Bob Bartling and several like-minded people founded the Prairie Striders Running Club in 1969 to promote running, fellowship, and health. Bob began collecting books and magazines related to running and track and field, and by 1978, the Prairie Striders Running Club Library was established. It includes 636 volumes of books, about 5,000 periodicals and newsletters, and has the results of 16 annual races. The collection is so complete that even the editors of Runner’s World contact Bob for articles.