"Something that Belongs to All of Us": Beda Cornwall and the Las Vegas Public Library Campaign.

Following World War II the City of Las Vegas was in desperate need of infrastructure improvements to serve its growing population. Although tourists and gamblers were dazzled by hotel-casinos lining the future Las Vegas Strip local citizens were faced with a public library that had not been updated since 1916 and a book collection that amounted to only half a book per resident. City Librarian Reba McKinster struggled admirably to serve her patrons with the help of local volunteers. One such volunteer was Beda Cornwall who had moved to Las Vegas with her family in 1943. Beginning in 1948 as head of the Citizens' Library Association Cornwall energetically took up the cause of building a proper public library for her adopted city. Although the city provided the land it did not have the funds to construct or furnish the building. Working with women's clubs and fraternal organizations Cornwall and her team raised some $60000 for the library cause from Las Vegas residents. Generous donations from some notable (and notorious) casino owners also helped push the project to completion. As the driving force behind the building's construction Cornwall spoke movingly at its dedication in June 1952 describing the library as "something that belongs to all of us." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]