Minot Public Library

History

The Minot Public Library was established in 1908 with Clara Kunst serving as the first librarian. Within the first year the library had over thirteen hundred books in their collection. The library was originally located in two rooms of the Optic Block on Main Street and was open Monday through Saturday from 2PM to 6PM and from 7 PM to 10 PM. Marshall McClure had founded the city's first newspaper in 1887, the Rustler Tribune, which became the Optic after the turn of the century. It was in the building of this newspaper that the city's library first operated. The Optic merged with the Ward County Reporter in 1914 to form the Optic-Reporter. In 1916, the Optic-Reporter was renamed the Minot Daily News. On March 29, 1909, a fire broke out in the work room of the Optic Block around 9 PM. The fire caused considerable damage in the building, estimated at the time to have cost $2,500. The fire resulted in the death of firefighter Tom Shields. In 1910, the library received a grant from Andrew Carnegie for a new library building. The Minot Carnegie Library was built on the corner of Second Avenue SE and First Street SE by Carl Peter Bartleson, who also built the Mountrail County Courthouse. The new library was dedicated on February 19, 1912. The librarian Margaret Greene reported that two hundred and twenty one books were checked out on that day. On November 1, 1913, the North Dakota Library Association held a meeting at the new public library in Minot, which Governor L.B. Hanna and future governor, Ragnvald A. Nestos attended. Nestos was the President of the North Dakota Library Association at the time. The new library on Second Avenue SW was dedicated on December 3, 1966. The library hosts monthly educational and cultural displays. The library is open seven days a week, but has two sets of hours, one for the winter and one for the summer.