Garden Grove Public Library, Garden Grove, Iowa

We say it all the time, one of the best and most exciting things about the Library Land Project is arriving in a town we’ve never visited and pulling up in front of a library we’ve never seen. The Garden Grove Public Library demonstrates just how wonderful that experience can be.

It was an overcast Saturday in October. We’d left Des Moines earlier in the day, and had already made a stop to see the outstanding West Des Moines Public Library. Our destination was St. Joseph, Missouri, and our route would take us across mile after mile of prairie. I was driving and Adam was manning the map, searching for libraries along the way. It was mid-afternoon, and Adam said he’d found one he thought we’d really like.

We described Garden Grove in an earlier post, but it was such an impactful visit that we wanted to revisit it again in greater detail.

We pulled off the highway and made our way through farms and fields, along the long, straight roads of Iowa’s countryside. People talk about this part of the country as being flat. It isn’t. Gently rolling hills, copses of trees, and lone homes were our scenery as we made our way to Garden Grove. Once the home to farms and groves to sustain Mormon migrants heading west, the town is now a quiet crossroads.

Garden Grove is classified as a city, despite a population of just 174 people. The library is co-located with the city hall in a nondescript one-story building. We pulled up, hopped out, walked in, and were astonished. 

The library is one small room, and as you enter, you can see it all. A desk, a table, a few chairs, a computer, and a handful of shelves are all of the furnishings (oh, aside from a refrigerator, stocked at the time with a selection of frozen treats). 

When we arrived, a man was seated at the desk, working. He was wearing round, metal-framed glasses, a simple blue shirt, and braided leather suspenders. A woman was at the table, working on a poster. She was wearing a green dress with a buttoned collar, and an apron, her hair pulled back into a bun. It turns out she had made her clothes. As we noted in our earlier post on the library, it felt as though we’d been transported back to the nineteenth century. 

The scene created a sense of cognitive dissonance. Where were we? Who were these people? What century were we in? It was slightly jarring, but not unpleasant.

As usual, we started by asking them to tell us about the library and the community. Gabriel Chrisman (as we learned was his name) introduced himself and introduced us to Sarah, his wife, who was the librarian. The two of them told us an amazing story.

To say they are obsessed with Victorian life is probably an understatement. Sarah, we learned, is an author who is focused on the Victorian era. Gabriel, who it turns out is a librarian at the Des Moines Public Library, makes and repairs Victorian-era bicycles. You can read about all of their activities on their website, This Victorian Life. 

The pair came to Garden Grove, in part, to pursue their passion for prairie life. They’re restoring a Victorian house in town that is just a stone’s throw from the library - and that’s how their involvement began. While Gabriel was commuting and working in Des Moines, Sarah began visiting the library.

When she did, she found an interesting institution. War documentaries were playing regularly, the cataloging system was virtually non-existent, and the shelving methodology was difficult to discern. Being a big library fan - and a civic-minded individual, Sarah began organizing the library. Initially as a volunteer, but over time, the then-librarian came in less and less. Sarah came in more and more - until she was eventually asked by the city if she would like to run the library.

It was a task she tackled with gusto and grace. With support and guidance from Gabriel, the collection was weeded and reorganized, a catalog was created, paper library cards were made, and the little library began to stir. New signage cropped up, programming was developed, and the community began to take notice.

Sarah told us of one youngster who had become a regular at the library. In a small town where public spaces and activities are limited, the library offered a place for him to spend time, reading and exploring, and growing. 

During our visit, Sarah was working on signage for a program of French songs, for listening and singing. We were amazed when she described a recent program - on Victorian life - that attracted 20 people. Now, you may be thinking, 20, sure, that’s not bad - but bear in mind that for Garden Grove, it represents more than 10 percent of the population!

I mentioned the creation of library cards. They hadn’t been used by the library in recent years. During our visit, someone came in looking for city hall (which was closed). He hadn’t realized the town had a library. Why of course, Sarah explained and helped him sign up for a card. We couldn’t resist and later in the visit got cards ourselves. Adam proudly holds card number 20 and I number 21. I have many library cards, but this one is one of the dearest.

Sarah and Gabriel showed us around the small space and collection - and they shared it with us with so much energy and joy. It was hard not to be overwhelmed with emotion. We sometimes hear people suggest that small communities like this one - with a library open only a few hours a week - might be better served by a county or regional library. They may be right, but I invite them to visit Garden Grove. If they do, they will see that with the right people and spirit, even the smallest of libraries can have an enormous impact.

We’ll be keeping in touch with Sarah - and updating you - as she shepherds this wonderful little library forward.

Visited on October 9, 2021.