Paris Carnegie Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Paris Carnegie Public Library
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Front of the library
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| Location | Paris, Illinois, Edgar County, Illinois, USA |
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| Built | 1903-1904 |
| Architect | Charles Henry & Son |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | MPL015 - Illinois Carnegie Libraries Multiple Property Submission |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000464 |
| Added to NRHP | May, 2002 |
The Paris Carnegie Public Library is a special building in Paris, Illinois. It first opened its doors on June 24, 1904. This historic library is located at 207 South Main Street in Edgar County. It is so important that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as a significant part of American history.
Contents
History of the Paris Library
How the Library Started
The idea for the Paris Carnegie Public Library came from a small library run by the Paris Women's Club. They wanted a bigger, better library for their town. They got a big help from Andrew Carnegie, a very rich businessman. He gave them $18,000 to build the library!
The library building was officially opened on June 24, 1904. After a special celebration, the public could finally come inside and see it. When it first opened, the library had more than 3,000 books ready for people to read.
A local city council member, Dr. E.O. Laughlin, shared how the idea for a Carnegie library in Paris began. It started in a popular drug store where people would gather and talk. They decided the best way to ask Andrew Carnegie for money was to write to him. So, they sent several letters to the Carnegie Foundation.
The city of Paris agreed to set aside a small amount of tax money each year. This was about 10% of the $18,000 grant from Carnegie. The mayor, Dr. Z.T. Baum, then chose a nine-person library board on April 2, 1902. This board was in charge of finding a place to build the new library.
By May 6, 1902, they picked the spot where the library stands today, at 207 S. Main Street. They bought the land for $6,500. The board also learned that Carnegie's money would be sent in smaller payments as needed.
On August 8, 1902, the architects Charles Henry & Son were chosen to design the building. They were from Akron, Ohio. Then, on February 17, 1903, a local builder named H.B. Newman won the contract to build it. His bid was exactly $18,000, the amount of Carnegie's grant. Soon after, construction began.
The Library Opens Its Doors
On June 4, 1904, the library board held their first meeting inside the brand-new building. The Paris Library was one of 81 libraries in Illinois built with money from Andrew Carnegie. By the 1920s, over 1,700 Carnegie libraries had been built across the United States.
The Paris Library was built before Carnegie and his secretary, James Bertram, started to have very strict rules for library designs. Later, Carnegie's plans usually included brick buildings that were easy to take care of. They also often had basements and no fireplaces, to save space. Even though the Paris Library was built earlier, it still looks a lot like a typical Carnegie library.
Later Years and Expansion
In 1966, the Paris Public Library joined the Lincoln Trail Libraries System. This program allowed libraries to share books with each other. That same year, Katherine Bishop left $90,000 to the library in memory of her sister, Lucy. This money helped the library buy many more reference and non-fiction books.
Over the years, the library's collection grew so much that it ran out of space. In 1972, a meeting room was changed to hold the children's books. But eventually, the library needed to get even bigger. The library board hired a consultant and an architect to design an addition.
The new addition was planned to be about 2,540 square feet. In 1990, the library board asked the Illinois State Library for a grant to help pay for the construction.
On July 12, 1990, Jim Edgar, who was then the Secretary of State, announced that the Paris Carnegie Public Library would receive a grant of $124,000. Volunteers then helped raise another $100,000 from the community. Many groups contributed, including the Monday Club and the Paris Women's Club, who had started the very first library in Paris.
Construction on the new addition began on September 11, 1991. By June 1992, a new entrance that was easy for people with disabilities to use was opened. The whole project cost about $322,895, plus another $9,040 for new bookshelves. Even during construction, the library stayed open.
The new addition added space for the library's more than 33,000 books. It also included an elevator, two new public restrooms, the accessible entrance, and a large meeting room. In 2002, a room was updated to hold more books and six computers with internet access. In 2004, the reading room was rearranged to hold the collection of large print books.
People of the Library
Librarians Who Served
The Paris Women's Club ran their library until the new building opened. They then gave all their books to the new Paris Carnegie Public Library. Jane Bishop was the first librarian for the Women's Club Library. She earned $2.00 a week.
When Bishop left, Emma Boyd became the first librarian in the new library building. After her, many others served as librarian, including Ruth Link and Minnie Denton. Nina Dulin Russell took over in 1929 and stayed until 1961. She was the longest-serving librarian in the library's history. Russell had studied to be a librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Library Board Members
Mary Ida Riedell served on the Paris Library Board for the longest time, from 1948 until 2002. She held every leadership position on the board more than once. The board's first president was J.E. Parrish in 1902.
For a few years, from 1915 to 1918, there was no appointed library board. During that time, the Paris City Council chose the librarians. A new nine-member library board was sworn in on June 14, 1918. Robert Gibson also served on the library board from 1983 until he passed away in 2001.
Other Libraries in Paris
The Paris Carnegie Public Library and the Women's Club library were not the first libraries in Paris. The very first one was probably the Paris Library Association, started in December 1857. Members paid a fee to join this library. By December 1857, they had collected almost $400.
By October 1858, this library had 600 to 700 books. These books were kept in different places and loaned out during business hours. After the American Civil War, this association ended. The books were then divided among the people who had invested in the library.
In the 1870s and 1880s, the YMCA ran a library with over 1,000 books. These books were kept in a reading room for young men and boys. The YMCA library lasted until the late 1880s. After it closed, Paris did not have a public library until the Women's Club started their 1,000-book library in 1899.
