Skip to content
Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Johnston Public Library

Johnston, Iowa

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Johnston.

Explore the Archive Institution Website
9Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1928 to 2013Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

80,146Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Johnston, Iowa.

Discover another side of Johnston, Iowa through newspapers preserved in the Johnston Public Library's digital archive. Its nine titles include material from 1928 to 2013.

You can open the archive using the link below.
Partner image, not an archive preview
 Explore the Archive

Opens in a new tab.

  • Selected titles

    The titles shared by Johnston Public Library include “Bulls Eye” and “Western Express”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.

The reporting of earlier years offers a way to explore how events were understood as they happened and how local experiences became part of the historical record. A family story, a classroom project or curiosity about a familiar place can lead to a closer look at the community and the lives of earlier generations. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse nine titles and 80,146 digitized pages, with material from 1928 to 2013. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Johnston Public Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Every search for the past starts with a question. Explore the titles below, follow the sources that speak to it, and see what new detail appears.

Bulls Eye

11,624 pages from 1997 to 2013

Johnston Advance

11,272 pages from 1986 to 1996

Johnston High School Yearbooks

20,948 pages from 1928 to 2013

Johnston News

1,408 pages from 1996 to 1997

Johnston Northern Polk County News

8,612 pages from 1976 to 1983

Johnston Press Citizen

12,586 pages from 1998 to 2006

Northern Polk County News

5,642 pages from 1970 to 1996

West Des Moines Express

7,696 pages from 1984 to 1988

Western Express

358 pages in 1988

Explore the Archive (opens in a new tab)

Opens in a new tab.

Library History

History of the Johnston Public Library

The Johnston Public Library , located in Iowa , opened its doors in July 1988, but the roots go back much further. In 1912, a group of young women from the Smithfield graded school established the first library in Johnston. They set it up on the second floor of George Thornton's music store. The women held suppers and charged admission to a pantomime to raise funds for books. They also took turns keeping the library open on Saturday afternoons.

Partner Story

Mission Statement

Johnston Public Library’s Mission Statement: The Johnston Public Library supports the right of every individual to have adequate access to materials and information that meet the educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs and interests of the community. A variety of relevant programs will be offered and services will be expanded in response to the changing needs of its patrons.

About the Archive

Services and Collections

The library provides a variety of services and materials to support the educational and recreational needs of its patrons. These include:

  • Books, periodicals, and digital resources
  • Access to historical newspapers and archives
  • Programs and events for all ages
  • Technology services, including public computers and high-speed internet
  • Meeting rooms for community use
  • Wheelchair accessible entrance and parking lot

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

The history of Johnston includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Johnston Public Library, begin with a name, place or date connected with the story you want to explore. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Note the newspaper title, issue date, and page for a useful report. Compare another account where available, and keep differences in timing or perspective visible rather than blending them into a single version.

Save the newspaper title, issue date, and page, then compare another dated account where available. Keep differences in timing and perspective visible so the source context is not lost. If the accounts disagree, record what each source supports and use the difference to shape a further search rather than smoothing them into one version.

A research trail is most useful when it leaves room for what is not yet known. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available, along with what remains uncertain and which question you want to follow next. Those details help keep a possible connection from becoming an unsupported conclusion.

Review collection titles

Johnston Public Library photo 1

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Johnston Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Johnston Public Library photo 2
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
Read article
Back to top