Grand Opening of the Ager Resource Library
Open house, presentations, summer hours

With the Grand Opening of the Ager Resource Library on Midsummer’s Eve, June 20, 2008, the Ager Association will celebrate another step in its journey to restore the Waldemar T. Ager House and to preserve the literary contributions of Mr. Ager.

The house was purchased by Waldemar Ager and his wife, Gurolle Blestren Ager, in 1903. They raised their nine children in the home, and Ager wrote all seven of his novels there. After Mr. and Mrs. Ager died, Luther Hospital bought the house, and it became the Red Carpet Gift Shop. Fifteen years ago, it was given to the Ager Association and moved from its original location at the end of Chestnut Street in Eau Claire to its present site at 514 West Madison Street. Since then, the Association has restored the main level of the home, which includes the parlor, dining room, foyer, and study. It has also made the lower level a comfortable meeting area with kitchenette facilities for classes and groups to use at the house. NOW another goal has been realized. The upstairs library is designed to bring together materials that are otherwise difficult to find and/or are not usually accessible in one place. The collection will be organized into two major areas: (1) Ager’s Life and Work, and (2) Relevant Immigrant Issues. Computers will be available for research, and the library will be open on a regular basis.

The Grand Opening of the Ager Resource Library will begin with a program on Friday, June 20th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Chippewa Valley Montessori School Library, 400 Cameron Street, where Waldemar and Gurolle Ager’s granddaughter, Barbara Bergh Culver, will talk about Glimpses into my Grandfather’s Scrapbook. Following her presentation, there will be a reception at the Ager House, 514 West Madison Street, at 8:00 p.m., so that people can see the new library, enjoy walking through the rest of the house, and have a cup of coffee as they tour.

The Grand Opening will continue through the weekend with an Open House on Saturday, June 21st, and an Open House on Sunday, June 22nd, from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., each day. The public is invited to the program and to visit an open house any time during the weekend. The library will be open to anyone who would like to use it during Summer Hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays starting on Tuesday, June 24th, from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. People are encouraged to combine a visit to the library with a self-guided tour of the house if they would like to do so. There is no charge for the program, the open house, or use of the library.