The Joplin Public Library District is responsible for providing library services in Joplin, Missouri. The Joplin Public Library District, which serves the tri-state area as the largest public library between Springfield and Tulsa, draws patrons from all over the state. It is estimated that the collection has roughly 115,000 objects, both in print and non-print format. Weekends and holidays are not an issue because the Library is open 66 hours a week, including evenings and weekend days.
The Joplin Public Library District, like all library districts in the state of Missouri, is classified as a Special District. In Jasper County, the library district encompasses all of the land located inside the city boundaries of Joplin. According to Newton County’s library district boundaries, the area of the city of Joplin that was within the municipal limits on October 13, 1965 is the only part of the city that is included.
A ten-cent tax to fund the operation of a public library was approved by the voters of Joplin, Missouri, in 1902. The Joplin Public Library District was created in 1902. The construction of a library building was made possible by a $40,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation, with funds raised by the community to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the facility. The Carnegie Library, located at 9th Street and Wall Avenue in New York City, was erected in the early twentieth century and later included on the National Register of Historic Places.
As the city’s demands surpassed the existing area, the current library, located at 300 S. Main Street, was completed in 1980 at a cost of roughly $2,000,000. The new library building, which opened to the public in May 1981, was designed by architect Richard Meier. The Rosemary Titus Reynolds Children’s Library, which opened its doors in March 1996, was built after the facility was renovated and enlarged in 1995 to accommodate the growing number of children. The facility, which has a total floor area of roughly 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2), is completely accessible to those with disabilities.
The historic Connor Hotel, which had to be razed to make way for the new library, was demolished to make way for the new library. The hotel collapsed on November 11, 1978, one day before it was set to be demolished with explosives, trapping three workmen beneath the wreckage. Despite being trapped for eighty-two hours, Alfred Sommers was able to escape and reach safety. The catastrophe resulted in the deaths of the two other workmen. It was a three-and-a-half-day struggle that drew the attention of the whole country.