One Hundred Years of Progress: 1890 - 1990
Dwight Foster Public Library
Fort Atkinson Wisconsin

The following is a history of the Dwight Foster Public Library written by local resident Bill Starke in honor of the library's centennial.
Part 4: 1980 to 1990

Large Library Addition Is Planned

In 1980, the L.D. Fargo Library in Lake Mills had been badly damaged by fire and their library board had engaged the services of Sample and Potter, a Madison architectural firm to remodel the library. The Dwight Foster library board was so impressed with what Potter had done in the remodeling of that old structure that they in September, 1981, sought the services of Ross Potter to do a feasibility study on possible expansion of the Fort library.

The addition, which would be the first since construction of the Children's Wing in 1930, would more than double the total floor space to about 22,000 square feet and the cost was estimated at $600,000.

Two local architects, Helmut Ajango and Gene LaMuro, also asked permission to submit preliminary sketches for revamping the library, which was granted by the city council.

After several weeks of study and discussions and "letters to the editor" about the relative merits of the three proposed plans for remodeling the library, the library board recommended the design submitted by Potter Design of Madison on January 12, 1982.

The city council, after much discussion, finally agreed on February 1st to accept the library board's recommendation to hire Potter Design and authorized the financing of $300,000 for the city's share of the cost.

Weeks went by and the plans were drawn up and submitted for bids. However, in August the bids came in disappointily high; the lowest bid being $633,944. The library board went to work pouring over the bids and examining every detail. They managed to eliminate $25,465 from the estimate.

In 1982, the country was suffering from a downturn in the economy. Interest rates were very high, inflation was soaring and unemployment was also high. Several local citizens felt this was not the time for the city to borrow money for the library addition and in September, they circulated a petition to call for a city referendum on the library addition.

On September 16, a local business group offered a loan of $300,000 on liberal terms to the city. Then on September 28, two local banks, the First American Bank and the Bank of Fort Atkinson, offered to match the group's offer and the city council accepted the bank's offer. The financing issue was settled.

Because of this method of funding, the motion to hold an advisory referendum on library borrowing failed to receive a second in the city council and was dropped.

Under the terms of the agreement, the city council agreed to fund only $300,000 of the building project. The balance of the funding would have to come from a citywide fund drive.

Led by Joan Jones and Nancy Wilcox, a fundraising drive was held and was very successful. A tour of homes was presented and several business persons' lunches and many other activities were staged.

Contributions were sought with various levels of giving recognized; benefactor, sustaining, sponsor, donor and supporting. All who donated $100 or more were to be recorded on a permanent plaque mounted in the library. The original goal had been $140,000 and actually $177,000 was raised. The balance of $195,791 was received from the library's Worcester Fund.

The library had contained 8,640 square feet of space with 4,420 square feet on the main floor. The new addition now would have 11,073 square feet on the main floor and 10,197 in the unfinished basement. The library now would have room for 61,444 volumes.

Veteran library board member, Attorney William Rogers, gave a short history of the library and spoke on the value of reading books. "As long as there are people on this earth, computers can never take the place of books," he said. He thanked all contributors and those who helped with the project. Rogers credite library board President, Margaret Waterman, with being the catalyst for getting the entire project under way and completed. "When you think library, you think Margaret Waterman," he said.

She quoted the late Louis Armstrong, the great jazz trumpet player, who said, "Once you discover how much fun it can be to read, life is never dull. I can talk with great minds of the past, with philosophers, outlaws, adventurers, with kings, queens and common sailors. It is all there waiting for me." The group then moved inside for refreshments, tours and music by a string quartet. The new library was ready for business.

On January 11, 1984, it was announced that Catherine "Miss Kate" Lorenz, children's librarian for 14 years, would be leaving to become director of the Jefferson Public Library. Susan Knudson of Madison was hired to replace "Miss Kate" as children's librarian in April 1984.

Special projects, such as brown bag lunches, children's films, income tax help, book week, used book sales, video cassettes and quilting programs, followed one another as the weeks went by. The library was a veritable beehive of activity.

In September of 1984, Susan Knudson resigned as children's librarian to take a position in Sturgeon Bay. She was replaced by Connie Schuette of rural Fort Atkinson. She received her degree in marketing at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater in 1982 and was working on her masters degree in library science at the UW-Madison.

Picture of library after 1982 addition

Margaret Waterman Retires

Margaret Waterman, who had been on the library board since 1943 and its president since 1959, announced in May 1985 that she was retiring from the library board. She had vowed that she would continue serving until the then-crowded library was expanded and remodeled.

Also stepping down was Alan Jones Jr., who had served on the board since 1952, much of that time as financial officer. The were replaced by Barbara Starke and Duncan Highsmith. Attorney William Rogers, who had served on the board since 1969, became the new president.

In June 1985, it was announced that former librarian, Irene Metke, who had been killed with her husband, Oscar, in an automobile accident in Texas in 1983, had willed $45,509 to the library from their estates.

Discovering that the library had lost 730 books worth more than $3,000 in the past two years, in June 1986, the board installed a new $10,000 3-M theft detection system. It was expected to pay for itself in about three years. It was also revealed that patrons had checked out a record 139,794 items in 1986.

Poet Lorine Niedecker Honored

The library set up a permanent display cabinet in June 1983 in recognition of the late Lorine Niedecker, the local poet whose works have been likened to those of Emily Dickinson. The handsome wooden cabinet, designed by Arthur Waterman, contains the works and private library of the late poet.

Above the cabinet is a portrait of the late Jane Shaw Knox in recognition of her efforts to bring the significance of Niedecker's works to light. Mrs. Knox had been a member of the library board since 1969 and had served as secretary from 1971 - 1986 and as president in 1986. Her leadership was vital to the formation of the Jefferson County Library Planning Committee in 1978 and the Jefferson County Library Service in 1980. She was chairperson of both organizations.

Mrs. Knox led the county into the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System in 1980 serving first as its vice-president and then, from 1982 - 1984, as president. In 1983, she was named to the Wisconsin Library Trustees Board. Mrs. Knox died July 2, 1987.

In June 1988, it was announced that Moore food Products Co. and the Clorox Foundation, which owns Moore's, gave a grant of $10,000 to the library to be used to purchase a selection of high quality educational videocassettes to add to its children's collection. The library planned to purchase only specially selected titles, not the kind available for rent at the local video stores.

Ever since the library's building expansion in 1983 the number of items checked out by its patrons had risen by 50 percent and library cardholders had increased by 25 percent. The number of volumes had increased 15 percent, while enrollment in the children's summer reading program was up 183 percent.

Library Fund Established

With all this increase of patrons checking out books, magazines and videocassettes, it was felt by the board that additional contributions were going to be needed to finance the purchase of more materials in the future. In December 1988, Hugh Highsmith, a board member, spearheaded the creation of a fund through the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation designed to help the library keep up with the demand for services. By using this library fund, which is part of the Community foundation, local citizens can make tax deductible gifts and bequests to the library. Persons may contribute cash, securities or other property in any amount during their lifetime or by bequest or will to the Library Board. It is an ideal method for anyone interested in making a gift to our beloved community.

Maxine Meyer, who had been a valuable and active member of the library board for 18 years, and was also past president, was given a very special honor on October 25, 1989 when she was named Library Trustee of the Year by the Wisconsin Library Association. She had also been a member of the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System board, the Wisconsin Library Trustee board and the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation Committee.

In September 1990, it was announced that Shirley Haferman had been an assistant librarian for a quarter of a century, having joined the library staff in September, 1965.

Library Enters Second Century

The Dwight Foster Public Library has progressed mightily these first hundred years. From its humble beginning on the second floor of the Wigdale building, where its total budget for the year 1893 was $350 to today's handsome 22,000 square foot building is a dramatic change indeed. Where in 1892 the library had borrowed some books from the Congregational and Methodist churches to get started, we now have more than 56,000 books.

But that's only the beginning; there are now available computers, meeting rooms, hard-cover books, paperbacks, large print books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, audio-cassette books, music cassettes, video tapes, records, compact discs, films, educational games, art prints, encyclopedias, directories, indexes, microfilm and microfiche, a fax machine and more. It is a veritable cornucopia of methods for receiving information.

The breakthroughs that are being made almost daily in the information industry foretell that there will be spectacular changes in the way information is received and delivered in the next century. All libraries will be sorely challenged to acquire the finances with which to keep up with this explosion of high tech communication.

The Dwight Foster Public Library enters its second century with a proud record of achievement. Since its inception in 1890, it has added greatly to the quality of the cultural life of our community with its constantly expanding variety of educational and informative materials and services.

The library board and the library staff have, over the years, always offered a very high quality of service and have constantly strived to improve the physical plant and the availability of books and related information sources for the public. From the beginning, one of its chief goals was aimed at helping young people gain a life-long habit of using the library's resources.

Over the years, records have continually been set for circulation and number of registered borrowers, so it is quite evident that Fort Atkinson owes a sincere vote of thanks to all those scores of civic-minded people who, over the past century, have unselfishly contributed their time and their gifts in order that we might all enjoy the benefits of a truly outstanding public library. Our first century has been one of steady growth and progress. The second century promises to be both exciting and challenging. We are confident that our community and our future boards and staff will be equal to the challenge.

Back to: The library from 1970 to 1980
Back to: The library from 1929 to 1970
Back to: The library from 1890 to 1929