North Iowa Genealogy Society Leaving Public Library



The North Central Iowa Genealogical Society is moving out of the Mason City Public Library. The genealogical society has been in the library for nearly 40 years.

According to the Globe Gazette, the library board and the genealogical society have been discussing its relocation for months.

The Globe Gazette reported on October 23, 2018, that the North Central Iowa Genealogical Society has found a new home. According to the Globe Gazette, the relocation “comes after months of unsuccessful negotiations between the Mason City Library Board of Trustees and NCIGS about retaining the space after Library Director Mary Markwalter cited ‘changing space utilization needs of the library’.”

Volunteers helped the North Central Iowa Genealogical Society to begin moving boxes containing the genealogical society’s resources. This included books, maps, periodicals, and others. The resources were being moved to the Masonic Temple Association of Mason City. It is located less than one mile from the Mason City Public Library.

President of North Central Iowa Genealogical Society, Mark Suby, said the 1,500-square-foot space on the second floor of the Masonic Temple building is “considerably bigger” than the amount of space the genealogical society had at the Mason City Public Library.

There is enough room to house their entire collection. In addition, there will be a training center for genealogical research and room for the North Central Iowa Genealogical Society’s monthly meetings.

The space at the Masonic Temple does not yet have shelves, desks, and chairs. The resources will be unpacked after those necessary items are acquired. NCIGS librarian, Sandra Turner, says they will continue to offer their reference services at the Mason City Public Library until they are settled at the Masonic Temple site.

While it is sad to see a genealogical society have to leave the library they have been in for 40 years, it appears that some good has come out of this situation. The North Central Iowa Genealogical Society will still be somewhat close to the Mason City Public Library. NCIGS will also have more space than they had before.

Image from Pexels

Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:

* The BYU-Idaho Genealogy Library is Shutting Down

* Can You Merge a Genealogy Society with a Historical Board?

* A Guide to Georgia’s Public Library’s Genealogy Information

< Return To Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.