A PUBLIC LIBRARY'S HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT: EAST SAINT LOUIS, ILLINOIS' PUBLIC LIBRARY

The purposes of this study are to (1) describe and document the founding and development of the Public Library of East Saint Louis, Illinois from its beginning in 1872 as an educational institution; (2) identify individuals who impacted on the Library's development; (3) describe the events and issues relating to the Library's development; and (4) trace linkages in the city's development along with the Library's.;Since 1972, trends in the library profession point to possible new directions for the Library in the future; such as literacy training, increased public programming, the use of a public computer, information systems, library systems, and the availability of VIDEO equipment as well as projectors, screens, and cassette players and cassettes. Because of the commitment of the East St. Louis Public Library Board to its charge of excellence in rendering Library Service to the community, and of the past experiences of its leaders, the East St. Louis, Illinois Public Library should successfully meet the challenge of the future.;Four future responsibilities of the East St. Louis Public Library might include: (1) supporting formal education at all levels; (2) providing opportunities for continuing self-education and training (3) playing a dynamic role in offering services and books to aid minority persons in our community into the mainstream of our society, and (4) providing resources for an informed public and for our public's personal growth.;The history of the Public Library of East St. Louis chronicles the establishment of the library, the appointment of Library Board Members through the years, the contributions of these various Board Members, the city's role in financing the library, and the various mayors' roles in the operation of the library. It also tells of the financial leanings of the Board Members, reflecting their generosity or lack of it.;This approach utilizes a modified chronological narrative, through an examination of archival materials, mainly the original Board Minutes, a few letters, cancelled checks and annual reports of the Directors from 1872 to 1979.;It depicts a quiet, conservative, highly respectable institution with rather general aims functioning somewhat on the margins of the city's central living concerns. It shows how the East St. Louis Public Library has become an increasingly important part of these concerns, especially as it has become a city composed predominately of the Black minority.