Fairbury Public Library was built in 1909 with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. The library is located at 7th and F Streets. The original Carnegie library is one of 69 Carnegie libraries in the state of Nebraska. This historic building now houses the children's department of the library. In 1988 a new addition was completed, which houses the adult department of the library, public access computers, genealogy section, library director's office, meeting room area, copy machine and microfilm reader. The library is a repository for genealogical information for Jefferson County. Fairbury Public Library offers a wide variety of services and programs. Supported primarily by tax dollars, our mission is to serve the residents of Fairbury and Jefferson County.
 

Author Visits Fairbury

Author Joel Williamsen, pictured above at the dedication of the marker of the Rock Island train wreck which is central to his novel, gave a talk titled "The People and Places of Barrelhouse Boys" at the Rock Island Depot the evening of August 9. Mr. Williamsen's appearance was sponsored by the Fairbury Public Library Foundation with the support of the Jefferson County Historical Society. About 40 people attended the talk and visited with the author afterwards as he autographed copies of his novel, "Barrelhouse Boys." Mr. Williamsen donated copies of his book in both print and audio book format to the public library along with part of the proceeds from sales of his book that evening. Photos from the evening are below. Click on each photo for a larger version.