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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Kalona Public Library

Kalona, Iowa

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1891 to 2023Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

151,094Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

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

Explore the past of Kalona, Iowa through newspapers in the Kalona Public Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1891 to 2023.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The collection from Kalona Public Library includes “Kalona News” and “The News”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse three titles and 151,094 digitized pages, with material from 1891 to 2023. This collection is shared through Kalona Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.

Kalona News

9,348 pages from 2013 to 2016

The Kalona News

133,024 pages from 1891 to 2012

The News

8,722 pages from 2018 to 2023

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Library History

History of the Kalona Public Library

In 1934, during the Great Depression, Mrs. E.J. (Amy) Hesselschwerdt, with the help of Fred E. Bourgeois and Mrs. Willis (Cleola) Grady Gingerich, established Kalona’s first library. They solicited the town for funds and books, resulting in a collection of 907 volumes housed in the old Legion Hall. Mrs. Hesselschwerdt served as the first president of the Library Board, Mr. Bourgeois as secretary-treasurer, and Mrs. Gingerich as the first librarian. The library moved to the rear room of the City Hall in 1936 and later to the vacated Post Office facility on 5th Street in 1961. In 1973, the library relocated to the renovated Kalona High School auditorium, providing a spacious resource-reading facility. However, by the mid-1990s, the library outgrew this space, leading to the development of a new library plan. With a grant from the State Library of Iowa and community support, a new library was designed by Engberg-Anderson Design Partnership. On November 4, 2003, Kalona passed a 1.4 million-bond issue for a new library, which opened on March 28, 2005. The new building features a unique “basket weave” pattern on the exterior wall, reflecting Kalona’s heritage as the “Quilt Capital of Iowa.”

Partner Story

Mission Statement

Kalona Public Library’s Mission Statement: The Kalona 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 Kalona Public 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

Trace a name across nearby issues

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Kalona. The digital archive shared by the Kalona Public Library offers a place to begin. 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.

If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.

Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.

Review collection titles

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Kalona 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
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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.
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