4 Friendship Plaza (2008 - )

The dream about a new library became a reality on July 21, 2008, when the new building opened to the public for the first time.

Thanks to the Village of Addison, which provide $13,000,000 in funding to build the 54,600 square foot building, the library has a magnificent new home. The money from the Village did not come from property taxes but from a .25% sales tax that has been in place for many years.

The new building was designed by the architectural firm of Burnidge Cassell & Associates, Inc. The lead architect was Rick McCarthy. M. A. Mortenson oversaw the construction of the building. Neil Wisker was the project manager.

 The Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on April 21, 2007. The structure was completed in June, 2008.

On July 21, 2008, the last book was passed from the old library to the new, and the library opened to the public. The grand opening weekend was held September 20 and 21, 2008.

On September 21, Mayor Larry Hartwig and Board President Rob Kepka cut the ribbon to officially open the new library.

Artist Gregory Gove created a sculpture called "Grand Openings." It is visible from both the Children's Library and Adult Services, as well as from Army Trail Boulevard. The 30 open books are lit fiberoptically; each has a design element rising from the pages.

2 Friendship Plaza (1968 - 2008)

The architectural firm of Frazier, Raftery, Orr and Fairbank developed plans for a library building that would provide space for more than 70,000 volumes, newspapers, periodicals, audiovisual materials, reading lounges, and study areas. The Library Board submitted the plans to the Village Board and requested a library referendum for $400,000. The Village Board approved and set the referendum for November 29, 1966.

This referendum failed. Unwilling to accept defeat, the Library Board applied for and received a $100,000 grant from the Illinois State Library Committee. The plans for the new building were modified and the referendum request was lowered to $314,000. The Village Board set the new referendum date, March 4, 1967. Supporters of a new library worked diligently, and the referendum passed by 22 votes.

Construction of the new building began in August, 1967. The doors opened to the public on October 14, 1968, one day short of the library's sixth anniversary date. 

Although the building has two floors, the lower level was not completely finished and open to the public until 1974. In 1977 the Children's Department moved to the lower level and the Reference Department moved upstairs to join the rest of the adult collection.

Atrium Lobby Added

In 1991, the library began a building project to improve accessibility and space utilization. The first phase was the new atrium lobby, housing a larger elevator, public restrooms, and a central circulation desk. During the second phase, space in the existing building was reconfigured to improve the public service areas and staff workrooms. The library received a total of $277,525 in grant monies. The final phase, completed in 1994, brought new shelving and furniture to the library.

The new atrium lobby was dedicated on May 23, 1993. Members of the Board of Trustees cut the ribbon to begin the afternoon's festivities.

Computers have become an important library tool. In May, 1992, one computerized catalog terminal became available to the public. By the fall of 1993 the number of OPACs, online public access computers, had increased to five. Today there are 13. The card catalog was removed on October 31, 1994, much to the dismay of many library users. A computer room for the public was opened in 1993. CD-ROM workstations were added in 1995 in both Adult and Children's Services, offering a variety of databases to the public. The first Internet class was held in July, 1995. A self-service checkout station was added in 1996; patrons could now check out books without stopping at the Circulation Desk. During National Library Week 1996, the library unveiled its World Wide Web homepage. Twelve Internet workstations were opened to the public during the summer of 1996: ten in Adult Services, two in Children's. Photo ID library cards were introduced in 1999.

Beginning with the 1997 summer reading program, the library celebrated its 35th anniversary. It Took a Village, a video about the library's history, was shown at the 35th anniversary open house in December. 

Sculptures

A campaign began in 1998 to open an outdoor reading room. Artist Jim Haire was commissioned to create a sculpture, A Book for Everyone. Engraved brick pavers to surround the statue were sold. The statue was dedicated during National Library Week, 1999. Board President Virginia Clark unveiled the statue.

In 2002, artist Jim Haire was commissioned to create a second sculpture for the library. This statue, Enchantment of Reading, was donated by the family and friends of Jennifer Belford, an Addison Public Library staff member who died on June 7, 2000. This sculpture was placed at the entrance to the Children's Department, inviting everyone inside.

Today, both sculptures have a new home. A Book for Everyone, surrounded by paver bricks, old and new, has a special place on the west side of the entry. The Enchantment of Reading still greats childen as they enter the new Children's Library.

The Beginning

The idea of establishing a library in the Village of Addison originated in 1958 when the Kiwanis Club of Addison began studying the possibility. The Kiwanis Club announced in 1959 that its members had assumed sponsorship of the program for establishing a library and began raising funds. In December, 1960, six members of the Kiwanis Club went to the state library in Springfield to inquire how to establish a community library.

In February, 1962, the Addison Village Board granted permission for the remodeling of two rooms in the Municipal Building to house the library. Volunteers knocked down walls, plastered, and painted. They installed shelving, tables, and chairs.

At the May 21, 1962, meeting, the Village Board approved a referendum request to establish a tax-supported library. July 7 was set as the date for the referendum on the question "Shall a free public library be established and maintained in the Village of Addison, Illinois?"

The voters of Addison passed the referendum with a vote of 437 to 69.

The first Library Board of Trustees—Robert H. Schlesselman, William J. Mangold, Nathan B. Winter, Mary Warthen, Raymond G. Dickow, and Mary Jewell—announced the new library would open in the fall of 1962. They needed help to reach that goal. Twelve housewives volunteered, and Trustee Mary Jewell supervised the work of cataloging books, typing catalog cards, and shelving materials. On Monday, October 15, 1962, the Addison Public Library officially opened. The library's assigned telephone number, 543-3617, is still the main number.

Members of the first Board of Trustees, from left to right, Mary Warthen, Robert Schlesselman, Raymond Dickow, William Mangold, Nathan Winter, and Mary Jewell.

On April 12, 1966, Addison Public Library joined with 10 other local libraries to organize the DuPage Library System (DLS). Secretary of State and State Librarian Paul Powel granted official approval to this cooperative library system on June 28.

During the 1960s the population of Addison more than tripled, from 7000 in 1960 to nearly 18,000 in 1966. Although the library had grown from two to four rooms in the Municipal Building, further expansion was needed to meet the increasing demands of the community, but no more room was available. The library needed a building of its own! In 1968, the library moved to it's new location at 2 Friendship Plaza.

Library Directors Past and Present

Ruth Snyder, who came from the Glen Ellyn Public Library, became the library's first paid employee on June 1, 1963. Snyder trained the volunteers, who had little or no library experience. In July, she initiated the first story hour for children. By the end of 1964, the staff had increased to six. At the end of December, 1976, Ruth Synder retired. Under her guidance the library had grown from 2000 borrowed books in two borrowed rooms to a two-level building with more than 50,000 items.

Patricia Kelly became the new administrative librarian in 1977. During the 1960s Kelly worked for the Illinois State Library Fox Valley Project. She was the librarian on the bookmobile that served Addison in 1961. Sixteen years later, she returned to the Addison Public Library.

Kelly hired professional librarians to manage newly created departments. She promoted the use of computers to streamline labor intensive jobs. Technical Services Librarian Harvey Hahn wrote a program that produced catalog cards. More than 150 libraries in the United States, Canada, and Europe purchased "Avant CARDS" from the Addison Public Library.

Kelly left the library in May 1981.Chadwick Raymond succeeded Kelly as the library's administrative librarian.

In 1982 the library began using an automated circulation system, using a database shared by the 15 DLS libraries and housed at system headquarters in Geneva. Circulation staff used a computer to check materials in and out, and patrons could now access collections in other libraries. Beginning in 1983, computers were available for public use.

Chad Raymond left the library in 1985. Harold C. Ogg replaced him. In 1986 Ogg applied for and received a state grant to establish a Spanish language collection, which has now been expanded to include Albanian, Italian, and Polish language materials. Ogg resigned in 1987.

The Library Board, facing a financial crisis, asked voters for a property tax rate increase on the March 15, 1988, ballet. The referendum failed.

By the time Sharon Hoffman became the director in 1988, she and the Library Board had many difficult financial decisions to make. To help the dollars stretch further, library service was cut 12 hours per week, hours of part-time staff were cut, book and materials budgets were cut 25%, and the number of library programs was reduced. The Library Board decided to again ask voters for a property tax rate increase. The referendum was scheduled for the April 4, 1989 election. This time it passed. The library reopened on Fridays, and sufficient funds would soon be available to resume a wide range of library services. Sharon Hoffman retired on February 2, 2001.

Sharon Campbell, Sharon Hoffman's replacement, became the director on April 1, 2001. During Sharon Campbell's tenure the library underwent a number of changes. Most recently completed was the reallocation of space within the library to make room for additional shelving, programming areas, and computer workstations. While Sharon served as director, the Addison Public Library was awarded over $250,000 of grant funding. Most recently, the award winning "Restroom Reading Grant" saw placement of eye-catching posters promoting the use of the library on restroom doors all over town. The campaign has been so successful that the Illinois State Library, which funded this creative grant, has allowed several other states to use these posters in their own "restroom reading" campaigns. Sharon retired on April 30, 2004.

Mary Medjo Me Zengue was selected by the Board as the new library director. She assumed her new duties on May 1, 2004. Mary joined the Addison staff in 1996 as the assistant head of adult services. After two years she was promoted to the head of adult services; two years later she assumed the additional duties of the assistant director, a position she held for four years. For Mary the staff’s commitment to service remains her highest priority as she looks forward to the challenges that await her. At the Addison Public Library, the board, administration, and staff continually strive to make this Library the best that it can be. As the needs of the community change, the library works to meet those needs.