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COUNTY LIBRARY CREATED TO SERVE RURAL AREAS
By 1935 Yakima, Sunnyside, Wapato, Selah, Buena, Toppenish, and Granger had all established city libraries. In spite of a world war and global depression, those early libraries were popular and expanded rapidly. But there were still many farms and ranches with no access to a library. In 1944 voters approved the Rural Library Association measure, designed to take library services out to the rural areas of the county. The 1940's saw similar rural library systems created all over the western United States. Follow the links below to learn how this new type of library service developed in rural Yakima County.
  October 15, 1944 Rural library facilities Yakima Daily Republic
  [January 1945] County to act soon on library plan Yakima Daily Republic
  [1945] Creation of County library Yakima Morning Herald
  July 4, 1945 Library plan put to County Yakima Morning Herald
  July 4, 1945 Daily Mirror of life in Yakima Yakima Morning Herald
  July 4, 1945 Staffing the new library Yakima Daily Republic
  July 4, 1945 Board outlines library program Yakima Morning Herald
  July 12, 1945 Many cards issued for county library Yakima Daily Republic
  July 12, 1945 County board meets Yakima Daily Republic
  August 17, 1945 County library gets new home Yakima Morning Herald
  [September 1945] Library program studied by board Yakima Morning Herald
  October 20, 1945 Rural library catching on Yakima Morning Herald
  October 26, 1945 White Swan eyes library action Yakima Morning Herald
  October 28, 1945 County board plans for important meet Yakima Daily Republic
  [1946] Modern service offered by County Rural Library Yakima Morning Herald
  March 2, 1946 Union Gap works to open one of the first community libraries Yakima Morning Herald
  March 2, 1946 Pictures taken on Union Gap opening day Yakima Morning Herald
       
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