HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
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Elgin and Carpentersville, elegant buildings have been donated or erected for their especial use, and at Geneva, St. Charles and Dundee, pleasant quarters are rented. At each of these places, well-lighted, cheerful reading rooms, well supplied with the best newspapers and magazines, are maintained, and are well patronized by people of both sexes and of all ages and conditions in life. At Aurora, the "Public Library" was first established under the statutes of the State by the City Council, and opened for popular use in June, 1882, in the unique and artistic Memorial Hall. Its development soon outgrew the capacity of this building, and only three years later quite a large addition was erected. But the steady accumulation of books, and the increasing use of the reading and reference rooms by the people, and especially by the pupils in the schools, soon overtaxed these enlarged facilities, and in 1897 the Library Board, principally through the Rev. W. A. Colledge, entered into correspondence with Mr. Andrew Carnegie, who tendered the city $50,000 for the erection of a new library building, upon the city's pledge to perpetually appropriate at least $5,000 annually for the maintenance of the library. A levy of one and one-half mills upon the dollar at present produces a library fund of $6,000 yearly.
In compliance with this arrangement, a commodious and elegant building is now in course of erection and nearly completed. Its appropriate and central site upon the island was donated by the generous heirs of Joseph G. Stolp. It is constructed of pressed brick and Bedford stone, thoroughly non-combustible, in artistic style suiting its express use, and of the most approved material and construction throughout. It is being finished and furnished with all the best equipment known to library science. Its steel book-stacks have a capacity of 40,000 volumes, and both building and equipment are arranged with a view to indefinite expansion, as future needs may require. It now contains 20,000 volumes, carefully selected to cover all useful and interesting topics, scientifically classified according to the Dewey decimal system, making selections easy and the volumes readily accessible. The circulation of the Library at present is about 2,000 books per week; but with its increased facilities now promised, this will be largely increased. Mr. James Shaw has been Librarian and Secretary of the Board since 1884.
Mrs. Mary Prindle Newton quite recently donated to the township of Batavia, for library use, the beautiful homestead of the late Levi Newton, founder of the great Newton Wagon Company. Its central location and delightful surroundings render it another appropriate monument to the munificent public spirit of this patriotic family. The library is supported by township tax, has upon its shelves about 8,-500 well-selected volumes and exchanges about 300 each week. The Geneva Public Library has about 3,000 books, with a weekly exchange of 200. It is maintained by public tax, and occupies rented quarters. The St. Charles Library Association still sustains the library at that city. It rents its rooms and has about 3,000 volumes, exchanging about 200 weekly.
The Elgin Library can be traced back to 1841 or '42, and, with less certainty, to a still earlier date. At that time a small collection of books for circulation was kept in a room over the old B. W. Raymond store, on the southeast corner of Spring and Chicago Streets. Subsequently they passed into the possession of the "Young Men's Christian Association," and from that to the Public Library. In March, 1872, the State Legislature passed an act authorizing townships, by vote of its citizens, to establish and maintain by taxation free public libraries. The very next month Elgin voted to organize under this law, and to levy a tax of one mill upon the dollar, for library uses. The amount of this levy has been increased, and is now three mills annually. The upper story of the Home Bank Block was rented for a number of years, and then more commodious rooms were obtained in the block on the south side of Chicago Street, just west of the alley near the river bridge. The brothers, Alfred B. and Samuel M. Church, purchased the former residence of D. C. Schofield, situated on the west side of Spring Street, and extending from Milwaukee to Division Street, and very generously donated it to the city for library use in 1892 or '93. The location is central and in every way acceptable, and upon it the town at once erected the modest yet elegant building now in use. It is admirably arranged, fully and conveniently equipped and tastefully furnished. It was opened for use by appropriate public ceremonies on February 22, 1894, and, at the request of the donors of the site, was named the "Gail Borden Public Library."
About 1875 or '76 Congress passed an act
