Babygarten

A public library was proposed by the Columbia Woman’s Club in 1951. The group helped bring the bookmobile from Springfield to the Columbia schools in the early 1950s, and in 1958, a public library was established on the top floor of city hall. The current library was built in 1976 where an old electric plant and pond used to be. It was financed by Friends of the Library members putting their homes up as collateral. An addition in 1994 doubled the size of the building. More recent renovations have focused on a new children’s collection area, a reorganized main floor, and new carpet and tile.