Last summer, Historic Joplin wandered about downtown with a camera and one of the stops was the Joplin Carnegie Library, the former home of the Joplin Public Library. Below are a few of the photographs from that visit. Previously, we’ve brought you the history of the library building (here and here), as well a glance at how the library has changed or not changed over the century since its construction. Enjoy!
Modern telephone and electric wires mar the view of the library today.
What is the current use for the library? It seems a shame for it to just sit there.
At one point it was owned by a former professor from Missouri Southern, and I believe, still in the possession of his family. (He is deceased) Unfortunately, that’s about all we know of its current use. It appears that a business or some organization was in it, but it’s not clear if they’re still there.
I lived in Joplin in the mid to late 60s and remember time spent in the library. I have enjoyed reading the information here. Are there any pictures of the interior of the library?
Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any interior photographs of the library. We would certainly love to see and share some!