About Butler Public Library
Our History
Back in the year 1926 a group of public spirited women of Butler met in the home of Mrs. Ed Williams to form a library for this community. The organization was to be called Public Library of Butler.
There was a concerted drive for funds in each ward of the city, after which the Camp Fire Girls sold tags on the square for 10 cents each. School children prepared posters, lodges donated, out of town friends were written for donations. The County Court gave the use of a room in the basement of the courthouse. After several months of preparation, the library opened to the public on June 12, 1926. Butler merchants over the succeeding years contributed $1.00 per month for financial assistance. For fifty years the library was housed in the courthouse. In 1977 it moved to a new building constructed with funds from a legacy of a former Butler resident, Hazel Ludwick Neuschafer and her daughter, Norma Neuschafer, and on land donated by Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Rice.
Throughout it’s history the library has existed without a tax base for support. Early attempts to secure a county tax levy failed by a large majority. The library survives through an active memorial program, donations from individuals and businesses, service organizations and the City of Butler.
Robert A. Heinlein, the renowned science fiction writer, was born in Butler. He died in in 1988. Later that year, his wife advised the library of her husband’s wish to expand the Butler Public Library, and, accordingly, the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Library Foundation was established. Funds from the foundation enabled renovation of the present library and construction of the new wing. This was completed in Aug. of 1991. Funds of the foundation are under strict control of the foundation, and do not provide for every-day expenses.
The library continues to grow to meet the demands of the 21st century and we still need your help to provide service for the community.