The Community Library is a public library in
Ketchum, Idaho
Ketchum is a city in Blaine County, Idaho, United States. Located in the central part of the state, the population was 3,555 at the 2020 census, up from 2,689 in 2010. Located in the Wood River Valley, Ketchum is adjacent to Sun Valley and ...
. The library is privately funded and open to the public. The Gold Mine Thrift Store has been a source of funding for the library since its inception. The library also operates the Wood River Museum of History and Culture, the Gold Mine Consign, and the
Ernest and Mary Hemingway House and Preserve.
In 2024 The Community Library received the "Library of the Year" award from the
Idaho Library Association
The Idaho Library Association (ILA) is a professional organization for Idaho's librarians and library workers based in Boise, Idaho.
History
The Idaho Library Association was founded as the Idaho State Library Association on December 29, 1915, ...
for its advocacy work for libraries during the previous State Legislative session.
History
The Community Library Association was founded in 1955 by 17 women as a non-profit organization to create a privately-funded and governed library.
Founders include
Clara Spiegel,
Anita Gray and Jeanne Rodger Lane. The women first opened the Gold Mine Thrift Store in a
log cabin
A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...
to earn funds to build a library to serve Ketchum,
Sun Valley, and
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
.
The first library (now the actual Gold Mine Thrift Store) was built in 1957. In 1977 the library built a new structure designed by architect
Dates Fryberger to house their increasing collection, and enlarged this design again in 1986 and 1997. An award-winning remodel by Humphries Poli Architects and Nichole Snyder Interiors was completed in 2019.
Collections and services
As of 2024, The Community Library contained 106,000 physical items from printed books to charging cables, and 46,000 digital items. Special collections include regional history archives with oral histories and early Sun Valley photographs from the Union Pacific Railroad, clothing from Mary Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's personal book collection from the Hemingway House, the Clara Spiegel Collection, and Arion Press books.
The library hosts high speed fiber Wi-Fi, accessible from inside and outside of the building. There are 12 computers for patron use with Microsoft or Apple software, along with free printing. Technical help is available for individuals with their own devices. Meeting rooms are open to the public for private booking; the sizes range from 4-25 people. The Reference Librarian handles test proctoring and research requests. The Children's department has a room with gaming computers for kids, and a teen-only lounge.
Library programs include conversations with varied authors, local interest groups, a yearly Hemingway Distinguished Lecture, and a writer-in-residence at the
Hemingway House.
References
External links
Official website*
The Community Library in VIAF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Community Library, The
Public libraries in Idaho