History of the Library
- The Early Years
- Dallas County Public Library
- A Library of Our Own
- Library in a Firehouse
- The Modern Library
- The Early Years
- Dallas County Public Library
- A Library of Our Own
- Library in a Firehouse
- The Modern Library
How It All Began
When did the first library come to Farmers Branch? According to an October 16, 1958 article in the Dallas Morning News, a library of sorts can be found as far back as the mid-1840s. Pioneer Robert Jentry West and his wife Mary Ann had come to Peters Colony in a Conestoga wagon. West built a school on land in present-day Farmers Branch for his wife who had been a school teacher in Tennessee.
“They brought with them an excellent library of classics and the best magazines of the day, all of which circulated among their new neighbors.” It is not quite a library in the modern-day sense, but it is consistent with a time when most collections of books were privately owned. It shows that education and literacy were an important part of the foundation of Farmers Branch.
A library does not appear in connection with Farmers Branch again until 1939. In the book Farmers Branch, Texas: A Pictorial History, compiled and written by The Farmers Branch Heritage Education Committee, it is noted that “Miss Angie Butler, an elementary school teacher, kept books in her home for pupils to borrow.” Once again, it is not a library in the traditional sense, but it does illustrate a way of providing reading materials to the young people of Farmers Branch by a resourceful teacher.
Dallas County Library System
Though there was no free public library in the City, Farmers Branch residents had access to a library and reading materials. The Dallas Public Library, run by the city of Dallas, offered free service to county residents residing outside the city. By 1941, Dallas was considering stopping this free service since county residents living outside the city limits did not provide any city library system funding.
As early as 1923, Farmers Branch, Cedar Hill, and Renner attempted to establish a county library system to serve rural areas of Dallas County by petitioning the Dallas County Commissioners Court. Despite their best efforts, it would take another 14 years to establish the Dallas County Library System.
A county library system started coming together when a county library opened in 1938 in Grand Prairie. By 1943, the county library system was up and running, and the City of Farmers Branch joined the county system in 1949. The county library system was run out of the Old Courthouse in Dallas and eventually had 15 branch libraries.
The Courthouse contained a central collection and mainly operated as a cataloging and business center. The branches were responsible for most of the circulation. At this time, the Farmers Branch Library was at the old City Hall building, which was still operating as City Hall. An Inter-Library loan system was set up with Dallas Public and other libraries.
The county and the local cities shared the cost of running the system. The county oversaw the operation of the system and supplied books and librarian salaries. Local governments provided the building and its furnishing and upkeep. By the time Farmers Branch came into the county system, it was serving about 144,000 people, and 900 of them were Farmers Branch residents. Over the next decade, the city grew explosively to over 13,000 people, and the building was enlarged and decorated.
Growing Circulation
A July 28, 1950 article in the Dallas Morning News shows that the Farmers Branch Library was circulating 500 books a day. A later article on November 4, 1951, noted that fiction checked out more than nonfiction and that children checked out more books than adults. A quick look at statistics today would show a similar result.
Summer Reading Program
The Librarian over the Farmers Branch Library for the duration of the county period was Florence Teasley. In addition to promoting literacy, one of her major duties was promoting the Summer Reading Club. The 1950 Summer Reading Club theme was The Pony Express. A local artist created a large poster of the Pony Express route with six stops between Missouri and California, and the children received a reading log showing the same route. For every five books they read, they advanced to the next station. When the child reached Sacramento, she or he received a county reading certificate and prizes.
To this day the Summer Reading Club is the major event of the year for the Farmers Branch Manske Library.
Funding
How was the Farmers Branch Library funded? Some funds came from the County; some came from the City. However, citizens and local civic organizations also supported the library. An article from the Dallas Morning News from February 5, 1957, says that he Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce had acquired 8,000 discarded books from the Fort Worth Public Library. On February 9 of that year, the library held a book sale to raise funds to support the library. Later, the Friends of the Library conducted annual book sales. In 2014, the Farmers Branch Manske Library partnered with Better World Books to raise funds for the library by selling donated books.
Establishment of a Farmers Branch Library
In the early 1960s, Farmers Branch decided it was time to form its own library. The building selected to house the City-run library was the old Dallas Gun Club located near Don Showman Park. It was also referred to as the Rod and Gun Club building in some news articles at the time. Citizen volunteers renovated and remodeled the building.
Once the building was converted, volunteers stocked the shelves with books donated by local citizens and the county library system. The Interim Library Committee, headed by Larry Sieglar, was instrumental in creating the library and getting it running.
Opening Day
The new City-run library opened its doors to the public on July 4, 1962, with Margaret McClain as the library director. The following August, Farmers Branch created a public library department. For the remainder of the year, the new library continued to receive funds from the Dallas County Library System.
Funding
Starting on January 1, 1963, the City funded the library. Though the City was funding the new library, citizen and civic organization fundraising was still an important source of revenue. An article in the Dallas Morning News highlighted this civic involvement in library fundraising. It reported on a fashion show that was sponsored by the Farmers Branch Chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s Club. Half the proceeds were donated to the new library.
Friends of the Library
The Friends of the Library organized in March 1964 and played an important role in raising funds for many years.
Programs
In addition to the Summer Reading Club and weekly storytimes, the library also hosted programming for adults.
Great Books Discussion Group
According to a Dallas Morning News notice dated September 19, 1961, the Great Books Discussion Group first met at the Farmers Branch Library on September 19, 1961. It met on the first and third Tuesday of the month and Marilyn Murphy and Melva Thompson led the group. The article noted that you could purchase a set of first-year readings for $8.50. With the exception of the Summer Reading Club and Children’s storytimes, the Great Books Discussion Group is the longest-running program in the library’s history. It still meets at the library every third Monday of the month.
English Classes
Another long-running program at the library is the twice-a-week English classes for adults who want to learn English or improve their English communication skills. The exact start date of this program is unknown. However, a current instructor who has taught classes since 1998 believes the classes have been going on since the library started. He was not sure if it was in 1962 or 1986 when the library was renovated and expanded at its current location. Whichever date it was, English classes have been around for a long time.
Growing with the City
The City of Farmers Branch continued to have explosive growth throughout the 1960s, ultimately reaching a population of 27,000, and a larger structure was needed to house the library. A solution came in 1974 when the City replaced Fire Station Number 2 with a new station, freeing up a perfect location to build a library to serve the increased population.
Most patrons who remember the site before it became the library usually mention that it was the old fire station and that there was a swimming pool next to it. Both descriptions are correct. The first City-owned swimming pool was built at Don Showman Park in 1958 near the site of the Old Gun Club, which was the acting recreation center at the time. In 1964 the City built its second swimming pool next to Fire Station Number 2. The swimming pool was closed and filled in before the library renovations.
Construction
The library was built around the hull of the remodeled fire station and was expanded to 11,000 square feet. It was four times larger than the library building it replaced. The project cost $650,000, and the expense was part of the budget for that year. The old library originally held 9,000 volumes. The new library had the capacity to hold 45,000 volumes. During renovations, a lake was created behind the library. In 1974, the City held a groundbreaking ceremony for the library at the Fire Station Number 2 location.
Walter E. Manske
At this time, Mayor George Grimmer christened the library as the Farmers Branch Walter E. Manske Memorial Library in memory of Walter Manske, who had recently died. An entry in Farmers Branch, Texas: A Pictorial History gives a short biography of this important city booster and civic leader:
Walter E. Manske (1928 to 1973), well-known and respected business and civic leader, was reared in McGregor, Texas and graduated from Louisiana State University. He also held degrees from Texas Lutheran College and Baylor University. An Air Force Veteran, Walt Manske was district manager of Texas Power and Light Company from 1959 to 1969 and Vice-president of Central Bank and Trust from 1969 until his death. He served as president of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club and the Greater Northwest Chamber of Commerce and was named the Chamber’s Outstanding Citizen in 1969. On Labor Day, 1973, Walt Manske died in a hunting accident near his boyhood home. The library was named in his honor when it moved from Amber Lane to its present location at 13613 Webb Chapel.
Mary Jane Stevenson and Oliva Nichols compiled this biography.
A portrait of Walter E. Manske hangs downstairs in the reference area near the Local Authors section.
Computers
An announcement in the Dallas Morning News dated September 24, 1984, announced to the public:
“The public library recently installed six computer terminals to replace the library's card catalog. The new computer system saves employees considerable time used for filing and typing cards and permits library users to find out when books are returned, said library director Betty Kelly.”
People still come in looking for the old card catalog. It is becoming a rare occurrence, but it still happens.
Renovations
In 1985, the City once again decided to renovate and expand the library. The work was completed, and the new library was dedicated on April 19, 1986. The library now had two floors, an art gallery, a large meeting room with a performance stage and an outdoor amphitheater.
Web-Based Catalog
In July 2001, the library’s catalog went from a text-based to a web-based system when it introduced iBistro. The new system enabled patrons to renew books, check their accounts and reserve books. It was a patron-friendly change that allowed them to conduct some library business without having to seek staff assistance.
50th Anniversary
In July 2012, the library celebrated its 50th anniversary as a City-run library.