The Riverside Public Library
Timeline of important dates …..

 April 21, 1927

 Referendum passed establishing a library and levying a tax for this purpose.

April 17, 1928

 First Library Board elected.

June 25, 1920

Bond issue referendum to construct a building for $75,000.00 passed 120-70.

February 8, 1930

 By election of the people, the Library Act was amended to permit the library to be built in any park in the Village under exclusive control and supervision of library directors.

April 11, 1930

 Hired Grace Gilman as librarian prior to opening; signed agreement with architect  Connor and O’Connor.

May 26, 1930

 Memorandum of agreement signed between Village and library to permit the library to erect and maint-  ain a library on Village land.

August 6, 1930

 Awarded General Contract for construction of library building to Arvid H. Viren for $51,630.

October 4, 1930

 Ground breaking and laying of cornerstone.

November 13, 1930

 Resolution passed to construct a joint heating plant with the Township for heating both the Town Hall  and the Library.

April 4, 1931

 Dedication and opening of the library.  Those present included Mr. Connor, Architect of the building and   Edgar Cameron, a Chicago artist who painted the mural of  Marquette and Joliet.  Robert Somerville, first   Library Board President, presented the Cameron Mural and decorative map of the region as a personal     gift  to the Library.  Over 1800 people registered for library cards the first week the library was opened.

April 22, 1931

Organizational meeting for Friends of the Library.  Mrs. Joseph Jaros was elected President.

December 22, 1931

 Cut annual operating budget from $8,99 to $6,500 due to low rate of tax collection during the depression.

September 30, 1936

 Board voted to replace library doors with solid oak entrance doors.

February 24, 1937

Riverside Historical Society materials housed in the Library.

February 1, 1940

Village moved out of basement room of the library.  Basement remodeled into a children’s room.

May 1, 1966

Riverside Public Library becomes one of the first libraries to join the new Suburban Library System (SLS).

April 1975

Riverside Public Library was recipient of the “All-Star Library Award” from the Illinois

Library Association.  Referendum passed to increase library tax rate from 19 mils to 40 mils.

November 1984

Referendum by voters to fund a $1,500,000 addition to the library passed 5,196 to 4,470.  Architect :   Frye Gillian Molinaro; Contractor: A.C.M. Associates;  Size:12,500 sq. ft. addition to the 5,761 sq. ft. building.

 April 14, 1985

Groundbreaking for new addition.

September 7, 1986

Grand re-opening of the library with new addition.

October 1989 and January 1990

 Flamingo Film Company spent four days filming an Encyclopedia Britannica Film in the Library.

December 1991

 Riverside Public Library pictured on the cover of American Libraries magazine.

April 1997

Riverside Public Library building is used for the taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show book discussion of   Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi.

October 1997

The Riverside Public Library joined the World Wide Web: www.sls.lib.il.us/rss/

June 1998 

Library awarded grant of $33,306 from the Illinois State Library to renovate Terrace into the Quiet Reading Room.  Construction began March 1999.

April 5,1999

The front of the Library was filmed for use in an episode of “Early Edition”.

November 7, 1999

Dedication of the Quiet Reading Room.

August 2002

Young Adult  Area opened on lower level.

April 2004

 Lighting fixtures, made to look like those which originally hung in the Library, were installed in the Great   Room.  The fixtures were purchased with money received from the estate of Grace A. Board, a former   staff member and friend of the Library.

April 24, 2005

  The Library’s 75th Jubilee Year begins with a Commencement Celebration.  A whole year of programs, events and celebrations will take place in recognition of the Riverside Public Library’s 75th Anniversary.  All costs incurred and associated with the Anniversary year were funded by the Riverside Friends of the Library.

June 2005

 Library receives grant of $ 27.000 from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation to replace lower level  lighting.

April 30, 2006

  The Riverside Friends of the Library mark their 75th Anniversary. Their many years of  support to the Library is celebrated.

June 2006

The Library receives a $17,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation to replace the lighting in the Adult Non-Fiction area.

September 2006

Landscaping project completed.  Funded by the Riverside Garden Club and the Frederick Law Olmsted Society.

June 2007

 Library receives a $12,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation to complete the replacement of lighting in the Library.

July 2008 

  Bats at the Library, a children’s book by Brian Lies, is published by Houghton-Mifflin Corporation.  The  “Library” used in the book is the Riverside Public Library. 

October 10, 2008

  Author Brian Lies comes to Riverside to read from and autograph his book, Bats at the Library.      The Library  celebrates this event with “Batoberfest”, an evening of fun for the entire community.    Bat images lit the Library Building and the Village’s Water Tower to publicize the event.