Ladies' Library Association of Kalamazoo

Lucinda Hinsdale Stone

The Ladies' Library Association of Kalamazoo (LLA) grew from a reading group first organized in 1844. One of the original organizers was Lucinda Hinsdale Stone.[4] During the mid-19th century the LLA provided library services to the local residents. Yearly subscriptions cost fifty cents and were available to both men and women, however only women could be members of the organization.[1] The collection expanded, first being housed in members houses, to the Kalamazoo County Courthouse and then Corporation Hall.

In addition to creating Kalamazoo's first lending library, the LLA activities have included advocating for the right for women to vote, the creation of day nurseries for working mothers, founding Kalamazoo's first art club, and establishing a community education program for women.[5]

Ladies Library Association Building

The Ladies Library Association Building in Kalamazoo, Michigan was the first building erected as a women's club in the United States.[6] It was also the country's first structure owned by a women's organization.[5] It was built in 1879 in the Venetian Gothic Revival style.[6]