The home of John Gerry, future builder of the Carnegie Library.
The First Presbyterian Church where meetings were held to discuss the creation of a public library in North Ontario.
A photo of the Magnolia Villa built by the Bedford Bros before the turn of the century. Although the Bros. had hopes that North Ontario would be called Magnolia, the city was ultimately named Upland due to the Citrus Association and the "Upland" stop given at the Santa Fe train depot.
Ordinance 99 creating a Public Library in Upland, CA. Notice the "aye" votes v. the "no" votes.
Two novels that were mentioned by title in the 1907 and 1908 News Notes of California Libraries. One is a popular western that features the travels of a settler. The other is a novel written by Winston Churchill that experienced popularity all over the country in the early 1900's.
A photograph taken during the construction of the Carnegie building in 1913. Behind the workers you can see the split in the first floor (with the large open spaces that will become windows) and the lower windows that belonged to the basement.
The finished Carnegie Library, circa 1913.
The Carnegie Library in the 1930's.
A photograph of children on the steps of the Carnegie Library, circa 1930's.
Two children enjoying the books in the Sarah Temple Junior Library of the Carnegie Library. A few of the books on the shelves behind them are still available on Amazon.com.
The Sarah Temple Junior Library. It's lovely to see so many shelves filled with books. Also, notice the faced out displays on top of the bookcases.
Perhaps an impromptu story-time? In the background one can see the bulletin board that was specifically requested in the specifications for this department.
Two librarians helping children in the Sarah Temple Junior Library. It is a real shame that we are unable to identify the women in the picture as this is the only image we know of with children and librarian interacting in the Carnegie Library.
The Carnegie Library in 1965, just a few short years before use was discontinued. This is a great shot, however, of the high windows that Carnegie favored in his architectural designs.
The construction of the new library building in 1968. Notice the large arches; the height of architectural finesse in the late 60's. Today, these arches date the building and their large pillars have proven to be difficult to work around.
A view of the current library from outside. This image is of the northeast corner of the library. The entrance is actually on the other side of the building. The Carnegie Library cannot be seen from this photo, but it is located to the right of the library in the image.
EPHEMERA
The Circulation Record Book from August 1913 to July 1914. The dates establish this book as belong to Adda Manker, librarian during these years.
The interior of the Record Book identified above. I was thrilled to discover that the archives held this material. It was amazing to look at the numbers from this era, and to simply hold something like this in my hands.
The registry for library borrowers. This is a hardback journal that is quite hefty in weight.
The interior of the registry book. Who knew that these types of record books were actually sold? This notebook served as a timely reminder of how much libraries have changed in the past 100+ years. I cannot imagine the painstaking process of making each individual customer and their materials at each transaction.
A page of the record book. Notice some entries are crossed out with explanations: withdrawn or deceased. This registry book was the library's sole means of keeping track of their collection and their customers. What a long way libraries have come since then.
The library's bank books for several years. These books were all leather bound, and the smallest was the size of today's credit card. The writing in each was minuscule, and difficult to read with the naked eye. It is impossible to imagine the City or the Library Board allowing a librarian the sole financial responsibility of the library today. More proof that yesterday's librarians wore many different hats.
An interior shot of one of the bank books. The running balance in 1914 was $395.48. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that 1913 is held on the left side of the ledger and 1914 on the right. It would be impossible for today's transactions to be held on one page. Fines alone would need several.
