THE COPLAY PUBLIC LIBRARY

FROM THE INITIAL PUBLIC MEETING

IN 1961 TO THE PRESENT YEAR 2013.

WE WILL ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE YOU

WITH A GLIMPSE OF ANOTHER JEWEL

IN OUR COMMUNITY, THE COPLAY

PUBLIC LIBRARY. THE FIRST HISTORY

WAS TAKEN FROM THE COPLAY

CENTENNIAL HISTORY BOOK AS

COMPILED BY THE LATE HISTORIAN

MS. L. KATHRYN FOGEL AND OUR

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT OVER THE

YEARS AT THE LIBRARY. 



55 S. 2ND ST.
NOW KNOWN AS
"FRAGNITO'S PLACE"



BOOKBAGS, BUT NO BACKPACKS
SIGN OF THE TIMES

GENTLEMAN TO THE REAR RIGHT IS
"SQUIRE" GEORGE MILLER
A TRIED AND TRUE LEADER IN COPLAY
FLANKED ON HIS RIGHT BY
MRS. GISELLA HELLER
WIFE OF DR. J.R.V. HELLER
BOTH COPLAY BENEFACTORS





WE, THE DICKMANS, BECAME MORTGAGE 
HOLDING, TAXPAYING, HOME OWNERS 58 

YEARS AGO THIS COMING JUNE 17TH. IT 

TOOK A LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS BEFORE WE 

BECAME ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE 

BOROUGH.  ONE NAME THAT CAME TO THE 

FOREFRONT WAS "SQUIRE" GEORGE MILLER.  

GOING BACK TO TIMES BEFORE OUR ARRIVAL

WE BECAME AWARE OF HIS INVOLVEMENT IN 

MANY ACTIVITIES. HE, ALONG WITH DR. 

VINCENT HOHL, DDS, AND OTHER RESIDENTS, 

FOUNDED COPLAY SPORTS CIRCA 1955 AND 
IT EVOLVED INTO WHAT, IN ITS' OWN RIGHT, 
STANDS OUT TODAY FOR WHAT IT DOES FOR 

THE YOUTH OF COPLAYAND SOME NEAR BY 

COMMUNITIES. IN ADDITION, MR. MILLER 

WAS THE FOUNDER OF COPLAY RECREATION 

AND WELFARE ASSN., WHICH WAS CHARTERED 

ON JULY 5, 1955. BACK TO MR. MILLER IN A 

MOMENT.

UNTIL THAT TIME, ACCORDING TO THE HISTORY 
BOOK, COPLAY WAS SERVED BY THE LEHIGH 

COUNTY BOOKMOBILE, BUT THAT SERVICE WAS 

DUE TO BE TERMINATED IN DECEMBER 1961. OUR 

FOREFATHERS, CONCERNED OVER WHAT COULD 

HAPPEN, CALLED A MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL

MEMBERS, MAYOR LEONARD KLINGLER, AND 

SCHOOL DIRECTOR, ED GORR.  THEY DECIDED TO

ATTEND THE COPLAY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF

 NOV. 9, 1961 IN AN ATTEMPT TO SEEK THEIR 

ASSISTANCE IN ESTABLISHING A COPLAY PUBLIC 

LIBRARY.THE ACTION WAS HEARTILY ENDORSED

 BY CIVIC MINDED CITIZENS AND VARIOUS 

ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE BOROUGH AND 

ON NOV. 28, 1961, THE LIBRARY WAS OFFICIALLY 

ORGANIZED, WITH GEORGE MILLER AS ITS' FIRST 

PRESIDENT.  ON FEB. 12, 1962, THE FIRST LIBRARIAN, 

MRS. ELIZABETH SCHMOYER, WAS APPOINTED WITH 

TWO ASSISTANTS, MISS MARY WALAKOVITS AND 

MRS. HELEN SCHNECKER. ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS 

AT THAT LIBRARY LOCATION WAS MRS. ANN DICKMAN.

OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS, IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT THE VOLUME OF BOOKS AND MATERIALS AVAILABLE  WERE NOW OVER-WHELMING THE CAPACITY OF THIS FACILITY. AGAIN, MR. MILLER TO THE FOREFRONT.  ALONG WITH FELLOW RESIDENTS, SUCH AS, LOUIS TEPES, JULIAN NEWHART, AL JISCHKE, IRWIN NEIFERT, JOHN ZSIGOVITS, MRS, GISELLA HELLER AND MRS. HELEN SCHNECKER, HE CAME UP WITH PLANS TO CONSTRUCT A NEW LIBRARY BUILDING.

I APOLOGIZE IF I HAVE OMMITTED ANYONE AND WILL INCLUDE THEM IF MADE AWARE.

THE LOCATION SELECTED WAS THE NORTH-EAST CORNER OF S. 5TH AND CENTER STS.

THE PROJECT WAS COMPLETED CIRCA 1970 AND IT HAS, AND STILL IS, SERVING OUR COMMUNITY, THANKS TO THE STAFF, WHICH INCLUDES A LIBRARY DIRECTOR, SOME PART TIME EMPLOYEES AND, AS IN SO MANY CASES, THE INVALUABLE INDIVIDUALS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY.

COPLAY PUBLIC LIBRARY 2013

ROOM DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF
LONG TIME VOLUNTEER
ANNE KORTVELY.

                 WELCOME

YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT THE WARM 
EXPLORABLE CONFINES OF YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY 
WHERE YOU CAN RELAX IN AN ATMOSPHERE LOADED 
WITH KNOWLEDGE THROUGH THE MANY VOLUMES OF 
BOOKS AVAILABLE, AS WELL AS, VIDEOS, INTERNET 
ACCESS, FAX SERVICE, COPY PRINTING, MAGAZINES, 
 NEWSPAPERS AND INCOME TAX FORMS.THEY ARE 
ALWAYS OPEN TO OTHER SERVICE SUGGESTIONS 
AS REQUESTED BY PEOPLE USING THE LIBRARY.  THE 
FRIENDLY MEMBERS OF THE STAFF WILL ASSIST 
YOU IN ANY REASONABLE MANNER POSSIBLE TO
MAKE YOUR VISIT AN ENJOYABLE AND REWARDING
EXPERIENCE. THIS IS YOUR FACILITY AND THE STAFF 
WISHES TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY, IN SUCH A 
MANNER, SO THAT WHEN THEY LEAVE, THEY WILL 
BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR NEXT VISIT.

LIBRARY HOURS:

REGULAR HOURS 
MONDAY THRU THURSDAY  10AM  -  7PM
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY        10AM  -  5PM

SUMMER HOURS  JUNE 29  -  SEPTEMBER 3
MONDAY THRU THURSDAY  12PM  -  7PM
FRIDAY                                        10AM  -  5PM
SATURDAY                                  10AM  -  2PM

LIBRARY ACTIVITY PICTURES.

CHRISTMAS PARTY 2011
GENE KUTZLER PLAYS THE BAGPIPES

YOUNGSTERS ENJOYING THE PARTY

BOOKS FOR SALE AT THE 

OTHER ITEMS 

CROWD ENJOYING THE SPAGHETTI
BY CHEF JIM AND HIS VOLUNTEERS.

GOODIE RAFFLE AT THE DINNER

LIBRARY FUN DAYS IN THE "MIST MAKER"
WHAT A WAY TO COOL OFF!!!

LIBRARY FUN DAY ACTIVITIES

 BALOONS OF FUN

 FAMILY FUN DAY VENDOR TABLES

LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT.

FUN DAY MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT

DARTH VADER INVASION

LIBRARY FLOAT IN HALLOWEEN PARADE 

THE IRON PIG'S MASCOT "FERROUS" WAS THERE

God Bless,
FRANK AND ANN D.