About the GPL Foundation

Our History

The first words on the Gretna Public Library were written in 1929, when the Women’s Club purchased the former gas station at 736 South Street. With help from the Village Board, the club’s members redesigned and outfitted the building to serve its new purpose. Today, the Gretna Public Library is one of the city’s busiest locales.

In 1983 the Gretna Public Library Foundation was formed to raise money to build our current Library, which has served our community for 31 years. However, as the Gretna community continued to grow, the Library was once again out of room to comfortably house both the adult’s and children’s collections. To alleviate the problem, the City of Gretna bought the 119 N. McKenna Street location to serve as the Children’s Library in 2010. The Gretna Public Library staff currently works across locations, always ready to assist anyone who needs library services.

Library leadership knows that having two locations with split hours, split staff and split collections is a temporary solution for a community that is experiencing exponential growth. We will soon need a new permanent location, a legacy that will serve our community for years to come.

Now that you know more about us, why not get involved?