The freedom to read is intertwined with U. However, book challenges have also been a recurring feature of American history. Find a timeline of the history of the freedom to read in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and beyond at the link below. Freedom to Read Timeline. It was called the free library to differentiate it from the ways people accessed books before - from private libraries, which often had membership fees, such as a rental library at the YMCA, and a Library Association before that. In , the Masonic Library opened, and numerous literacy clubs and societies were formed.
The city was rapidly growing; the population doubled between and The women of the federation campaigned to establish a library, organizing concerts and circulating petitions. While women could not vote generally, in , Iowa became one of only two states to pass legislation allowing women to vote on limited tax issues, including library levies.
The City Council put the matter to a public vote on March 2, The results were 1, votes yes to 1, no. The library was approved by just 59 votes. The four women and five men of the new board elected Van Vechten their president. The first librarian, Virginia Dodge, was a woman, as were all the head librarians through Dodge was from Oak Park, Ill. She opened the new library along with an assistant, Kathryn Canfield, and an apprentice.
From an initial collection of 1, books, the library quickly grew. It needed to โ Cedar Rapids residents were enthusiastic borrowers, checking out more than 1, titles in the first two weeks. She organized reading clubs for children, along with a club for boys that gathered at the library in the evenings.
In , the library moved to a larger space in the Dows Building, at the corner of Second Avenue and Third Street downtown. Meanwhile, the Board planned for future growth, sending a letter to business tycoon Andrew Carnegie in , asking for his philanthropic support.
