The Duncan Public Library is celebrating its 100 year anniversary! “The original ‘formal’ opening for the library was celebrated with a number of speeches and presentations from the library and the local women’s clubs on February 21, 1921.”, states Amy Ryker, the director of the library, in regards to the start of the Duncan Public Library. Although the official opening for the library was on a specific day, this year’s anniversary celebration will last all year, with new and different ways to bring cheer to those in the library.
To celebrate, Duncan Public Library will be posting “vintage” posts on social media. Many special displays will be put in the library to celebrate, some of which will be from when they first opened to bring back the nostalgia from the early days of the library. Each month of the year, the displays will be changed to different years of entertainment. This month’s display is based on 1920’s entertainment. Because of COVID-19, the library will not be having any special gatherings this year until the pandemic slows down.
The library is already planning festivals in case things change. “Many new pieces of information are brought to us everyday,” says Amy Ryker. The library is already decorating displays for the celebration, and hoping that February will be more proggresive. As things change daily, the plans change, so it will be a while until the library can host a festival.
During these 100 years, the Duncan Public Library has had an interesting history of changes, as would any system that has been in use for such a long time. Amy Ryker shared some of the key events during the timeline. First, the library was located in the city hall on Maine Street. In 1924, the library moved into the old highschool, and then relocated into a small home. In 1939, the WPA built a new library, which is now the Genealogy branch library found on 8th and Ash. In 1975, yet another new building was built, this time in courtesy of the McCasland Foundation. In 2005, the library moved into the building we all know and love today, and has stayed there ever since.
