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Help the Wauconda Library celebrate its 75th anniversary

From its origin in 1939 as a single shelf of books purchased with a $35 donation from the Wauconda Woman’s Club to its current award-winning facility at 801 N. Main St., Wauconda, the Wauconda Area Library has provided the community with free access to information and entertainment for 75 years.

A full history of the library, with photographs and memorabilia from the past, can be found at the library’s website, www.wauclib.org.

It is only because of the support of the community through these 75 years that the library has reached this important milestone. The Wauconda Woman’s Club was instrumental in the library’s development for decades.

The Friends of the Library have also been essential to the library’s growth, dating back to the 1950s. In the last two years alone, this hardworking group of volunteers has raised and donated more than $58,000, enabling the library to purchase its delivery van, a full-color, high-tech sign, and more. To celebrate its 75th Anniversary, the library has many programs planned for all ages and interests.

To kick off the celebrations, the library has just unveiled a new online collection of photographs from the area’s past at wauclib.org/history. This collection is made possible by longtime Wauconda resident Neville Carr, who recently made it his mission to borrow and scan nearly 1,000 photographs from dozens of the Wauconda area’s oldest residents and their families, and to gather information about each photo “before it’s too late.”

He created an archival digital image of each photo, providing captions with names and anecdotal information whenever possible. He then donated all of these images to the library so that they would be easily accessible for everyone.

The library knows there are many more photographs out there that belong in this collection.

The library is well equipped to scan old photos. If anyone has photos that are from at least 50 years ago (1964 or earlier) taken anywhere within the library district (same borders as District 118), the library would love to scan and add them to this collection.

For details, call (847) 526-6225, visit the website, or simply bring the photos to the Adult Services Reference Desk at the library for scanning.

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