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Location: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
10 S. Emerson - Mount Prospect Public Library
The
Library was first founded in 1930 through the efforts of the Mount Prospect
Women's Club. Originally the entire collection of the Library fit on a small
cart that was kept in a closet in the Central School (currently located at
Thayer and Wille Streets). When the Library was open they would roll the cart
out of the closet and when it closed they would roll the cart back into the
cloak room.
Soon after the founding of the library, the
collection grew and the community demand rose, which required a larger space.
Later in
1930, the Library
moved into the small brick building that was the first home of the Mount
Prospect State Bank. The Bank had moved across the street in 1928 to the
building that was originally Busse Hardware (will be seen later in the tour) and
the small brick building had been left empty for two years. It was rented to the
Library for $10 a year. The Library grew in this location and eventually needed
to look for a larger space. In 1944 the library moved out of the small brick
building, which was then used as an office for a few years until it was
demolished in the 1950s and replaced with a parking lot. The new library
location was in the Busse Building at 111 S. Main Street. They operated out of
this store front for a number of years but it quickly became clear that they
needed a space that was constructed to be a library.
In 1949, with the beginning of the population
boom in Mount Prospect, a referendum was passed to construct a building that
stood on the corner of Busse and Emerson to house the library. This remained the
home of the Public Library for many years. In 1977 they moved out of this
building and it was then taken over by the Village of Mount Prospect and hosted
the Board of Trustee meetings while also being the home of the Human Services
Department, MPTV and activities for seniors. This building was demolished in
2002. Finally, in 1977 they built their current home to serve the population,
which was now almost fifty times larger. In 2003 the Library began another
expansion of their facilities, this time building a second floor on top of their
existing building. This addition was dedicated on October 17, 2004. The moves
and expansions of the Library demonstrate its success. Over 80% of Mount
Prospect residents are card carrying members and the vast array of programs
offered by the Library almost guarantees that all residents feel the importance
of the institution.