Me and the Library

The library in Fort Smith was opened in 1971. The architect was the same one who designed the town hall. In my years working at the library I often thought it would have been better if it had not had one tall dark wall fronting on McDougal Road, which is the main drag, and all the welcoming windows facing the back of the drug store.  I guess it had to be built that way in order to fit it into the narrow space available.  People might have been more drawn to it if they had been able to see into the warm welcoming interior from the street.

Citizens of Fort Smith, some who stayed around and some who moved on, helped raise money toward its construction with bake sales, flea markets, raffles, auctions, and under the leadership of Mayor Paul Kaeser, who considered it an important cultural issue to have a good library, it got built.

The Territorial Government had an excellent person hired as head of the Territorial Library Services. She was charged with getting the community libraries up and running; shelves stocked, staff hired.

Mary Darkes, who had been a teacher and a hard worker in the undertaking, I went to work after the opening as Assistant Librarian, which meant checking books in and out, shelving books and recommending reading materials to patrons. The collection was excellent and kept up to date. At that time there was a library page hired to help out on Saturdays and busy week nights. The staff was paid, strangely, by both the Territorial government and the town, which caused much confusion in subsequent years.

Many years later I was asked if I would serve on the Library Board and I said yes. It was a good board made up of interested people. On staff was an excellent creative librarian who ran so many wonderful programs that sometimes the library statistics rivalled those of the recreation center.
The Library Board had encouraged the writing of the book Wooden Boats, Iron People and through their marketing had made a sizable amount of money, which it had voted to use for enrichment equipment and activities for the library. It was not to be used for paying staff or for general acquisitions.

On thing the board did buy before the conflict over the money began was a Lego game which they thought would appeal to boys of the 11-13 age. The conflict came about because when the mayor and administration of the town discoverd the money they laid claim to it. When they were told no they set about on a campaign of harassment of board and librarian.

They had the library board folded into a general recreation board and caused so much stress to the librarian she ended up on stress leave.

Since thee was no longer a board I was out of a job and I have no idea where the money ended up, although I can guess.