Library Info

Our History

Bristow, Oklahoma was originally called “Choska Talfa” (Oak Town) by the members of the Muscogee Nation who settled here after removal to the new Indian Territory in the nineteenth century. The settlement became known as "The Woodland Queen" and featured at least a trading post. The St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built a line from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City in 1989. Named for U.S. Senator Joseph L. Bristow (of Kansas), a post office was established on April 25, 1898. Charles C. Crane served as the settlement's first postmaster. A. H. Purdy opened the first bank, and settlers built a one-room schoolhouse. The town had a population of 626 in 1900. (See also: Linda D. Wilson, “Bristow,” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=BR017).

The Culture Club of Bristow created the town's first library in 1912, within the American National Bank Building. From these humble beginnings, the library shuffled between church basements, school rooms, and even grocery store offices, until the Carnegie building was created for the Bristow Public Library in 1919. In 1997, efforts began to move the library to its present home at 111 W 7th Avenue. In 2000, the move occurred, enabling the library and its staff to broaden collections and services.

Today, the Montfort & Allie B. Jones Bristow Public Library serves a fifty-mile radius, as well as the immediate town of Bristow. Our library lies within the boundaries of Muscogee (formerly known as Creek) Nation and boasts large-city amenities with a small-town heart. We offer programming for children, teens, and adults. Our physical collection is 25,000 items strong and growing.

We are also a part of the OverDrive consortium via the Oklahoma Virtual Library. Additional services include, but are not limited to: meeting room use, printing and faxing services, public-use computers and Chromebooks. We have recently been awarded mobile hotspots through the Emergency Connectivity (Broadband) Fund. We aim to expand our services and collections to better serve the needs of our patrons.

Our Team

Director: Heather D. Hutto 

Driven by the determination to provide fair and inclusive access to information. Also serves double-duty as our Adult Services Librarian. Heather earned her Master's of Science in Library Science from the University of North Texas.

Children's Specialist: Elsie George

Has a magical-like ability to connect with littles on their level, Mrs. Elsie always incorporates imagination, the arts, and creativity into her weekly Storytime programming. Elsie is a gifted musician and has a B.S. in Psychology. She's also our resident black belt martial artist.

Teen & Youth Specialist: Kim Balachowski

Kim always has something amazing going on for our Teen & Youth programming. With 15 years experience serving as a Children's Librarian,  she brings tons of fun and experience to the library. She's also our resident craft guru.

Technology Specialist: Matthew B.

Whether troubleshooting your operating system or calculating your specialized printing needs, Matthew's got you covered. Matthew has earned several professional trade certifications in the IT field. Our resident problem solver, he's also adept at maintaining the library's network configurations and calculating new ways of accomplishing things.

Local History & Genealogy Specialist: none at this time.

Circulation Specialist: Maggie Harding

Whether processing new items, providing stellar readers' advisory, or assisting in research, Maggie is a Jane of trades at the library. Earning her Associate's in Animation, Maggie also creates most of the library's digital and paper resources.

AmeriCorps Literacy Coordinator: Kimberly England

AmeriCorps Digital Literacy Instructor: Cody Kincanon

English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructor: Beth Baugus