Old Missoula

Library Begins Century in Rented Rooms

By Astrid Arnoldson

Missoula’s Free Public Library began the present century as a small city venture housed in three rented rooms and attended by one librarian, Mrs. Jacob Reinhard, although by then it did have its books indexed by author and was a government depository. Within three decades it had become substantially the city-county system it is today, with its own building, a staff in 1928 of five full-time professionals and four student assistants, departmental organization, and branches.

Assistant Added

First came the addition of one part-time assistant in 1901. The following year a Carnegie grant of $12,500 made possible the erection of a new building on the present site, which the city provided, also agreeing to raise by taxes at least $1,250 a year for equipment and maintenance.

Within 10 years the basement and single story had become too crowded and a further Carnegie grant of $9,000 was secured to add a second story. This was completed in the fall of 1913.

County Joins In

Authorized by an election of Aug. 3, 1916, as provided by state law, the Missoula County commissioners contracted that fall with the city library to serve also as a Missoula County Free Library. Gladys F. Willard was the first county assistant librarian, from January to December 1917. A Miss Boles followed for six months, then Ruth Worden from June 1918 to 1926, and Lena Partoll from then till 1934. City and city-county librarians during the period, after Mrs. Reinhard, were Grace Stoddard, 1904 to 1918, and Elizebeth Powell, 1918 to 1934.

The county library established six branches during its first year, 1917, at Carlton, Frenchtown, Potomac, Lolo, Clinton and Bonita. A Ft. Missoula station was added in 1918, branches at Bonner and Rumble Creek in 1919, Milltown in 1920, the ACM library car in 1922, and Orchard Homes in 1924. Meanwhile the formation of Lake County in 1923 necessitated a division of county library property. The inventory showed a book stock of 7,783 volumes, valued at $8,062.28, and Missoula County’s share was set at $1,206.24. A new and more flexible Missoula city-county contract was made in 1924, and further expansion followed.

Among the notable careers of service identified with this period are also those of Esther Leiser, a staff member from 1908 and reference librarian from 1919 to 1945, and Alberta Stone, part-time assistant from 1916 to 1919 and beloved children’s librarian thereafter until her death in February 1928.