Our Kick-Off to Summer Reading Event is Thurs., May 28th @ 5:00. Special guest, IB Crow from Indiana Beach, will greet summer readers and pose for pictures! We will have activities, give-a-ways, hot dogs, and more. You can also sign-up for summer reading during this special event. Bring the whole family, and join us for a fun time. Be ready to “Dig into Reading!”
Prescription Drug Take Back Day @ Kewanna Union Township Public Library
Saturday, January 17, 2015
12:00-3:00 pm
Prescription Take Back Day is a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs that could be potentially dangerous. All expired, unused, and unwanted prescriptions or over the counter drugs will be accepted. There will also be a sharps container available.
Local law enforcement officers will be in charge of the collection and disposal of all medicines in a secure and environmentally sound way.
This service is free and anonymous, and no questions will be asked.
It’s a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet!
The Kewanna Union Township Public Library was proud to participate in the Fulton County Leadership Academy tour of Kewanna on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. Tours of area businesses were given by Tony Pesaresi at Winamac Coil Springs, Jeff Finke at Kewanna Metal Specialties, and Wade Bussert at Diane Tessler’s Art Studio. After the tours were completed, the group returned to the library to discuss Kewanna’s opportunities and the Indiana Main Street Grant. Town Board members, Joe Hott, Jeff Finke, Dan Birge, and Town Clerk Jenny Kay participated in this discussion along with the members of the Fulton County Leadership Academy, and teacher Mark Kepler of Purdue Extension.
Kewanna-Union Township Public Library will celebrate Teen Read Week (October 12-18, 2014) with special events and programs aimed at encouraging teens around the area to read for the fun of it. Thousands of libraries, schools and bookstores across the country will hold similar events centered on this year’s theme, Turn Dreams into Reality @ your library.
Teen Read Week is a time to celebrate reading for fun while encouraging teens to take advantage of reading in all its forms —books, magazines, e-books, audiobooks and more! It is also a great opportunity to encourage teens to become regular library users.
In recent years, many families have had to adapt to make do with less as a result of the economy. Teen Read Week is a great opportunity for teens and their families to learn about all the free services and resources the library offers. The library also offers a safe and supervised space for adolescents to engage in creative, educational activities with caring adults and mentors.
Kewanna-Union Township Public Library invites teens, parents and other concerned community members to participate in special programs and events during Teen Read Week. Our events include a Reading Contest, Trivia Contest, and “Turn Your Dreams into Reality” Drawing Contest. Call Kewanna-Union Township Public Library at 574-653-2011 or check our website www.kewanna.lib.in.us for more details.
The Kewanna Union Township Public Library 100 Year Anniversary
The Kewanna Union Township Public Library will be hosting an Open House on Friday, September twenty sixth, from four to six pm in honor of its one hundred year anniversary. The public is invited to come celebrate, and share light refreshments and music.
The Kewanna library history started when it was organized in 1905 and housed in the local school building. Soon outgrowing the space, a corner room was rented in a down town business for the library collection. It was not long though before the library again outgrew the space it was in. Through a grant received from the Carnegie Foundation, Kewanna’s first library building was completed at a cost of eight thousand dollars. Located at 210 East Main Street, in the center of Kewanna, the new library was dedicated on November 24, 1914, becoming the cultural center of the community. Meetings and educational programs were held in the assembly room. Uses for the library included, the Red Cross during World War I, First Aid classes during World War II, and kindergarten classes for the Kewanna School. The Pinhook Grange used the library as their official meeting place until their new building was constructed in 1961. Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and 4-H Clubs also held regular meetings at the library. There are many unique features in the library. Several Carnegie libraries were built in the early 1900’s, but the stage located in the basement set Kewanna’s apart. Having a stage for public performances and programs has encouraged even more of the community to use and visit the library. Unique collections at the library include local history, Kewanna school pictures and trophies, and the entire collection of The Observer, Kewanna’slocalnewspaper. This local newspaper was in publication from the 1930’s to 2011. Joe and Karen Good, the most recent publishers of the Observer, donated their special collectionof theoriginal copies of the Observer to the library.
Even though Kewanna can be considered a small community, it still has a long, rich history. Kewanna librarians have captured and maintained this history, accepting donations from the community. Current library Director, Charles Rude stated, “I have tried to maintain Kewanna’s history and display it. This library has a bit of a museum quality to it displaying Kewanna town and school history by including trophies, class pictures, and old town photographs.” The library has stayed current with eBooks through Overdrive, and by joining Evergreen, an Indiana State consortium that includes over one hundred Indiana libraries.
An expansion to the Library through a Community Focus Fund grant, from the State of Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs was awarded by Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Skillman in 2010. Completed in 2011, doubling the size of the library, the expansion has made more room for a children’s and youth book section, meeting room space, public computer area, expanded Indiana Room collection, and a computer room for college and educational use. The library is fully ADD compliant, and has an elevator which reaches all three levels of the library, accessible by wheelchair, power scooter, and baby stroller. The library also offers a wide variety of programs for all ages, meeting rooms that accommodate eighty people or more and free continuous broadcasted Wi-Fi. In 2011 the library was awarded a grant from the Fulton County Community Foundation for an electronic sign for advertising non-profit organizations, and local community events.
Kewanna takes pride in its library and the role that it plays in their community. The library is not just a place to find books, but it is a place to preserve history and share it with others, while looking to the future.
