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| Formation | 1852 |
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| Founder | Lucinda Hinsdale Stone |
| Founded at | Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Type | Woman's club |
| Website | ladieslibrarykzoo |
The Ladies' Library Association of Kalamazoo (LLA) is a woman's club in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Officially incorporated in 1852 [1] it was the first women's club organized in Michigan and the third organized in the United States. [2] Its purpose was to promote the cause of equal education for women. [3]
The Ladies' Library Association of Kalamazoo (LLA) grew from a reading group first organized in 1844. One of the original organizers was Lucinda Hinsdale Stone. [4] During the mid-19th century the LLA provided library services to the local residents. Yearly subscriptions cost fifty cents and were available to both men and women, however only women could be members of the organization. [1] The collection expanded, first being housed in members houses, to the Kalamazoo County Courthouse and then Corporation Hall.
Before formally developing into a library, the LLA held meetings in private homes “under the guise of sewing group gatherings” [5] in which members would read aloud from books as they sewed. As the association grew in size, they decided to rent spaces to hold their meetings at several locations across the town of Kalamazoo. During the 19th century, it was common for social libraries or ladies library associations to operate on a subscription basis.
In addition to creating Kalamazoo's first lending library, the LLA activities have included advocating for the right for women to vote, the creation of day nurseries for working mothers, founding Kalamazoo's first art club, and establishing a community education program for women. [6] Despite the LLA’s transition from an organized women’s club to a more general library, once formally established, the LLA sought to expand its role within their local community. Carlson (2014) suggested that the most visible way in which this was accomplished was through "the development of a library to promote moral and intellectual improvement". [7]
The Ladies Library Association Building in Kalamazoo, Michigan was the first building erected as a women's club in the United States. [8] It was also the country's first structure owned by a women's organization. [6] It was built in 1879 in the Venetian Gothic Revival style. [8]
Further, the LLA finalized construction of their 21st Century Capital Campaign project in 2013 which allowed for an addition to their preexisting facility and renovations designed to bring "the building up to current building and fire safety codes and American Disabilities Act standards (with barrier-free entrance, restrooms and elevator)". [9] Since its creation, the LLA has continued to serve as a pillar of support in its community through providing outreach, support, and assuring equality and accessibility to all patrons.
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,700 at the 2020 census. Albion is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Kalamazoo is a city in and the county seat of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States. At the 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area in southwestern Michigan, which had a population of 261,670 in 2020.
Kalamazoo College is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo is the oldest private college in Michigan. From 1840 to 1850, the institute operated as the Kalamazoo Branch of the University of Michigan. After receiving its charter from the state in 1855, the institute changed its name to Kalamazoo College.
Prairie Ronde Township is a civil township located in the southwestern corner of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,369 at the 2020 census.
Schoolcraft is a village in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States. The village is located in Schoolcraft Township approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Kalamazoo on U.S. Route 131. The population was 1,525 at the 2010 census. The village is named in honor of geographer, geologist, and ethnologist Henry Schoolcraft.
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) is a public community college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was established in 1966 by the overwhelming approval of voters in nine local school districts. Kalamazoo Valley offers 50 certificate programs and associate degrees in 60 areas of study. In addition to associate degree and certificate programs in business, health care, human and public services, technical and industrial occupations, the college also provides a quality experience for students preparing to transfer to four-year institutions following graduation. Michigan National Guard close family members can receive tuition assistance to attend KVCC as of August 2023.
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Mary Burnett Talbert was an American orator, activist, suffragist and reformer. In 2005, Talbert was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
A Lady Literate in Arts (LLA) qualification was offered by the University of St Andrews in Scotland for more than a decade before women were allowed to graduate in the same way as men, and it became popular as a kind of external degree for women who had studied through correspondence, or by attendance at non-university classes. Although awarded as a diploma, in terms of academic standard, it was equivalent to the Master of Arts.
A subscription library is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights can also be given to non-members, such as students.
Southwestern Michigan College is a public community college with its main campus near Dowagiac, Michigan. It also has a campus just outside the city limits of Niles, Michigan.
The Wabasha Public Library is a library in Wabasha, Minnesota. It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO), the south east Minnesota library region. The library serves a community of about 4,700 residents.
Downtown Lansing is the central business district of Lansing, the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the west-central part of the city along the banks of the Grand River, downtown Lansing is the primary home of the state's government and three colleges, and also contains sports facilities, museums, entertainment and retail, and a growing residential population.
Lucinda Hinsdale Stone was an early American feminist, educator, traveler, writer, and philanthropist. Stone was the first woman in the United States to take classes of young women abroad to study, that means to illustrate history and literature.
The Detroit Study Club is a Black women's literary organization formed in 1898 by African American women in Detroit, Michigan, who were dedicated to individual intellectual achievement and Black community social betterment. The Club emerged in the 1890s around the same time as numerous other Black women's clubs across the country. The original creators of the Detroit Study Club established the club to increase their knowledge about literature and social issues. They later extended that work into community welfare endeavors. In 2018, the group celebrated one-hundred-and-twenty continuous years of activity.
The Ladies Library Association Building in Kalamazoo, Michigan was the first building erected as a women's club in the United States. It was also the country's first structure owned by a women's organization. It was built in 1879 by funds raised by the Ladies' Library Association of Kalamazoo (LLA).
Bronson Park Historic District is a historic district in Kalamazoo, Michigan, consisting of Bronson Park and the surrounding government, religious, and civic buildings. It is roughly bounded by South Rose, South Park, West Lovell, and West Michigan Avenues. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Ladies' Literary Club also known as Wednesday Literary Club was built as a social club building located at 61 Sheldon Street SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. As of 2019, the building is being renovated into a social event space known as The Lit.
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