About Us – Donnelly Public Library District

Set in a little log cabin in the mountain town of Donnelly, the library’s collection may surprise you once you come inside!

The log cabin was moved to Donnelly in 2009, generously donated by the estate of Willis Johnson. He and his partner Lennie Milam are the reason we have our little log cabin library. Their initial contribution and the dedicated work and ongoing fundraising of the Friends of the Donnelly Library paved the way for the library. The City of Donnelly administered the library for many years, adding programs and updating equipment along the way. The Friends group continued to support operations along with generous grants from Donnelly Local Option Tax funds, the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, the Libri Foundation, and the Idaho Community Foundation.

In November, 2017, voters overwhelmingly passed a library district. Becoming a true public library is a big step. The Donnelly Public Library District officially opened to the public on July 6, 2018.

Please come visit, sign up to be a member and join in all the excitement here at the library!

Our Teepees

Were purchased in 2021 using Donnelly Local Option Tax Money. They are currently used to sustain our growing After-School Program. They are utilized as classrooms for education purposes.

A land acknowledgment is a traditional custom in many Native communities and nations to show respect to the people of the land since time immemorial. The importance of land acknowledgments for non-indigenous individuals and communities relies on the recognition of their relationship to the original inhabitants of a location and to the land. Furthermore, it is a way to show respect and gratitude to the traditional stewards of a specific location, while recognizing that colonialism is still an ongoing process. We understand that acknowledging is not the end of our process. (Stanford University Land Acknowledgment | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability)

We recognize that Donnelly Library sits on the ancestral land of the Nimiipuu Tribe. This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Nimiipuu people. Consistent with our values of community and inclusion, we have a responsibility to acknowledge, honor and make visible the Library’s relationship to Native peoples. Today and tomorrow and every day to come we will continue to honor the Nez Perce Tribe.

We further acknowledge that Long Valley was a summer resting ground and we to must continue to seek rest in the Valley.

Today, we honor all of the tribes that chose this Valley as a place of rest. Shoshone-Bannock, Cayuse, and Northern Paiutes, and the NezPerce. May we all find our place of rest. Inside our Teepees we read, we learn, and above all we dream.