About
Learn about the people and history behind our library.
Learn about the people and history behind our library.
TERESA FERGUSON
LIBRARY DIRECTOR
GABRIELLA SAPCUT
ASSISTANT LIBRARY DIRECTOR
MELISSA DUGGER
LIBRARY AIDE
SHAUN BASE
COMPUTER SPECIALIST
The first library in Anadarko was an Oklahoma Women’s Federation Library, which was kept on shelves at the Gish-Baker Furniture Store. The 1,000 volume Lyceum Traveling Library was sent to Anadarko in 1903. This collection plus forty more donated books became known as the “Philomathic Collection” and was kept in a small room in the American Democrat Office. The collection reached 1,400 volumes with books from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union “Book Shower, Philomathic purchases and community donations.
In 1907, the growing collection was moved to a room on North Fifth Street, which had a side street entrance. The Library Committee, the Philomathic Club, and the Commercial Club formed the Library Association. The object of the Association was to provide standard and current literature, and to provide a reading room and rest room for the general public. Membership in the Association was an annual fee of one dollar ($1) or a fee of ten dollars ($10) for a lifetime membership.
On March 18, 1907, a constitution was adopted and the library became known as the “Philomathic Library and Rest Room.” By 1912, the library had moved to a room in city hall, and became the Anadarko Public Library. The city council passed an ordinance in 1914 making Anadarko Public Library a department of the city; during this time a library board was appointed. The librarian earned a salary of one dollar ($1) a month. The Anadarko Public Library remained in city hall until 1936, the re-located into the Masonic Building.
In the mid-1980s the library began the move into an old Chevrolet auto garage and car dealership on West Broadway, across from the north side of the Caddo County Courthouse and next to the iconic Redskin Theatre. Many doubted that an old auto garage could be made into a library, but the old building blossomed into a beautiful, spacious, inviting place, retaining the vintage feeling of the original structure while adding the functionality of the new design. This larger site was ideal for the growing collection and provided physical access to all citizens; in less than a year the library raised $604,016 exceeding the original goal of $500,000. The moved gained momentum with the backing and support of the entire community though memorials, donations and fund-raisers.
One local business in particular, Hollytex Carpet Mill and its employees generously donated the Community Room. The Hollytex Community room was dedicated to long-time Hollytex employee, Marvin Elrod. Additionally a children’s library was donated by the Paul Allen Foundation in honor of Paul Allen’s mother, Faye Gardner-Allen, who worked in the library during her high school years. One particular feature is the children’s reading pit, which was once the grease pit of the auto garage.
The library’s wide-open lounge spaces provide natural light to the patrons from the panoramic windows features, highlighting the warm interior paint colors; with modern climate control the Library is a very pleasant place to be. The collection books were moved from the Masonic Temple using the “Book Brigade,” hundreds of people forming a hand-to-hand assembly line, into the library doors and onto the waiting shelves.
The Anadarko Community Library was formally opened in September of 1990. Since that time, the library has become fully automated and offers high speed internet access through desktops for adult and laptops for children; free WiFi; an advance state of the art video conference center; a document center for printing, cutting and laminating; a business suite of resources for typing, faxing and word processing; multiple collections of historical Caddo county documents and rare books by local authors.
Vision Statement
To be a place where creativity and innovation thrive and everyone feels welcome and valued.
Mission Statement
Anadarko Community Library's mission is to provide access to a wide variety of resources that empower our community to learn, grow, and succeed. We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment that promotes lifelong learning and fosters a love of reading while supporting our patrons' educational and informational needs. We strive to be a trusted and valuable resource for our community and to continuously adapt and improve our services to meet their changing needs.
Adra Vance, Chair, May 2025
Betty Bell, Vice-Chair, May 2025
Teresa Stone, Secretary, May 2026
Betty Roddy, May 2026
Gloria Stearns, May 2026
The Library Board meets on the 1st Thursday of February, April, June, August, October, and December at 6:00 p.m. in the Library. Regular meetings of the Library Advisory Board are held at the Anadarko Community Library, 215 West Broadway, Anadarko, Oklahoma. All meetings are open to the public.
Library Advisory Board Meeting Agenda December 7, 2023
The agenda for the next meeting is normally posted four days prior to the meeting.
Previous agendas are available on request.
Previous minutes are available on request.
Library Advisory Board Bylaws, May 2013
PRELIMINARY
1.1. Invocation and Flag Salute
1.2. Call to Order
1.3. Roll Call
1.4. Hearing Session/Citizen Presentation
The Procedures to follow if you address the Advisory Board are: The Advisory Board requests that you express your ideas in five minutes or less and refrain from any personal attacks or derogatory statements about any City employee, a fellow citizen, or anyone else, whether in the audience or not. The Chairman will limit discussion whenever he deems such an action appropriate to the proper conduct of the meeting. At the conclusion of an open call to the public, individual members of the Advisory Board may ask Staff to review a matter or may ask that a matter be put on a future agenda. However, members of the Advisory Board shall not discuss or take legal action on any matters during an open call to the public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action.
AGENDA
2.1. Discussion and possible action to approve the consent agenda. All items may be approved by one motion. Any item may be removed at the Advisory Board’s request.
2.1.1. Approval of the current Regular Meeting Agenda.
2.1.2. Approval of the previous Regular Meeting Minutes.
LIBRARY DIRECTOR’S REPORT
COMMENTS BY ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
NEW BUSINESS
ADJOURN
This is unofficial compilation of links leading to sections of the Oklahoma Constitution, Oklahoma Statutes (primarily Title 65) and Oklahoma Administrative Code (primarily Titles 60 and 405) relating to operation of the Library. It does NOT include all statutes, rules, ordinances, or bylaws that may apply to a specific situation. It is intended as a convenient reference, not as a replacement for the official versions of these publications. It should not be substituted for advice of legal counsel. This information is being provided to comply with the Oklahoma Government Website Information Act (House Bill No 2698, 2010).
https://libraries.ok.gov/law-legislative-reference/library-laws/
Note the following explanations of citation abbreviations:
O.S. = Oklahoma Statutes
Okla. Const. = Oklahoma Constitution
OAC = Oklahoma Administrative Code