advertisement

Elk Grove Village gets a library

Elk Grove Village @ 60

Submitted by the Elk Grove Historical Museum

In May of 1959, Ordinance 100 was passed by the Elk Grove Village Board calling for a special election to be held on July 18 to vote to establish a free public library.

A fund campaign, known as "A Book and A Buck" was conducted on June 6, 1959, to establish funds to defray expenses for equipment in the model house at 38 Forest Lane, which would serve as the first library. The home was temporarily being lent to the Junior Woman's Club by Centex Construction Co. A total of 1,500 books and $400 were donated through the campaign.

The Elk Grove Village Public Library officially opened to the public on Aug. 18, 1959, with 116 adult and 211 children cards issued and 1,909 books assessed. At first, the library was open on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. The mail slot served as a book return and the bathtub was used to store books until they could be reshelved.

The library operated out of the model home until July of 1966 when it occupied a newly built building at Brantwood and Kennedy Boulevard. In August of 1987, the library suffered from an overflow of Salt Creek, which flooded the building, destroying 30,000 books and most of the furnishings. This eventually led to the building of the present library on the grounds of Lindahl Field, which opened for business on September 10, 1990.

• This is one of 60 notes about Elk Grove Village history being published to mark the town's anniversary. The museum, part of the Elk Grove Park District, is actively searching for material. If you have an item to donate, contact the curator at (847) 228-3549 or sdenninger@elkgroveparks.org.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.