Lake Forest Library

Last updated
Lake Forest Library LakeForestLibrary.jpg
Lake Forest Library

The Lake Forest Library is the public library serving Lake Forest, Illinois, United States. It is located at 360 E. Deerpath, Lake Forest, Illinois.

Contents

Statistics

History

The Lake Forest Library was chartered on July 4, 1898 by Mayor Edward F. Gorton, and opened on the second floor of the new city hall as part of that building's opening on June 24, 1899. [4] The first library board members, appointed by Mayor Gorton soon after granting the charter, were J. J. Halsey, D. W. Hartman, Calvin Durand, George S. Holt, Charles S. Frost, John Kemp, David B. Jones, Richard G. Watson, and David Fales. [4]

The library moved to its current location in 1931. The present building, designed as a library by architect Edwin H. Clark, was given to the city by Mrs. Charles H. Schweppe and Mrs. Stanley Keith in memory of Mrs. Keith's first husband, Kersey Coates Reed, and was dedicated on June 7, 1931. The library's name was changed from Lake Forest Public Library to Lake Forest Library in 1935 after Board President Alfred E. Hamill petitioned the City Council for the change as a gesture of courtesy to the donors of the library. [4] Library service milestones, significant changes to the building, and Directors' names and years are listed below: [5] [6] [7]

1898 July 4: Library Charter by Lake Forest City Council
1899 June 24: Library opens on top floor of Lake Forest City Hall
Marie A. Skinner begins as Library Director (position held until November 1903)
1903: Mary Van Horne begins as Library Director in November (position held until 1910)
1905: First catalog listing books by author and subject
1910: Esther K. Johnston begins as Library Director (position held until 1916)
1916: Frances Kemp begins as Library Director on April 1 (position held until March 1, 1923)
1923: Stella R. Glasgow begins as Library Director on March 1 (position held until 1945)
1926-31: Architectural Landscape drawings prepared for the Foundation for Architecture and Landscape Architecture installed at the library.
1931 Jun 7: New building opens at 360 E. Deerpath (Edwin Clark, architect)
1931: "Archer" covered limestone bas-relief by Oskar J. W. Hansen installed in the library's rotunda.
1932: Nicolai Remisoff's oil on canvas mural "Poets and Writers of Antiquity" installed in library's rotunda. U. Langenegger's wood sculpture busts of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Friends Reading Room) and John Greenleaf Whittier (reference room) installed.
1935: The library's name was changed from Lake Forest Public Library to Lake Forest Library "as a gesture of appreciation to the donors
Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Schweppe." (from Library Board Minutes dated September 24, 1935)
1945: Nell Steele begins as Library Director (position held until June 1962)
1953: Summer reading program for children
1962: Frances M. Macke begins as Library Director on July 1 (position held until September 1968)
1965-66: Frances R. "Gine" Odell's "Lion and Lamb" limestone sculpture installed in west courtyard.
1967: Installation in Children's Department of bronze and wood sculpture "Apple Tree Children" by Sylvia Shaw Judson, daughter of Howard Van Doren Shaw.
Interlibrary Loan Service begins.
Young Adult collection established.
1968: Louise Wells Kasian begins as Library Director in September (position held until 1978)
1975: Friends of Lake Forest Library formed
1976: Friends of Lake Forest Library first book sale
1978: Addition of three wings underwritten by community gifts and a substantial donation from the Reed family (Brenner, Danforth, and Rockwell, architects)
Computerized circulation
Sydney S. Mellinger begins as Library Director on September 26 (position held until April 1, 1988)
"Seagulls" quartz sculpture by Dorothy Hobbs Boehm installed (currently in Fine Arts Room locked case).
1979: "Flora and Fauna of Illinois" needlepoint tapestry designed by Lydia Lee; assisted by Kathleen McLaughlin Ballen; stitched by :::Lake Forest - Lake Bluff Needlepeople installed in former garden room (now business room).
"Girl Feeding Three Squirrels" bronzed sculpture by Dorothy Hobbs Boehm installed (now on east exterior of Children's Activity Room)
1982: Open Sundays
1983-1984: "Someone To Look Up To" watercolor diptych by Caroline Roberts installed in Children's Library
1987: Public Access Catalog service begins
1988: Kaye Grabbe begins as Library Director on April 11 (position held until April 30, 2016)
Wolfgang Kubach & Anna Maria Kubach-Wilmsen's "Lake Forest Library Stone Book" marble sculpture installed in east courtyard in August.
George S. Chappell's set of four photographs, "The Seasons" installed in foyer stairway (now in Reference Room Annex).
1990: Three-level book stack renovation
1992: Children's Department renovation, including Thomas Melvin mural for Children's foyer commissioned in memory of Douglas Keyt by Friends of Lake Forest Library
1993: "Market Square" (set of two watercolors) by David T. Roberts installed in reference annex.
1995: Public Internet access and Library web site started
1996: Adult Reference room, Reference Annex, and Reading Room renovations(Reading Room dedicated to Frank Kreuz and named "Friends Reading Room")
Michael Croydon's, "Ex Libris" sculpture commissioned and installed on the library's front lawn
Local Area Network available
1997: Restoration of the Nicolai Remisoff "Poets and Writers of Antiquity" murals originally installed in 1932(restoration funded by Friends of Lake Forest Library)
Dial-in access to Local Area Network
1998: Stained glass windows installed in Children's foyer by Alexander Glass Company, Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
"Seasons" hand-painted ceramic tiles by Yvette Levita-Scimeca installed in children's restrooms.
"Lake Forest Library" watercolor painting by Mark McMahon was commissioned by Friends of Lake Forest Library in honor of the Library's Centennial and installed in foyer.
"Troll Under Bridge" conte crayon drawing by Ruth Tietjen Councell installed in Children's Library. Created during the Centennial kick-off celebration in May.
1998-1999: Digitized Community Cornerstone Architectural files
Library Centennial
Friends commissioned Mark McMahon painting of the building
Book cart at Forest Park Beach
2001: Completion of the Louise Wells Kasian Children's Activity Center in the space of the former children's courtyard,
designed by David Woodhouse Architects.
Integrated Library System migration from GEAC to Sirsi
2nd Local Area Network upgrade
2001-2003: John James Audubon's ten aquatint engravings from "The Birds of America" restored by Kenyon Oppenheimer, Inc. (now Joel Oppenheimer, Inc.), funded by Friends of Lake Forest Library, memorial gifts, and the Library.
2003: Business Room renovation funded by the Eugene A. and Emily L. Veto Foundation and Friends of Lake Forest Library
2004: Mark McMahon painting of Friends Book Sale
2004-2007: Friends Landscape Plan
2005: Fine Arts Room renovation funded by Friends of Lake Forest Library.
2006: Garden Room refurbished
3rd Local Area Network upgrade
Wireless access
24/7 reference service, AskAway
75th Anniversary of the library building (June 7)
NetLibrary first e audio book download service
2007: Alfred Medica memorial sculpture at front entrance (Peter Hessemer, sculptor)
1st Friends June Children's book sale in foyer
2008: Staff Room renovated
Wikipedia entry for Lake Forest Library
2009: Renovation of Children's Library including the commissioning of additional Thomas Melvin murals(stairwells, over circulation desk, over north area, and elevator and emergency exit doors by Friends of Lake Forest Library
Overdrive eBooks and eAudiobooks available
Online Mango Language service
Building-wide CCTV system installed
2010: Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter
Freegal Music free music downloads
Franklin McMahon painting of Hemingway's house in Key West
2011: Social Networking: FourSquare and QR codes
DVD2GO (Media Bank) self-serve DVD unit at west side (Milwaukee Road) train station
2012: New web site: www.lakeforestlibrary.org
e-Pay for patrons
Pinterest
Slate roof restored
New signage in Children's Library
Initial year for the One Book One City program
2013: Window restoration
Zinio downloadable magazines
One Book One City program continues as Lake Forest Reads: Ragdale (a partnership with The Ragdale Foundation)
2014: New signage in adult areas
3M eBooks
Media Lab, designed by Dewberry (architecture and interior design)
Second year of Lake Forest Reads: Ragdale (a partnership with The Ragdale Foundation)
2015: Exterior east stair railing replaced and redesigned
Restoration of exterior courtyard gates
Third year of Lake Forest Reads: Ragdale (a partnership with The Ragdale Foundation)
2016: Digitization of Lake Forester newspaper from 1899-1940.
Hoopla e-content service added
Courtyard doors and stairwell carpeting replaced
Director Kaye Grabbe retires in April after 28 years
Retiring Director Kaye Grabbe gives library Franklin McMahon original watercolor " Reading the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights "
Catherine A. Lemmer begins as Library Director on May 16.
Fourth year of Lake Forest Reads: Ragdale (a partnership with The Ragdale Foundation)

Related Research Articles

British Museum Reading Room Room in the British Museum which was formerly the reading room of the British Library

The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main reading room of the British Library. In 1997, this function moved to the new British Library building at St Pancras, London, but the Reading Room remains in its original form at the British Museum.

State Library Victoria

The State Library Victoria is the main library of the Australian state of Victoria. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. It is also Australia's busiest library and, as of 2018, the fourth most-visited library in the world.

Hawaii State Library United States historic place

The Hawaiʻi State Library is a historic building in Honolulu, Hawaii, that serves as the seat of the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, the only statewide library system and one of the largest in the United States. The Hawaiʻi State Library building is located in downtown Honolulu, adjacent to ʻIolani Palace and the Hawaiʻi State Capitol. Originally funded by Andrew Carnegie, the building was designed by architect Henry D. Whitfield. Groundbreaking took place in 1911 and construction was completed in 1913. In 1978, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, as a contributing property within the Hawaii Capital Historic District.

Sterling Memorial Library

Sterling Memorial Library (SML) is the main library building of the Yale University Library system in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Opened in 1931, the library was designed by James Gamble Rogers as the centerpiece of Yale's Gothic Revival campus. The library's tower has sixteen levels of bookstacks containing over 4 million volumes. Several special collections—including the university's Manuscripts & Archives—are also housed in the building. It connects via tunnel to the underground Bass Library, which holds an additional 150,000 volumes.

Lincoln Hall (University of Illinois)

Lincoln Hall is one of the eleven buildings that make up the main Quad of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC). The building's exterior depicts scenes of the life of Abraham Lincoln and is located on the southwest corner of the Quad. The building is home of the Liberal Arts and Science College. Lincoln Hall contains four floors which includes classrooms, a theater, conference rooms, and offices for faculty. Specifically, the Department of Communication, Department of Sociology, several LAS administrative offices, including Student Academic Affairs and the Dean's Office reside in Lincoln Hall. Over the years, Lincoln Hall has emerged as the second most used classroom building on campus, with 350 sections of classes held there each semester. Almost every student will have taken a class in Lincoln Hall by graduation.

Queen Elizabeth II Great Court Central quadrangle of the British Museum in London

The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, commonly referred to simply as the Great Court, is the covered central quadrangle of the British Museum in London. It was redeveloped during the late 1990s to a design by Foster and Partners, from a 1970s design by Colin St John Wilson. The court was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.

Blackstone Library Library and building in the Chicago Public Library system in the United States

T. B. Blackstone Memorial Library is a building that is part of the Chicago Public Library System and is named after Timothy Blackstone. The building was designed by Chicago architect Solon S. Beman. It is now known as the Chicago Public Library – Blackstone Branch and commonly referred to as Blackstone Library, or Blackstone Branch and sometimes Blackstone for short. The Concord Granite building's two-year construction started in 1902, and it was dedicated on January 8, 1904. Blackstone Library marks the beginning of the Chicago Branch Library System as the first dedicated branch in the system. Blackstone is also the only branch of the 79-branch Chicago Public Library branch system that was constructed using private funding. The Blackstone Library was designated as a Chicago Landmark.

Newark Public Library United States historic place

The Newark Public Library (NPL) is a public library system in Newark, New Jersey. The library offers numerous programs and events to its diverse population. With eight different locations, the Newark Public Library serves as a Statewide Reference Center. The Newark Public Library is the public library system for the city of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Currently, the library boasts an enormous collection of both art and literature, art and history exhibits, a variety of programs for all ages, and much more.

D. H. Hill Library

The D. H. Hill Jr. Library is the main library at North Carolina State University. It is the third building to house the NC State University Libraries, following Brooks Hall and Holladay Hall. The current building, situated on the Hillsborough Street edge of North Campus, is the result of four stages of construction, and houses the majority of the volumes in NC State's collection.

Millennium Library (Winnipeg) Winnipegs Downtown public library

The Millennium Library is the main branch of the Winnipeg Public Library located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was known as the Centennial Library from 1977 until 2005. The library is located at 251 Donald St, and serves approximately 5,000 visitors each day.

Cherry Hill Public Library

The Cherry Hill Public Library is a public library located at 1100 Kings Highway North in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States. The library is overseen by the Library Board of Trustees and run by The Library Director. Originally called The Cherry Hill Free Public Library, the word "Free" was dropped from the title in 2003. The current library building was completed in December 2004 to replace a 1966 structure just northeast of the same location. In old aerial images of the area, the double-diamonds with the brown roof structure and grassy lot are the old Library before demolition. The pad to the southwest of the old library was the site of Richman's Ice Cream before its demolition; and this site has become the site of the new library building.

Sylvia Shaw Judson (1897–1978) was a professional sculptor who worked first in Chicago and later in Lake Forest, IL. She created a broad range of sculptural artworks, notably garden pieces depicting children and animals. For more than fifty years she sculpted life-size human figures in an era when critics and curators favored abstract works. Many years after she died, her serenely simple Bird Girl came to be widely known and admired.

New York Public Library Main Branch Library in Manhattan, New York

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, commonly known as the Main Branch or the New York Public Library, is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system and a landmark in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The branch, one of four research libraries in the library system, contains nine separate divisions. The structure contains four stories open to the public. The main entrance steps are at Fifth Avenue at its intersection with East 41st Street. As of 2015, the branch contains an estimated 2.5 million volumes in its stacks. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark, a National Register of Historic Places site, and a New York City designated landmark in the 1960s.

Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

Toledo Lucas County Public Library is a public library system located in Toledo, Ohio.

The Art Circle Public Library (ACPL) is located in Crossville, Cumberland County, Tennessee, and is part of the Falling Water Regional Library.

Baillieu Library

The Baillieu Library is the largest of the eleven branches which constitute the University of Melbourne Library. Its impressive collections are central to teaching, learning, and research in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It is located on the west side of the University's inner city Parkville campus, near the corner of Grattan Street and Royal Parade. The building, designed by John Scarborough and opened in 1959, is named after the Baillieu family, who funded the library through the William Lawrence Baillieu Trust.

Mary Rose Hill Burton was a Scottish artist and conservationist.

Selby Public Library

The Selby Public Library was the first library in Sarasota County, Florida and was established in 1907. The current building is the largest public library in Sarasota County and serves the downtown district of Sarasota, Florida.

Main Library (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) United States historic place

The Main Library is a historic library on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in Urbana, Illinois. Built in 1924, the library was the third built for the school; it replaced Altgeld Hall, which had become too small for the university's collections. Architect Charles A. Platt designed the Georgian Revival building, one of several on the campus which he designed in the style. The building houses several area libraries, as well as the University Archives and The Rare Book & Manuscript Library. The Main Library is the symbolic face of the University Library, which has the second largest university library collection in the United States.

Lee Woodward Zeigler

Lee Woodward Zeigler, also known as Albert Lee Zeigler, was an American artist who began his career as an illustrator and later worked as a muralist.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lake Forest Library FY 2017 Annual Report" Lake Forest Library: June, 2017.
  2. "Welcome to Lake Forest Library" (Brochure Draft) Lake Forest Library: 2008.
  3. "Lake Forest Library Property Record FY2018"
  4. 1 2 3 Mellinger, Sydney S. "The History of Lake Forest Library." Presented at the joint annual meetings of The Friends of Lake Forest Library and The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society: May 3, 1981.
  5. "History of the Lake Forest Library". Lake Forest Library.
  6. "Lake Forest Library Milestones" Lake Forest Library: February 28, 2014.
  7. "Lake Forest Library Directors" Lake Forest Library: June 12, 2017 revision of list created for Library Centennial.
Lake Forest Library homepage
Illinois Digital Archives (IDA) Lake Forest Library Archive - includes images and history of the library
City of Lake Forest homepage
Lake Forest - Lake Bluff Historical Society homepage

Coordinates: 42°15′08″N87°50′18″W / 42.2522°N 87.8382°W / 42.2522; -87.8382