A Reading Center was started in 1985 by the West Union Merchants Association with donated items. The Wabash-Embarras Public Library Service started bringing a mobile unit twice weekly in November of 1985. York Township passed the levy for taxes to support a library in November of 1986. A grant was approved for one year until funding was received from the township. The library is located beside the Post Office. The library has always offered a summer reading program and the use of four public computers. In 1991 the library began a Summer Story Hour and became a member of LTLS. The library became the West Union District Library in 1993. In 1995 WUDL purchased the building, nearly doubling floor space. WUDL participated in an expansion grant and has annexed two thirds of Melrose Township into the library district. The library owns eight computers and seven offer high speed Internet. I've been a part of this endeavor since the get go. I was a trustee of the library from the beginning up until this summer, when I assumed the duties of the Assistant Fire Chief and decided there were only so many meetings one could attend in a month.
It was nice being honored. But even nicer to think back 20+ years ago to what we started with and look at what we have now. We struggled may years with a tax income of about $1000 a month to cover staff, inventory, building and grounds, capital purchases, and anything else that needed done. We had fundraisers, we applied for grants, we begged and pleaded ... and took whatever we could get to make it work.
To all who helped ... by donating time or money or books or oil wells (Yes! The library has a very small interest in an oil well somebody inherited and donated. It isn't much, but every little bit helps) I say thank you, and keep up the good work.
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