More About Angelou Northeast Branch Library

The first city library location in northeast Wichita opened in 1958 inside the McKinley (later McAdams) Park Community Center. This was replaced in 1969 by the Palladium Branch, which opened near 21st & Grove. That branch moved in 1970 and reopened as the Northeast Branch. It moved again in 1972, 1979, and 1986. By the early 1990s, options to move the branch were being explored. However, a decision about the library's future was not made before the decision to demolish the strip mall it was located in.

After being closed for 20 months, the library opened in a new building and with a new name: the Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library. The building was formally dedicated with a ceremony that included Maya Angelou (1928-2014) on Friday, December 20, 1996. Angelou was an author, poet, professor, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, and producer. "I never knew a library named for anyone who was alive," she commented. "All the libraries that kept me alive and saved my life and then helped me extend my life, were always named for whole towns or countries or states or people who were dead." At the time, the Wichita City Council had a policy against naming public buildings after living people, but made an exception for Angelou.

In 2021, a mural featuring Maya Angelou by artist Priscella Brown in partnership with Real Men Real Heroes was added to the 21st Street-facing side of the building. A remodeling project from 2024-25 added a sun room on the west side of the building; reconfigured the interior by relocating the service desk and adding a study room; and updated lighting, flooring, and infrastructure.

Amenities

Computers

• 6 general use public computers
• 1 Early Literacy station

Faxing

• $1 per page
• Outgoing only
• Local or long distance within the United States

Meeting Room

• Up to 40 people
• Request the meeting room

Mobile Printing

• Print your documents from home, on the go, or at the Library
• Pick up within 24 hours during Library business hours
• Send via email or upload through the web

Study Room

• Reserved for free on a first come, first-served basis beginning a week prior to reservation date
• One two-hour reservation per person per day
• Book the study room

Wi-Fi

• Log in with your library card number and password