- Mid-Continent Public Library
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Mid-Continent Public Library 
Established 1965 (1892) Location Clay, Platte, & Jackson Counties,
MissouriBranches 30 Collection Size 3,544,072 (2009) Access and use Circulation 9,183,005 (2009) Population served 668,428 Other information Budget $46,561,545 (2009) Director Steven Potter Website http://www.mymcpl.org/
Midwest Genealogy Center:
http://www.mymcpl.org/genealogyMid-Continent Public Library is a consolidated public library system serving Clay, Platte, and Jackson Counties in Missouri, with headquarters in Independence, Missouri. (Note: Kansas City Public Library is a separate system with facilities primarily serving Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri.)
The Mid-Continent Library is the largest public library system in the state of Missouri by number of volumes and size of budget. Its collection ranks among the 100 largest libraries in America, which includes university, public, and private collections.[1]
Contents
Background
Mid-Continent Public Library (formally known as: Consolidated Library System No. 3) was founded in 1965. However, its roots go back to the Independence Public Library, formed by the Independence Library Association in 1892 and the creation of the Citizens Improvement Association Library (later the Carnegie Library) in Excelsior Springs in the 1890s. It currently has 30 branches in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area of Missouri located in Kansas City, Independence, Liberty, Gladstone, Lee’s Summit, Grandview, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, and other cities. It also hosts two installations at community centers in partnership with the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department that provide automated library services and public Internet access.
The library system is overseen by a Library Board of twelve members, four appointed by County Commissioners in each of the service region’s three counties: Clay, Platte, and Jackson Counties, Missouri.
In fiscal 2008-2009, the collection held 3,544,072 items. Total annual circulation was 9,183,005 items, and it filled 1,773,586 intra- and interlibrary loans. Branch libraries served 4,673,737 visitors. Total attendance at live programming events for adults and families and for children was 318,639 patrons. The system has 466,344 registered borrowers.[2]
Annual circulation for the year exceeded one-half million items for each of the Mid-Continent Library’s five busiest branches: Liberty, Lee’s Summit, Colburn Road, North Independence, and Blue Springs South.[3]
The system has one of the nation’s largest Summer Reading Programs, which was completed by 106,846 patrons.[4] It is known for its array of services, including more than 250 online learning tools and research databases with remote access, downloadable audiobooks, and Library-by-Mail for homebound patrons. Library branches offer self-checkout machines and self-service hold pick-ups, and LCD flat-panel monitors on every on-site public access computer. Most branches also offer free wi-fi access. The library system collaborates and partners with local foundations.
Midwest Genealogy Center
Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence, Missouri
On 21 June 2008, Mid-Continent Public Library inaugurated the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri; the largest stand-alone public genealogy research facility in America.[5]
The 52,000-square-foot (4,800 m2) building houses a unique collection of records in almost completely open stacks. It holds 80,000 family history books, 100,000 local history items, 565,000 rolls of microfilm, and 7,000 maps. It also contains all available U.S. federal population census records and federal indexes, Civil War histories, immigration and naturalization records, ship passenger lists, Native American records, biographical archives, manuscripts pertaining to the American slave trade and the Antebellum South, Papers of the St. Louis Fur Trade, and a large variety of state records for Missouri and other states such as state censuses, tax records, penitentiary records, military service records, compiled records of Missouri Union and Confederate Army soldiers, approximately 50 Missouri newspapers, local newspaper indexes to obituaries and weddings, and genealogical periodicals.[6][7] The center also has 10,000 volumes available for circulation in the “Genealogy from the Heartland Collection” created from donations by the American Family Records Association (AFRA), Missouri State Genealogical Association (MoSGA), Heart of America Genealogical Society (HAGS), Gann Family Association, and patron contributions.[8]
The center’s equipment includes microfilm reader-printers, self-digitization stations, and free access to important research databases. It offers many advanced services, including free wireless Internet access and digital video conferencing capabilities for viewing national broadcasts relevant to genealogists and family historians. The Midwest Genealogy Center is open seven days per week. Groups and tours are welcomed by appointment.
Branches
Midwest Genealogy Center, main floor atrium- Antioch (Gladstone)
- Blue Ridge (Kansas City)
- Blue Springs North (Blue Springs)
- Blue Springs South (Blue Springs)
- Boardwalk (Kansas City)
- Buckner
- Camden Point
- Claycomo
- Colbern Road (Lee’s Summit)
- Dearborn
- Edgerton
- Excelsior Springs
- Grain Valley
- Grandview
- Kearney
- Lee’s Summit, Oldham Parkway
- Liberty
- Lone Jack
- Midwest Genealogy Center (Independence)
- North Independence (Independence)
- North Oak (Kansas City)
- Oak Grove
- Parkville
- Platte City
- Raytown
- Red Bridge (Kansas City)
- Riverside
- Smithville
- South Independence (Independence)
- Weston
References
- ^ American Library Association: ALA Fact Sheet No. 22 - Top 100 Libraries
- ^ Mid-Continent Public Library Annual Report, 2008-2009, By the Numbers, p. 6
- ^ Annual Report 2008-2009, p. 11
- ^ Annual Report 2008-2009, p. 12
- ^ The Kansas City Star, 8 June 2008: Genealogical Goldmine takes Root in Independence
- ^ Midwest Genealogy Center: About the Midwest Genealogy Center
- ^ The Kansas City Star, Special Section: Midwest Genealogy Center, Dedication Ceremony, June 21 (2008).
- ^ Mid-Continent Public Library: Genealogy from the Heartland Books
External links
- MCPL Official site
- MCPL Library catalog
- Interlibrary Loan
- Mid-Continent Public Library Midwest Genealogy Center at FamilySearch Research Wiki for genealogists
The Kansas City Area Kansas City • The Metro Area • History • Economy • Neighborhoods • Architecture • Fountains • Barbecue • Jazz • Broadcast • Film • Education • SportsCategories:- Public libraries in Missouri
- Genealogical libraries
- Kansas City metropolitan area
- Jackson County, Missouri
- Platte County, Missouri
- Clay County, Missouri
- Libraries established in 1965
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