Virginia Hanson: Fourth Library Director
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Years: 1944-1973Nellie Virginia Hanson was born on February 19, 1907, in Logan, the daughter of William Otto Hanson and Hilma Fredrika Anderson.
Virginia Hanson began working at the library as a library assistant on August 1, 1941, bringing with her a teaching certificate from Brigham Young College and a librarian certificate from Utah Agricultural College (later named Utah State University). Working several years with Dora Wright she then became the fourth library director in September 1944. Virginia became known for her programs for which she drew on her deep connections throughout the community. Art exhibits, lectures, musicales, hosted group meetings for various community clubs or associations, and all manner of other activities were common in the library throughout Virginia’s directorship. She served a one-year term as President of the Utah Library Association from 1946-1947.
During the 1940s, '50s and '60s the library continued to struggle with poor funding which was then coupled with ongoing building maintenance concerns. Some of the concerns noted in the board minutes were: leaky roof (1944), poor lighting (1947), broken furnace (1953), broken furnace again (1957), leaky roof (1957), poor lighting (1958), tables needed resurfacing (1960), drafty windows (1961), leaking boiler (1962), and leaky roof again (1965) to name a few. It seemed there was never enough money to fill even some of the basic needs of the library.
On September 13, 1966 efforts were made to renew the city/county agreement that had technically expired in 1958. The new agreement was much as the old one had been, splitting assets and operating expenses. The principal change in this agreement was a stipulation that it would be renewed yearly automatically until such time as it was terminated by either party.
After over 29 years as director of the library, Virginia retired on June 30, 1973. She was subsequently killed in a terrible train accident on January 25, 1978. She is still remembered today for her love of library service and for her wry sense of humor. One such memory is that she occasionally sported a gorilla mask at closing time, using it to chase patrons out of the building!
Sources:
1. "Cache Librarian Honored.". The Herald Journal. April 22, 1973 Issue.
2. "Minutes of the Library Board of Logan City".
3. "Report Made on Accident" & "Virginia and Mae Hanson [Obituary]". The Herald Journal. January 26, 1978 Issue.
4. "Virginia Hanson Retires After 32 Years at the Library.". The Cache Citizen. July 7, 1973 Issue.
5. Godfrey, Kenneth M."Warmth, Friendship, and Scholarship". Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, Number 4 [Fall 1992], pages 335-352.
6. Hatch, Anne C. "A history of the library serving Cache County, Utah".1973.
Timeline
1949
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~ Telephone line installed in the library.
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June 24 ~ The Cache Genealogical Library [now the Logan Regional Family History Center] was given use of a portion of the basement in the Cache County Library building which was unfurnished and unusable for public library purposes.
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~ In 1970 there were six library staff members. These library employees added 1,422 new books during the year. There were 10,806 registered borrowers.