Rock Island Public Library - Rock Island Public Library 1902-present

Rock Island Public Library 1902-present

On August 23, 1902 a cornerstone was laid at the northwest corner of the future public library. In September 1902 the decorative frieze was placed around the top of the building. The twelve authors carved into the sandstone are the last names of Homer, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Virgil, Victor Hugo, William Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Robert Burns, Esaias Tegner, Alighieri Dante, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and George Bancroft. The total cost of the library when it was completed was $90,448.20, $30,000 over the proposed library budget. The Main Library building opened on December 15, 1903 in downtown Rock Island for browsing. When the library first opened it was called the Rock Island’s Temple of Literature and was hailed by the Argus as one of the most "handsomely appointed in the State outside of Chicago." On the main or first floor was divided between an Adult Reading Room, Children's Department, Reference Department, and enough stacks to hold 16,000 books. The second floor had two unfinished meeting rooms, the Director's Office and a room to hold local artwork. The only artwork in the local art showroom was a model of the battleship Illinois, made by David Thompson. The basement housed the heating plant, an unpacking room, and a storage room for back issues of the Argus and local historical documents. On May 3, 1937 Miss Gale resigned as the librarian of the Rock Island Public Library. However, The library continued to grow over the next 100 years by adding two branch libraries, additions and renovations to the downtown library and an expanding collection.