The public library in Hettinger has been a part of the city since 1913 when the city was six years old. According to an article in the 1913 edition of the Adams County Record, a public library, sponsored by the Twentieth Century Club in Hettinger, was opened in February of that year in the O. T. Peterson’s office building. The director was Miss Leota Shaw. It was open for three hours on Saturdays and the members took turns as librarians.
    In a compiled history of the library in one of the archives, it was noted that the library was moved to city hall some time in the 1930s. Another article in the 1945 edition of the Adams County Record stated that the library had been moved to the enclosed part of the Community room of the courthouse formerly occupied by the Red Cross.
    In 1945 a library association was organized by the Twentieth Century Club. The civic clubs of Hettinger were invited to join, and fifteen members representing these clubs made up the organization. The library was open one evening in the week and the usual Saturday afternoons from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mrs. Josephine Kirby was the active librarian. At that time the inventory showed there were 1,200 books in the library.  Mrs. Claude Marion, trained in a library science at the University of Minnesota, started the cataloging of the books that year.
    Money for the library was raised primarily by the Twentieth Century Club who sponsored musical and dramatic entertainment, movies, food sales and lunches in order to buy books. Donations were solicited, books were donated and library teas became a way of raising money.
    As the years went on the organizations became more lapse in their donations and each year the finance committee had to appear before the city council to appeal for funds.  From 1951 to 1958 the money spent for new books dropped from $40 to nothing in 1957 and only $36 in 1958.  During this period the library collection was moved to a dingy room in the basement of the courthouse. In 1958 the library board realized that in order to maintain a public library, they must petition the city to have the library under city taxation.  This was done in 1958 and for the next three years, the Hettinger city library was under a 2.85 city mill levy. The library was open seven hours a week, and there were 3,986 books. 
    In 1961, Citizens for County Library Service was formed to promote the establishment of a county library, which was accomplished in June of 1961.The new librarian for the county library was Mrs. Claude Marion with Mrs. Bertha Sands as her assistant. With the help of many local and state people and many donations of all types, the library started to grow and by 1962 there were 10,400 books in the library. 
    Sub-stations of the Adams County Library were established in the spring of 1962. One was at Reeder with Mrs. Charles Wood in charge, assisted by Mrs. Lyle Donner, and the other at the Chris Christman farm in the eastern part of the county with Mrs. Chris Christman in charge. There was no documentation when the Christman substation was no longer available.  The Reeder Library was housed in the old creamery building in downtown Reeder prior to moving into a school house The school house was purchased and remodeled in 1962 by the Adams County Library Board and moved to Reeder. The town furnished the lot and put in a basement. The present librarian at the Reeder library is Ilene Kowis. 
    As the result of a bequest of the estate of pioneer Hettinger businessman, Oscar A. Erlandson, a new library was constructed in Hettinger across the street west of the Adams County courthouse, a block from the downtown business district. Construction, handled by the Erlandson Lumber Company founded by Oscar and now managed by his son, Dean Erlandson, began in September of 1963. The library was named in honor of Mrs. O. A. (Minnie) Erlandson and so became the Minnie Erlandson Library. It was completed in the spring of 1964 with an open house held on April 12.
   Also, in 1964 the library won a $1,000 award presented by the Book of the Month Club to help fund the library.  At that time, the library was servicing the entire county with substations in Reeder and at the Chris Christman home in east Adams County. In addition, the library in Hettinger was serving two schools south of Hettinger and the Reeder substation was serving the Bucyrus area and two schools in South Dakota. Also books were being circulated to residents in North Lemmon through the Lemmon City Library in Lemmon, South Dakota.
    A group who called themselves “Friends of the Library” organized in 1965. Their purpose was to “stimulate public support, understanding and use of the library”. It was separate from the official library board. They sponsored coffee parties annually to promote the library, increase membership (1.00 for individuals and 3.00 for organizations), and raise money for ongoing expenses.
    The children’s library on the lower level was completed in 1968 with funds from a federal grant.
     A column entitled “Library Echoes” was printed for many years in the Adams County Record. In 1971 there were 15,729 books.  In 1972 the Children’s Summer Reading Program was started sponsored  by Friends of the Library. They also sponsored a children’s story hour the following year. Bunny Marion became the children’s librarian in 1985 and continues to the present.
    La Dean Moen was hired as the director of the library in1997. Pat Anderson was hired in 2004 and continues in that position.
    A brief synopsis of the librarians and assistant librarians throughout the history of the Adams County Library are as follows:  Head librarians - Josephine Kirby, Mabel Tommerson, Agnes Ladwig, Bertha Sands, Geraldine Marion and LaDean Moen, Pat Anderson. Assistant librarians – Bertha Sands, Valva Huenink, Myrtle Dangerud, Faye Byrne, Ardis Skaarvold, Carolyn Ramstead, Janet Schauer, Cleo Markegard, Ruth Tandberg, Alice Tatro, Alleyne Clement, Phyllis Fuglie, Bernice “Bunny” Marion, Virginia Meisner, Jan Sherer, Ione Melling and Cheryl Thompson.

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UPDATED 08-04-07