Bancroft Public Library

The Bancroft Public Library is accredited with the highest Tier possible with the State Library of Iowa.  (Of Iowa’s 543 public libraries, 392 – including the Bancroft Public Library – are accredited as of 10/26/2021.) Briefly speaking, accreditation is a measure of the quality of public libraries according to a set of standards. The library standards are published in a document called In Service to Iowa: Public Library Standards. Iowa’s voluntary public library standards program was established to give public libraries a tool to identify strengths and areas for improvement. It is also used to document the condition of public library service in Iowa, to distribute Direct State Aid funding, and to meet statutory requirements. The public can see the accreditation status of all public libraries in Iowa here.

The Bancroft Public Library was begun in 1961 and was located in one room of the Bancroft Public School. In 1969 the new library building was constructed.  

In 1981 Bancroft held it's 100 year Centennial and the funds raised during the Bancroft Centennial celebration was given to the the Bancroft Public Library to construct an addition to the back of the existing library building. That addition was a beautiful large room in which was respectfully named the Centennial Room. 

That was definitely the largest renovation completed to the actual library building. However many updates and projects have also been done to the library, such as new lighting, new landscaping, continued technology updates, which include numerous computer work stations and the addition of many new attractive book stands.