Paxton Carnegie Public Library
Encyclopedia
Paxton Carnegie Public Library is in the Ford County, Illinois city of Paxton
. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places
. The building is still used by the Paxton Carnegie Library and is open as a public library.
was established in 1903 with the help of a grant from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie
. The building was designed by architect Paul O. Moratz of Bloomington, Illinois
and its unique architectural features have been preserved throughout its over 100 year history. Construction on the Paxton Library began when the $10,000 Carnegie grant came though; the cornerstone
was laid by Harry and George Turner in October 1903. The interior has been restored to its original 1903 appearance, the original furnishings are still in use as is the original oak
circulation desk. In 2003 the cornerstone of the library was removed during the 100th anniversary celebration by Harry Turner's grandson, Alan Turner of Paxton.
As of November 2006 the library director is Anne Newman and the library has five clerks on its staff. The Paxton Public Library is governed by a nine member board of trustees which meets the first Wednesday of each month. Today, the library houses over 26,000 volumes, subscriptions to 73 periodicals for adults and 10 for children and 4 newspapers, 900 videos, 300 audio books, microfilm, vertical files, city and county history information, large print books and computers and fax machines for public use. Books are circulated for two weeks at a time, magazines for one week and videos for two days. There are overdue fines assessed. All residents of the city of Paxton can have a free library card while non residents are required to pay an annual fee. The library is an active member of the Lincoln Trails Libraries System, an interlibrary loan
program.
Paxton, Illinois
Paxton is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,473 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ford County.-History:...
. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The building is still used by the Paxton Carnegie Library and is open as a public library.
History
This Carnegie LibraryCarnegie Library
Carnegie Library, Carnegie Public Library, Carnegie Free Library, Carnegie Free Public Library, Andrew Carnegie Library, Andrew Carnegie Free Library or Carnegie Library Building may refer to any of the following Carnegie libraries:- California :*Carnegie Library , listed on the National Register...
was established in 1903 with the help of a grant from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. The building was designed by architect Paul O. Moratz of Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
and its unique architectural features have been preserved throughout its over 100 year history. Construction on the Paxton Library began when the $10,000 Carnegie grant came though; the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid by Harry and George Turner in October 1903. The interior has been restored to its original 1903 appearance, the original furnishings are still in use as is the original oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
circulation desk. In 2003 the cornerstone of the library was removed during the 100th anniversary celebration by Harry Turner's grandson, Alan Turner of Paxton.
The library today
Interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan is a service whereby a user of one library can borrow books or receive photocopies of documents that are owned by another library...
program.