Waterloo Public Library

10/21/2026

10/20/2026

Our Reference Librarians and Library Assistants have been hard at work adding local history postcards to the library’s Historical Cedar Valley database, uncovering fascinating pieces of Waterloo’s past along the way. We’re excited to share some of their favorite finds with you.

Elliott’s portrait supported by two roped hearts dominates the front of this local postcard at a time when fierce rivalry between East Side and West Side Waterloo was the backdrop for a hotly contested congressional race. With his motto he emphasized willingness to represent both sides of Waterloo in Washington. Elliott (sporting an impressive walrus mustache) faced a well-connected Waterloo native, attorney Charles Pickett. Republican presidential candidate William Howard Taft was lavishly entertained in the Pickett mansion when Taft’s whistle-stop train campaign was in Waterloo a month earlier (the house still stands at 119 Leland).

Wisconsin-born Elliott’s background included stints as a teacher, printer and newspaperman. He arrived in Waterloo in 1897 hired as a Waterloo Courier reporter, then moved up to join the editorial staff of the Waterloo Daily Reporter. In 1903 the staunch Democrat ran for Black Hawk County Superintendent of Schools. Elliott’s popularity became apparent when he garnered bipartisan support to become the first Democrat in 40 years to be elected to that office. His college-educated wife Elizabeth, a “lady of refinement and culture,” served as deputy county superintendent.

Key elements of Elliott's progressive 1908 platform are highlighted on the card’s reverse. The illustrated “instructions” on how to mark a paper ballot or vote mechanically were likely helpful as lever voting machines had only come into use in the 1890s. Elliott also ran Courier ads courting the county voters who’d previously supported him with the slogan “One Good TERM Deserves Another.” But just days before the election, under a Courier front page headline, West siders backing Pickett accused Elliot of employing “a contemptible political trick” and "disreputable and dishonest methods” in his campaign. Later news items echoed that charge, claiming that Elliott had chosen to unfairly attack Pickett’s character.

So what happened? The November 4th Courier lead story announced a “Grand G.O.P. Victory In City” - Charles Pickett had captured 57.6% of the 5,000 plus registered voters of Waterloo. Though hundreds had gathered to watch the contest play out via the high tech of the time “At the gas office on the east side returns were flashed on a screen…” while West siders followed returns “...flashed by the Jewell theatre management, ” the newspaper reported there was no surprise and only muted celebration at the results. The local Prohibition and Socialist parties each captured just over 1% of the votes cast. Pickett’s friend Taft carried the national presidential race by a landslide.

Elliott’s postcard investment didn’t pay off but it remains an intriguing political artifact. The couple finished their superintendent terms in 1908, then moved their family to Adams, Wisconsin around 1910. Elliott continued as a newspaperman until his death there in 1943.

https://historicalcedarvalley.omeka.net/items/show/28
Postcard Politics: The 1908 Presidential Campaign

10/19/2026

Friends of the Waterloo Public Library make more possible. ❤️📚

Behind many of the programs, events, and experiences that bring our community together are people who believe in the Library and choose to invest in its future.

During fiscal year 2025, the Friends contributed an incredible $51,000 to the Library through membership revenue, donations, and other support. Their generosity helped support 473 Library programs, creating opportunities for people of all ages to learn, connect, and explore.

From summer programs for kids and teens to year-round opportunities for people of all ages, Friends support helps turn an idea into an experience, and an experience into a memory.

These photos offer just a glimpse of what Friends' support helps make possible. ❤️

Want to help make more possible? Become a Friend, make a donation, shop the Used Book Shop, or learn more about upcoming book sales and other ways to support the Library:

https://www.waterloopubliclibrary.org/friends

10/18/2026

🚨 TEMPORARY LIBRARY CLOSURE: OCTOBER 19–23 🚨

The Waterloo Public Library will be closed October 19–23 for critical preparation work for our future public elevator replacement.

We will reopen October 24 at noon.

Why are we closing?
Crews will be drilling approximately 45 feet beneath the current elevator to create the pit needed for a new hydraulic elevator. This work will create extreme levels of noise throughout the building, so the Library must close to protect the safety and comfort of visitors and staff.

During the closure:
No materials will be due.
Materials will not be checked in.
Please do not use the outside book drop.

This is the first step toward replacing our public elevator. The elevator itself will be installed later, with construction expected to take several months. During that time, we will have an alternative option for visitors who rely on the elevator to travel between floors.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work toward a better Library for everyone!

10/17/2026

A very special thank you to everyone who joined us on October 16 to dedicate our Readers on the Prairie mural in memory of our former coworker, Endya Johnson. Endya was loved by her library family and so many in our community, and it was clear just how much she meant to everyone who came together to honor her.

The next time you’re at the Library, stop by and take a look at the mural!

10/16/2026

Books and hockey make a pretty great team! 🏒📚

A huge thank you to the Waterloo Black Hawks for their recent book drive and generous donation of 179 new books for our readers. Our community showed up in a big way!

We are grateful to everyone who donated, and especially to the Black Hawks for coordinating this drive, and their support of reading and literacy in the community. What an amazing way to support local readers! 🫶

10/06/2026

Our Reference Librarians and Library Assistants have been hard at work adding local history postcards to the library’s Historical Cedar Valley database, uncovering fascinating pieces of Waterloo’s past along the way. We’re excited to share some of their favorite finds with you.

In 1907, Waterloo citizens began talks with the Order of Franciscan Sisters from St. Louis with the intent of establishing a larger city hospital. The city was expected to supply 10 acres of ground and $30,000 towards the cost of construction, and the Franciscans would build a hospital at a cost of not less than $100,000. It took several years to complete negotiations and raise the money, but a 43-acre site was purchased in 1908, and construction started in 1911. The 121-bed hospital opened in December 1912 at 1407 Independence Ave. After the new St. Francis Hospital building was constructed in the 1960s, the building was purchased by Black Hawk County to serve as a health center, county residential care facility and later the home for the Black Hawk County Health Department. It is now known as the Pinecrest Building.

https://historicalcedarvalley.omeka.net/items/show/508
https://historicalcedarvalley.omeka.net/items/show/426

10/02/2026

Check out these upcoming Tech classes we're offering. Topics to be discussed in October: Facebook basics, Ancestry/Genealogy, smartphones and tablets 101, and computer basics.

Registration is required and limited to 10 participants per session. Be sure to grab your spot while you can!

https://tinyurl.com/WPLTechClassesNEW

Photos or videos may be taken at this program.