McAlester Public Library

McAlester Public Library exterior photo

Location Details

Address:
401 N 2nd Street
McAlester, OK  74501

Directions:
Google Maps

Library Manager:

Heath Stanfield

Contact Information:

Phone: (918) 426-0930
Email: mcalester@seolibraries.com
Fax: (888) 384-2964

Hours:

Mon-Thurs: 9am-7pm
Fri: 9am -6pm
Sat: 9am-5pm
Sun: 1pm-5pm

COVID-19 Hours
Mon-Fri: 9am-6pm
Sat:  9am-5pm

Upcoming Events

This event is in the "Adults" group.

Small Business Lunch and Learn

11:00am - 12:00pm
McAlester Public Library
Library Branch: McAlester Public Library
Room: Whiteacre Room A
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Career Development, Discussion Groups, Workshop
Event Details:
Join us at 11 AM for Small Business Lunch and Learn entrepreneurial training course! The program will be led by community partners from the local community to provide information and insight about services available locally. Lunch is provided!  ...
This event is in the "Children" group.
This event is in the "Teens" group.

Coding Club

4:00pm - 5:00pm
McAlester Public Library
Library Branch: McAlester Public Library
Age Group: Children, Teens
Program Type: Technology Class
Event Details:
Learn how to code in an interactive and exciting way at your own pace!  You can check out a lot of different coding languages through Fiero. This program is intended for 8 years of age and up and will require a parent email to get started. ...
This event is in the "Everyone" group.

Pajama Storytime

6:00pm - 6:45pm
McAlester Public Library
Library Branch: McAlester Public Library
Room: Whiteacre Room AB
Age Group: Everyone
Program Type: Storytime

Storytime

Storytime introduces children to books and other fun and interactive activities while assisting in the development of early literacy skills. Parents/Guardians must remain with their children during the Story Time program.
This event is in the "Toddlers" group.

Wiggle Worms

10:00am - 10:30am
McAlester Public Library
Library Branch: McAlester Public Library
Room: Whiteacre Room B
Age Group: Toddlers
Program Type: Storytime
Event Details:
Join us every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10 AM for our most popular program! Toddlers enjoy storytime and sing-along songs with Miss Heidi! ...

About the Library

McAlester Library has had many locations over the past 115 years. In 1904, the ladies of the McAlester Fortnightly Club decided that McAlester needed a library. To launch their idea, they held fundraisers, including a play at which the admission price was one book. On April 7, 1905, they opened a library with 750 volumes on the second floor of the Kellogg Building on Choctaw Avenue. They quickly outgrew their tiny space, and city founder, J.J. McAlester, offered them a bigger space in his building. The city council approved a monthly appropriation of $35.00 for the library. In 1907, the library was so busy that the need for a paid full-time librarian was apparent.

Mrs. Phoebe E. Hayden was hired as McAlester’s first librarian. In 1910, the J.J. McAlester Building was sold and the library was forced to move again. This time it was housed in the cramped checkroom of the Busby Theater. The Fortnightly club realized that a permanent building was needed. They looked to philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who was giving grants for library construction all around the country. Their grant application for $25,000.00 was approved with the stipulation that a building lot be provided and that a permanent tax be passed to maintain the library. The ladies found a suitable lot on Grand Avenue (now Carl Albert Pkwy).

In 1913, work began on the new Carnegie Library. The groundbreaking event was celebrated with a parade and the laying of the cornerstone, which bears the name of the library board members. In 1914, the new Carnegie Library opened with a 3000-volume collection. By the mid-1960s, the successful library had once again outgrown its building. Voters approved a bond issue for a new library, and construction began at the present site in 1968. On May 9, 1970 the library opened at 401 N. 2nd Street where it has remained for more than 50 years.

McAlester, Oklahoma was the birthplace of John Berryman, poet and biographer, on October 25, 1914.  Mr. Berryman was honored with the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and the Bollinger Prize. This community; the center of his childhood in small town Oklahoma, was designated a Literary Landmark by the Friends of the Library U.S.A. in 2005.  In 2015, a mural of John Berryman was painted across from the library on North 2ndSt.  and a collection of his works are available at the McAlester Library.

The McAlester Chapter of Friends of the Library and the Puterbaugh Foundation have been a vital contributors to the success of McAlester Library. McAlester Library has been part of the Southeastern Oklahoma library System since the late 1960’s.