Our Mission
We, the Arcola Public Library District Board of Trustees, shall strive to assure the preservation of the legacy of this library, both structurally (as to the facility) and responsibly (as to the community). In doing so, we will endeavor to balance the ever evolving current needs of a contemporary public library, while respecting and sustaining the heritage that is ours.
Timeline
1851-1855 A land grant facilitated the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. The Illinois Central RR surveyed and plotted the land which would become the town of Arcola.
June 1903 Arcola City Attorney Walker announced that he had prepared an ordinance organizing a library association, the first step toward securing the Carnegie library. Also, in 1903, Thomas F. Monahan, mayor of Arcola, applied for and received correspondence from Andrew Carnegie, who agreed to furnish $10,000 to build a free public library for the benefit of Arcola's citizens.
July 27, 1903 Patrick and Margaret Lyons conveyed the property to The Arcola Public Library, for the sum of $2,000. Paul Moratz, architect of Bloomington, designed the building. J.P. Moorehead, contractor from Tuscola, constructed the building at a cost of $9,000.
May 10, 1904 The corner stone for the new library was laid.
October 17, 1905 The library was dedicated.
October 18, 1905 A bronze statue of David by Miss Eulah Armstrong was a gifted by Dr. and Mrs. J.L. Polk as a memorial to their son, Robert Collins Polk.
April 1943 The library became a Township Library.
1996 The process of building a new addition was begun with an original estimate of costs to be $950,000
Septemmber 21, 2002 Ground breaking to officially mark the start of construction of the new addition.
October 1, 2004 The new addition to the library was open to the public.
The Arcola Public Library District is a Carnegie library established in 1905 and is on the National Register of Historical Places. Our library is unique in that the original Carnegie building has been preserved down to its tiled foyer, domed atrium, fireplaces, and beautiful Cyprus wood interior. The architecture of the building is classical revival and is similar to only three other Carnegie libraries in the state of Illinois.
Among our standard fare of library staples, we feature a Large Print section, Spanish Language books, Large Juvenile/Children's section, movies, audio books, magazines, and news papers. We are a part of the Illinois Heartland Library System. Through delivery from other members, our patrons have access to around ten million items. Our patrons can order from our local library, their home computer, or their mobile device, and have the items delivered, within days, to our library via courier service.
We offer computer work stations for personal and business use. Additionally, resources for genealogical research as well as a wealth of local historical documentation are available. We also provide other services, such as copying, faxing, notarization and more. We ask that you call ahead for notarization. Please check our event calendar for activities such as the Summer Reading Program, Storytime, Tech Club and Lego Club. We strive to be ADA compliant and have an elevator on all levels accessible from our west entrance.