Allen County Public Library
Encyclopedia
Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has been part of the social and cultural fabric of Fort Wayne, Indiana
and surrounding communities in Allen County
since 1895. Then known as the Fort Wayne Public Library, it served residents with 3,606 volumes out of a room in City Hall. Since its founding, ACPL has grown to consist of the 367000 square feet (34,095.4 m²) Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne and 13 other branches in the city and outlying communities.
The Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area
was acknowledged by Places Rated Almanac in 1998 as holding the highest "reading quotient" of any city in the nation.
1898 – Library Board purchased the Brackenridge Home at Wayne Street and Webster Street for $14,000.
1904 – Carnegie-funded library building opened.
1923 – Service to county residents began. Fort Wayne Public Library became Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
1944 – Main Library expansion began with purchase of Hollywood Building on Washington Boulevard to house administrative offices.
1952 – Young Adult Department opened in basement of main library, the first such department in the country.
1968 – 173500 square feet (16,118.7 m²) building at Wayne and Webster Streets was dedicated August 21, 1968.
1977 – Construction of the new addition to the Main Library began.
1980 – Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County officially became Allen County Public Library by act of the state legislature on January 1.
1985 – Estimated 5,500 people ate 2,731 pizzas during system's 90th birthday celebration.
1997 – Library Board and staff began system-wide space needs analysis for all library facilities.
2001 – Allen County taxpayers approved bond financing of the $84 million library expansion project.
2007 – Renovation and expansion of main library nears completion. Grand opening held on January 27, 2007, with Randall T. Shepard, Chief Justice
of the Indiana Supreme Court, among the speakers.
department in North America, home to more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items of microfilm and microfiche. Only the Family History Library
in Salt Lake City, a private institution, is larger. They also support and host a collaborative online genealogy database, WeRelate
, which as of mid-2010 includes roughly two million records.
cable TV station which provides a variety of unique services for the library. AFW originates three Public-access television channels from the Main Library. Access 1 is channel 25 on Verizon and 55 on Comcast
. Access 2 is channel 27 on Verizon and 57 on Comcast. Government-access television (GATV), City TV is channel 28 on Verizon and 58 on Comcast. The channels can only be viewed on Comcast and Verizon inside of Allen County. AFW is a full production facility with two TV studios and editing facilities.
-FM. The special receiver needed to hear NEIRRS is loaned to listeners at no charge.
, the largest genealogy wiki in the world. Currently providing access to over one million records and two million person pages. The website also provides the largest documented place wiki available.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
and surrounding communities in Allen County
Allen County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
since 1895. Then known as the Fort Wayne Public Library, it served residents with 3,606 volumes out of a room in City Hall. Since its founding, ACPL has grown to consist of the 367000 square feet (34,095.4 m²) Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne and 13 other branches in the city and outlying communities.
The Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area
Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area is a federally designated metropolitan area consisting of three counties in northeastern Indiana , anchored by the city of Fort Wayne...
was acknowledged by Places Rated Almanac in 1998 as holding the highest "reading quotient" of any city in the nation.
Timeline
1895 – Library opened in City Hall on January 28 with 3,606 volumes.1898 – Library Board purchased the Brackenridge Home at Wayne Street and Webster Street for $14,000.
1904 – Carnegie-funded library building opened.
1923 – Service to county residents began. Fort Wayne Public Library became Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
1944 – Main Library expansion began with purchase of Hollywood Building on Washington Boulevard to house administrative offices.
1952 – Young Adult Department opened in basement of main library, the first such department in the country.
1968 – 173500 square feet (16,118.7 m²) building at Wayne and Webster Streets was dedicated August 21, 1968.
1977 – Construction of the new addition to the Main Library began.
1980 – Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County officially became Allen County Public Library by act of the state legislature on January 1.
1985 – Estimated 5,500 people ate 2,731 pizzas during system's 90th birthday celebration.
1997 – Library Board and staff began system-wide space needs analysis for all library facilities.
2001 – Allen County taxpayers approved bond financing of the $84 million library expansion project.
2007 – Renovation and expansion of main library nears completion. Grand opening held on January 27, 2007, with Randall T. Shepard, Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Indiana Supreme Court, among the speakers.
Genealogy
The Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department, located in the Main Library Branch, is the second-largest genealogyGenealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
department in North America, home to more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items of microfilm and microfiche. Only the Family History Library
Family History Library
The Family History Library is a genealogical research facility in downtown Salt Lake City. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by FamilySearch, the genealogical arm of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-History:The origins of the Family History...
in Salt Lake City, a private institution, is larger. They also support and host a collaborative online genealogy database, WeRelate
Werelate.org
WeRelate.org is the largest freely licensed genealogy wiki and has almost 5 million wiki pages. Supported by the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy and the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it provides genealogy tools and data as a free public service, on a non-commercial,...
, which as of mid-2010 includes roughly two million records.
Branches
- Aboite Branch
- Dupont Branch
- Georgetown Branch
- Grabill Branch
- Hessen Cassel Branch
- Little Turtle Branch
- Main Branch
- Monroeville Branch
- New Haven Branch
- Pontiac Branch
- Shawnee Branch
- Tecumseh Branch
- Waynedale Branch
- Woodburn Branch
Facilities
The Main Library has five public meeting rooms that accommodate from six to 500 people. These rooms are available for use by the community for meetings and events. In addition, the building has six small group study rooms, a computer training room, and a theater which seats 230. Library branches also have meeting rooms and study rooms.Access Fort Wayne
Access Fort Wayne (AFW) is a Public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV station which provides a variety of unique services for the library. AFW originates three Public-access television channels from the Main Library. Access 1 is channel 25 on Verizon and 55 on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
. Access 2 is channel 27 on Verizon and 57 on Comcast. Government-access television (GATV), City TV is channel 28 on Verizon and 58 on Comcast. The channels can only be viewed on Comcast and Verizon inside of Allen County. AFW is a full production facility with two TV studios and editing facilities.
NEIRRS
In 2004, NEIRRS joined the library, under the supervision of AFW. The Northeast Indiana Radio Reading Service (NEIRRS) is a free radio reading service for people who are blind or have a visual or reading impairment. NEIRRS volunteers read local news and features from a dozen area newspapers, plus magazines, books, grocery ads, obituaries and more. NEIRRS broadcasts in a fifty-mile radius from Fort Wayne over a sub-channel frequency provided by WBCLWBCL
WBCL is an FM radio station located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 90.3 MHz. WBCL is owned by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana with its studios located at the university's Fort Wayne campus....
-FM. The special receiver needed to hear NEIRRS is loaned to listeners at no charge.
Online Genealogy
Allen County Public Library is a partner of WeRelateWerelate.org
WeRelate.org is the largest freely licensed genealogy wiki and has almost 5 million wiki pages. Supported by the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy and the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it provides genealogy tools and data as a free public service, on a non-commercial,...
, the largest genealogy wiki in the world. Currently providing access to over one million records and two million person pages. The website also provides the largest documented place wiki available.
External links
- Allen County Public Library
- The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library
- Access Fort Wayne
- Allen County Public Library at FamilySearch Research Wiki for genealogists