Jeffersonville Township Public Library

The Jeffersonville Township Public Library is a public library system in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States comprising two locations: the main library at 211 East Court Avenue in Jeffersonville and the Clarksville Branch at 1312 Eastern Boulevard in Clarksville, Indiana. The rest of Clark County, Indiana is served by the Charlestown-Clark County Public Library system, with which the Jeffersonville library has a reciprocal borrowing agreement.HistoryA workingmen's library was established in Jeffersonville sometime before 1850 out of funds allocated to create such libraries in Indiana after the death of William Maclure in 1840. This small collection formed the foundation of the Jeffersonville township library, which was created sometime after 1852 when the Indiana General Assembly passed an act regarding the establishment of public libraries. However, this library collection was located in the office of the township trustee and was not convenient for the majority of people in the township. so in 1897 Hannah Zulauf led a group of women representing the various women's literary clubs in Jeffersonville to canvass money to create the Jeffersonville Township Public Library Association and have the collection transferred into their care. Red tape prevented the transfer until 1900, and on December 17, 1900 the Jeffersonville Township Public Library opened to the public on the second floor of the Citizens National Bank with Miss Bertha Poindexter as the librarian. The library collection rapidly outgrew this small space and so in 1902 Hannah Zulauf led the charge to apply for financial assistance through Andrew Carnegie, which they received. The city council of Jeffersonville donated Warder Park as the site for the new library and Arthur Loomis was chosen as the architect. Loomis' plans for a building in the Beaux Arts style were approved in July 1903, with construction beginning shortly thereafter. The cornerstone was laid on September 19, 1903 and the Carnegie Library was completed in December 1904 and officially opened to the public in February 1905.