Patricia Romanko Public Library, Parma
Parma, Ada County
- Grants: 2020 – Repair and cleaning of the West wall
Location: 121 N 3rd St, Parma, ID 83660
The Patricia Romanko Public Library opened its doors in 1927 in a small room above one of the original drug stores on Parma’s Main Street. After a number of years of growth and recognition, the library found a permanent home in the stately First National Bank of Parma building in 1975. The bank opened in 1919 and printed three different iterations of $5 bills until 1935. The first printings at this location featured Benjamin Harrison on the bill, with subsequent printings switching to Abraham Lincoln’s portrait. In addition to the more than 28,000 books, DVDs, and audiobooks, the library currently features a STEM lab with 3D printers, robotics equipment, and photography gear. The library is a lively community center for the rural town of around 2,000 residents, hosting many events and programs, including book clubs, painting classes, movement and music toddlers and preschoolers, story times, a summer reading program, and STEM demonstrations for teens, tweens, and families.
In 2022 the library turned the old bank vault into Parma’s only health care facility in the town, providing mental health and general telehealth care in a confidential space. You can learn more about that project on Idaho’s KTVB news channel 7 here: https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/parma-library-grant-telehealth-space/277-bcd68230-6a52-4744-b23d-96a944a5fda7.
