Pine Island Van Horn Public Library
![]() Pine Island Van Horn Public Library | |
Established | 1918 |
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Location | 115 SE 3rd Street, Box 38 Pine Island, MN 55963 |
Collection | |
Items collected | 21,346 |
Other information | |
Director | Rachel Gray |
Website | http://pineisland.lib.mn.us/ |
Map | |
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The Pine Island Van Horn Public Library is a library in Pine Island, Minnesota. It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the Southeast Minnesota library region.[1] The library holds both annual and temporary events, which are sometimes seasonal in nature, for both children and adults.[2] An annual book sale and children's summer reading program are longtime programs employed at Van Horn.[3][4] A cart containing books sold to support the library runs continuously.[5]
History[]
The current facility for the Van Horn Library was funded by a generous estate gift by Frank A. Van Horn, after whom the library is named.[6][7] Eight thousand dollars was specifically set aside for a library, of which 3/4ths was allotted for construction and the remaining reserved for materials.[8] His entire estate was left for the town and he entrusted his close friend George B. Doty to oversee the responsibility.[9] A plaque was built into the library to commemorate this contribution, and it was intended to open on January 1, 1918, but construction was not completed in time. High school students assisted in building in order to speed its completion.[10] It opened to the public on January 24, 1918.[11][12] The original rules stated a fine of 2 cents per day a book was overdue, a maximum of two books checked out per person (of which only one could be fiction), and a maximum period of two weeks to return books, a practice which the library still follows today.[13]
In November 1990, a push to move the library to a potential space expansion of the local elementary school was unsuccessful. Supporters of the move expressed a need for a new facility and fears that funding would not be available without the move for the Americans with Disabilities Act modifications to be enforced in 1995. Opponents, organized under the name "Friends of the Van Horn Library", cited concerns of losing a historical landmark within the community, restrictions of books, limited access by community members, and loss of SELCO membership, an important resource to the library.[6][14] Supporters of the library from both sides rallied behind the slogan "Viva Van Horn".[15] In 1994, only $70,000 of the library-estimated 90,000 dollars needed to install a handicapped-friendly elevator was pledged, and community efforts such as money pledging for miles traveled on the Douglas Trail and public auctions made up the difference to make the library accessible to all patrons.[8]
A mural featuring community-selected classic book scenes was painted by Greg Preslicka[16] in 2010, funded by a shared grant between Van Horn and the Zumbrota Public Library for the Library Legacy Project.[17][18][19][20] In July 2012, a new copy machine, capable of scanning, color printing/copying, and faxing, was purchased and operational for patrons.[21] In August 2014, an individual donated a Kindle Fire e-reader to the library for public use.[22] The library received a grant and subsequently digitized editions of a former local paper from 1882 to 1922 in 2015, which were made available online at the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub.[23]
Current Facility and Programs[]
The building consists of two floors, with a children-focused section as the ground floor and an adult-focused section above. The Van Horn Public Library has been known to collaborate with the nearby Zumbrota Public Library on programs such as the summer reading program,[4][24][25] the independently owned Better Brew Coffeehouse,[26][27][28] the Pine Haven Community, a local retirement home,[29] and the organization Pine Island People for the Arts (PAPA)[30] for various programs and events, as well as other local businesses and organizations.[31][32] The facility maintains a straw bale garden with the help of child patrons.[33][34][35] The library delivers large-print books to the Pine Haven Community bimonthly as a free service for the residents.[36] A staff member published a children's book based upon her late husband's hunting memories titled "Feed the Mice: Woodsy Tales in Memory of Opa" and was actively promoted after release in 2011 at the library.[37] A fireplace built into the top level is no longer in use. Subscriptions to several area and national newspapers are available to browse as well as magazine subscriptions. The library also provides facilities for the local festival Winterfest.[32] A Little Free Library is slated to open June 5[38] which will be owned by the library.[39]
Petition[]
The library has pursued funding from the mayor and City Council of Pine Island for a larger facility due to alleged concerns regarding space. In 2012, a needs assessment was conducted on the current facility, and inadequacies such as lack of space for events, study, and storage, lack of proper staff work area, and not enough computer stations for flow of patrons were highlighted by community members. A Change.org petition, created by the library, was provided a link on the official Van Horn website. A goal of 500 signatures, roughly 1/3 of the population of the town, was promoted in order to show adequate support,[40] and on October 20, 2012, the Van Horn Library Board requested two suggestion boxes be placed in Pine Island to gauge support for a new library facility, which was approved.[41] On August 5, 2015 the Van Horn Public Library began to actively promote the online petition on its Facebook page. As of 2019 the petition has been closed and is no longer mentioned on the official website.
References[]
- ^ Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO)
- ^ "Events Calendar | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "The library will be CLOSED this... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Library summer reading programs celebrate heroes | News-Record & Zumbro Shopper". www.zumbrota.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "New Book Sale Items! | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b BOBF. "Fate of Pine Island is library up in air". PostBulletin.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Death of Frank VanHorn". Pine Island Record. January 4, 1912. Retrieved May 25, 2016 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
- ^ Jump up to: a b MIKED. "Town rises to occasion for library". PostBulletin.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Wills Estate to Village". Pine Island Record. January 18, 1912. Retrieved May 25, 2016 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
- ^ "Van Horn Public Library". Pine Island Record. January 3, 1918. Retrieved May 25, 2016 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
- ^ "Van Horn Public Library updated their... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "About Us | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Van Horn Public Library". Pine Island Record. January 17, 1918. Retrieved May 25, 2016 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
- ^ SPELTZ. "Pine Island library won't be in school". PostBulletin.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "#ThrowbackThursday Morgan found these... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ Newsroom, Red Wing. "Grant allows library to paint mural". Republican Eagle. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Art & Culture Live!: Community Collaborations - Van Horn/Zumbrota Library Mural & Presentation Program | Minnesota's Legacy". www.legacy.leg.mn. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ Horihan, Laura. "Mural, mural on the wall". PostBulletin.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "New mural brightens Pine Island library". PostBulletin.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Pine Island Library". www.preslickastudio.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Now Available – Color Copying, Faxing & Scanning | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "It's here! Thanks to a very generous... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Editions of Pine Island newspapers from... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Special Story Time Visit by Flora Burfeind | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "One Town One Title Panel Discussion | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "During the week of Monday, September 14... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Julie Kramer is coming to Pine Island! | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "The Librarian is In @ Better Brew! Stop... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Today's Tuesday @ 2 Program! Come on... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Van Horn Library announces "One Town, One Title" schedule | News-Record & Zumbro Shopper". www.zumbrota.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Panel Discussion on Immigration February... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "If you loved having Katie Knutson in... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Straw Bale Gardening Workshop | Van Horn Public Library". pineisland.lib.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Compost anyone? The straw bale garden... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "The Kid's Straw Bale Garden is beginning... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Did you know that the library delivers... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Van Horn Library staffer publishes children's book | News-Record & Zumbro Shopper". www.zumbrota.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "This is the last week of voting for our Little Free Library (LFL) theme!". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
- ^ "Van Horn Public Library March Newsletter". us3.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
- ^ "UPDATE: We have a new goal of reaching... - Van Horn Public Library | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Van Horn Library wants residents' support for a new building | News-Record & Zumbro Shopper". www.zumbrota.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
External links[]
Coordinates: 44°12′0.8″N 92°38′43.14″W / 44.200222°N 92.6453167°W
- Southeastern Libraries Cooperating
- Buildings and structures in Goodhue County, Minnesota
- Education in Goodhue County, Minnesota