Wayne State College Conn Library
Conn Library is named after Ulysses Sylvester Conn, the first president of the State Normal School at Wayne. The current library building was built in 1956 with an additional wing extended its size in 1970.
| Wayne State College Conn Library 1111 Main Street Wayne, Nebraska 68787 (402) 375-7257 Email: Asklibrary@wsc.edu Website: http://academic.wsc.edu/ conn_library/ |
Monday-Thursday (7:30am-12:00am) Friday (7:30am-5:00pm) Saturday (1:00pm-6:00pm) Sunday (3:00pm-12:00am) |
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The Wayne State College Conn Library catalogue is available online. The largest collections at the library are related to business, education, history, and literature. There are also sections of government documents, reference materials, and periodicals. The Wayne State College Stacks hold a broad variety of titles in fiction and nonfiction.
Scope of Archive Collections
Conn Library has a large collection of books related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, as well as other materials that are closely related to Native American history and the general history of the Great Plains.
Primary Materials Available
The Conn Library is home to the Wayne State College Archives Storage. It holds numerous editions of the college’s first student newspaper The Flame, which dates back to the early 1900s. All editions from the second student newspaper, The Wayne Stater, is also stored here. The archives also holds limited papers and materials from the earlier librarians and presidents from the 1920s-1950s.
Tours / Activities
Instructional tours of Conn Library are available upon appointment. The tours demonstrate equipment management and provide an overview of the library collections and reference materials.
Wayne Public Library
The Wayne Public Library holds over 20,000 books, and also serves as a Senior Citizen and Community Center.
| Wayne Public Library 410 Pearl Street Wayne, Nebraska 68787 (402) 375-3135 Website: http://city.waynene.org/ Library__Senior_Center/Library/ |
Monday-Thursday (10:00am-8:30pm) Friday (10:00am-6:00pm) Saturday (10:00am-4:00pm) Sunday (2:00pm-5:00pm) Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, the library is not opened on Sundays. |
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The Wayne Public Library collection is available through an online catalogue. The library offers adult nonfiction, fiction, children’s literature, newspapers and magazines, audio books, videotapes, and art work (from various artists throughout Nebraska and Wayne County).
Primary Materials Available
The library offers numerous Wayne newspapers and Wayne county obituaries on microfilm. A microfilm machine is available and copies are only $.10 per sheet. Newspaper titles date back to the 1880s, including:
The Wayne Herald, Wayne Herald-Tribune, Wayne Gazette, and The Wayne Democrat.
Tours / Activities
Organizations and group tours may visit the Wayne Public Library and also receive free informational sessions. These sessions are led by librarians, and they will demonstrate how to use the library’s online catalogue and the library’s equipment. Please call ahead to make an appointment for an informational session.
Wayne County Historical Society
The Wayne County Museum is located in a mansion that was built in the 1890s and owned by Rollie Ley.
| Wayne County Historical Society 7th & Lincoln Streets Wayne, Nebraska 68787 (402) 375-3075 (402) 375-4315 |
Hours: Open Memorial Day through Labor Day on Sundays, 2:00pm-4:00pm. |
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The museum displays are organized to replicate a family’s house that existed between the 1920s and 1940s. It holds numerous original items that have been donated by former and current residents and businesses of Wayne and other communities throughout Wayne County. These items include dishes, furniture, clothing, artwork, pictures, books, old church hymnals and bibles, appliances, maps, and music records. It also includes numerous collections of war memorabilia. The basement displays antique farm equipment.
Primary Materials Available
The photograph collection throughout the museum is very impressive. Its images show Wayne in 1886, the first homesteaders of Wayne County in 1870, the last buffalo herd in Wayne County, various photos from LaPorte, Nebraska, the first town in Wayne County, the ruins of the Wayne County Courthouse and the rebuilt courthouse in 1899, the Wayne Auditorium, Post Office, City Hall, the Wayne railroad depot, Wayne High School, Carroll Public School, the first public library in Wayne, former and current churches in Wayne County, and images of the development and expansion of Wayne State College.
Accessibility of Artifacts and Displays
The materials in the Wayne County Museum are available for viewing purposes.
Tours / Activities
Group and individual tours are available upon an appointment scheduled in advance.