The Story of the Library
In 1991 the library began as a collection of 5000 books discarded from other libraries. Second-hand equipment, a dozen videotapes, and 25 journals were housed in a single room on the second floor of the main building. (At that time, Nebraska Indian Community College). The librarian, Darcy Peletich, applied to the Tribal Councils for each of the libraries on the three campuses (Winnebago, Macy and Santee) to be designated as the public library for the reservation. The building in Winnebago was condemned because of the weight of the materials on the second floor.
Clearly something had to be done. There was a small building just behind the main building that had once been the laundry for the mission school in the 1950s. It had served briefly as a community canning center in the 1970s. The floors had drains, and the building was dark, dirty, and full of old equipment. With $15,000 from the tribe, and a lot of sweat equity, the building was transformed into a library. The library was moved in one week with a lot of volunteer effort, in December of 1995. At that time, it was thought the building would be adequate for at least 10 years.
In May of 1996, Little Priest Tribal College was chartered, and NICC moved its headquarters to Macy. The NICC library became the library for the new college, intact. By that time the library had grown substantially and was bursting at the seams, inside and out. The roof leaked, and there were many other structural problems.
In 1998, with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the library automated its circulation and public access catalog. A circulation desk was purchased, which was the cause of much celebration. Now it was a "real" library. The campus was wired for Internet access, which opened up the world of information to everyone in Winnebago. With the help of the Nebraska Library Commission, access to electronic databases of journals in full text and abstract was free of charge to everyone.
By the year 2000 it became obvious that the building would no longer work as a library. There was a year of planning with committees, architects, builders, and college administration. What came of that was a plan for a new log and steel building that would match the Cultural Learning Center, Museum, and Student Services building next door, but was larger in every dimension. With a $750,000 grant from the Lily Foundation and two grants totaling $325,000 from the USDA, the 10,000 square foot building was built (Architect Jarret F. Griffith, construction by Ho-Chunk, Inc., Keith Kilpatrick construction manager). It was furnished with a $100,000 grant from HUD. Most of the furniture was made by Cornhusker Industries in Lincoln, a state prison-based carpentry program. The library moved into the building during February of 2003 and reopened March 1.
The first tribal college library to become a government depository library, Little Priest library is now making room and selecting materials for the new government documents collection. The library recently applied to become an associate member of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. It is hoped that this association will lead to community partnerships for health consumer information. In the fall of 2005, the library was nominated for an award as the Best Small Library in America!
The LPTC Library serves a reservation population of nearly 1000. This community is one of the few rural villages in Nebraska that is growing, and Thurston County is the only county in Nebraska that is growing. Most residents are members of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, but all ethnic groups are represented here. Whereas most community college libraries will allow community members to check out their materails, that is as far as service to the community goes. Here, however, we have a very proactive community-oriented program. Most (approximately 60-70% of the patrons who visit the library are members of the community with no connection to the college. Visit the KidZone page to see what we are doing to serve children and youth here.