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Fort Worth Public Library is the public library system that serves the city of
Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. The Fort Worth Public Libraries consist of 18 branches including the central library and two regional libraries.


History

In April 1892, 20 women formed the idea for the city's first library while meeting at the home of Jennie Scott Scheuber. Under the Fort Worth Public Library Association, this association received its state charter and with the financial support from
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
they brought the Fort Worth Public Library into existence. Carnegie donated building funds for the construction of more than 2,000 libraries in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and from 1886 to 1919 he donated $56 million. Carnegie suggested to the founding women that they ask the local gentlemen for "the price of a good cigar" to help raise the necessary local supporting funds. Sarah Gray Jennings donated the land at 915 Throckmorton Street on stipulation that it always be used for a library. When the City Council approved spending $4,000 per year to run the library, Carnegie contributed $50,000 for the building. The Carnegie Public Library of Fort Worth opened on October 17, 1901, at Ninth and Throckmorton streets.


The PWA Library

As early as 1926 it was becoming clear that the Carnegie funded building was no longer large enough to handle Fort Worth’s swelling population. The situation became worse during the onset of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, when reading rooms became so full that the facility lacked enough chairs or lights at most hours of the day and night. The library board appealed to the
Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was ...
( PWA) in 1933 for funds with $400,000 in subsidies finally arrived in Fort Worth in 1937. A three-story, triangular PWA Moderne structure designed by Joseph R. Pelich was built over the spot of the old neoclassical Carnegie library and opened in 1938. Mrs. Scheuber was retired from her role as head librarian and replaced with the professionally trained Harry Peterson, who converted the collection to the Dewey Decimal System and removed the library’s collection of relics to the local children’s museum. In 1967 the building received a Texas Historical Marker in 1967. In 1978 a new central library building was built at 300 Taylor Street. The old Art Deco building was returned to the ownership of the Sarah Gray Jennings estate in 1980, and although attempts were made to preserve the building as a performing arts center, the old library was razed in 1990 for a parking lot.


Central Library Expansion

Fort Worth's Central Library expansion officially opened October 22, 1999. On March 28, 2000 the Fort Worth Tornado caused over a million dollars in damage to the new Central Library. Central Library has a spacious Learning Commons for patrons to enjoy a book, magazine, or use a computer. The Central Library also offers its users free Internet access at the computer lab or with WiFi. Computer classes are available to promote
information literacy The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of infor ...
. The Genealogy, Local History and Archives unit is housed within the Central Library; the Archives are also the official municipal archives of the City of Fort Worth. Central Library only opened up the street level in April 2021. In accordance with the Strategic Services Plan of 2019-2021, the building at 500 W. 3rd Street was put up for sale.


Regional Libraries

* East Regional – opened () * Southwest Regional – opened ()


Branches

* Diamond Hill/Jarvis – opened () * East Berry – opened () * Meadowbrook – opened () * Northside – opened () * Ridglea – opened () * Riverside – opened () * Seminary South – opened () * Ella Mae Shamblee – opened () * Summerglen – opened () * Wedgwood – opened () * Northwest – opened () * Golden Triangle – opened () * Reby Cary Youth – opened () * La Gran Biblioteca - opened () * Fort Worth History Center - opened ()


Partner library systems


References


External links


Fort Worth Public Library
{{Authority control Culture of Fort Worth, Texas
Library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
Education in Tarrant County, Texas Public libraries in Texas
Library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
David M. Schwarz buildings Libraries participating in TexShare