Book Discussion

Book Discussion at Beatrice Public Library "How Shall We Make Beatrice Grow" Clara Bewick Colby and the Beatrice Public Library Association in the 1870s Laureen Riedesel, Beatrice Public Library Director For a young frontier town like Beatrice in the 1870s, a library wasn't just about books. It was also a means for cultivating social values, and it created pathways for women to exercise leadership in the community. The town's first privately funded library faced challenges from the start. This article was written by Kristin Mapel Bloomberg, a Hamline University (Minnesota) professor and former resident of Beatrice.