Lions Park.

"It just felt like as soon as there was a plan, everybody was getting on board and donating and we watched that thermometer go up at City Hall, and it was just a community thing," Foster said.

The facility opened in 2018.

"I love the space. I love the windows, because we didn't have any windows over there," Sharp said.

The move also increased patronage.

In 2021, the library averaged 931 checkouts and 877 visitors per week.

Attendance at the summer reading program and storytimes increased as well.

The library offers teen programs, book clubs, book talks, an Easter egg hunt and a variety of events throughout the year.

"And we don't have to move the shelves," Foster and Sharp said in unison.

"We moved 14 shelves every week for summer reading, loaded," Sharp added.

Sharp said the new building ushered the library into the future.

"I think it's an excellent resource for patrons to utilize, for whatever they need, whether it's for research or for pleasure reading," she said. "It's local. They don't have to go far. And we make every effort to keep on top of the new things coming in."

The library is funded with a 4.5-mill city-wide property tax as well as grants for specific projects and programs.

The library spends about $25,000 a year on books, another $12,000 to $14,000 on audio books and $1,500 on e-books.

The library also has a butterfly garden on the north side of the building.

Dream job

Janice Sharp started with the Valley Center Public Library as a part-time employee in 1990 and became its full-time director in 1992. She said she has no plans to retire.

"You know, this is my dream job, always has been. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here," she said. "I love it. Some days are more challenging than others, of course."

Other directors have included Lorna Stover and Linda Meyer.

Foster has been with the library since 2011. She grew up in Valley Center and remembers going into the library when it was in the former American Legion building.

"It was just a house," she said. "I didn't go beyond the front room. … My sister used to go there all the time. Tammy was going to read every ‘Nancy Drew' mystery."

Odd finds

Odd things have been left in the pages of books when they are returned to the library over the years.

Here are some of the more noteworthy: an onion ring, a piece of bologna, beef jerky, a used Q-tip, a package with a condom, money, checks and a laminated love letter.

The books are cleaned and disinfected before they are returned to the shelves.