Chris Wolak

Library Visit: Hastings, Nebraska

 

 

Hastings Public Library
517 West 4th Street
Hastings, Nebraska 68901

Built: sometime in the early 1960s (source)
Collection: 145,924 volumes
Circulation: 234,697 items per year
Serves: 31,151 residents
Visit the Hastings Public Library website here
Date visited: March 11, 2011

Hastings had a Carnegie Library: a $15,000 grant was awarded on December 22, 1902, and the library was built in 1903. One of the librarians that I talked with during my visit said she remembered the old library and thought it a beautiful building but said it was very dark inside.

As you can see from the picture above, there are lots of windows in the new library.  The side shot below shows more windows.

 
The most prominent architectural feature of the newer library is this grand staircase that hugs the front doors. The openness of the staircase allows a lot of light to stream into the building on both the first and second floors.  The circulation desk faces the front door.  I was there on a sunny day which made the library seem very bright indeed.  It practically glowed.  I was there on a Friday morning around 10-ish and it was very busy, so I didn’t take any interior pictures other than of the staircase.
 
 Looking down into the staircase from the second floor.
Below are two pictures of the old Carnegie Library which was demolished.

The library has its very own bookstore inside that’s run by the Friends of the Hastings Public Library. It wasn’t open when I was there, but if you visit check it out.  It’s on the first floor toward the back. It looked like they had lots of cool stuff in there!

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