Staunton Star - Times - Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years

by Tom Emery

This year, Illinois library users will celebrate a milestone, the 150th anniversary of the Public Library Act.

The act, which was signed on March 7, 1872, created the tax-supported, free-usage public libraries that Illinoisans know today. The act revolutionized statewide library usage, and remains a standard by which libraries are governed today.

Gov. John M. Palmer signed the act into law, a move that was likely influenced by his love of reading and education. Accounts of Palmer’s life repeatedly refer to books, and he taught school before entering politics. Palmer is also credited with teaching many members of his own family how to read.

Before 1872, Illinois residents had no access to free reading, and had to join private organizations for library material. Social libraries date to 1818 with the founding of such organizations in Albion and Edwardsville. A subscription library was founded in Belleville in 1821, and by 1872, there were an estimated forty such libraries across the state.

As the decades passed, a movement arose to promote the formation of public libraries, and it came to a head when Palmer signed the Public Library Act into law. The act passed the Illinois House 124-4 and carried the Senate 34-1.

The act authorized cities, incorporated towns, and townships to maintain free public libraries and reading rooms “for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of each city.”

A public library board was to consist of nine members and was charged with creating rules and regulations for governing and financing the library. The board also had the power to “appoint a suitable librarian and necessary assistants” and “in general, carry out the spirit of the act.”

Under the law, “every library and reading room...shall be forever free to the use of the inhabitants of the city.”

Some historians also trace the act to the catastrophic Chicago Fire of the previous October 8, in which all libraries of the city were lost in the flames. The first Illinois community to establish a public library was Elgin, on April 2, 1872. Chicago followed one day later.

The act was not Palmer’s only contribution to librarianship. He directed the State Librarian to distribute high numbers of surplus books at the State Library to “various library associations and educational institutions” across the state.

This devotion to the dissemination of information is one of the State Library’s earliest efforts at what became one of its primary functions, the distribution of reading materials to Illinois citizens.

Palmer was elected governor of Illinois in 1868 and is considered one of the finest chief executives in state history. He lived in Carlinville, where his home still stands, from 1839-67, then settled in Springfield.

A U.S Senator from 1891-97, Palmer received a groundswell of support for President early in 1892. In 1896, he ran for President on the third-party Gold Democratic ticket.

He married Hannah Lamb, the city librarian of Springfield, in 1888, three years after his first wife's death. Visitors to the Palmer home in Springfield at the time recalled Palmer sitting contentedly as his wife read classic works to him.

A 2003 study of U.S. Senators from Illinois called Palmer second only to Lincoln among the greats of 19th-century Illinois political history. Palmer died at his Springfield home on Sept. 25, 1900 and is buried in the Carlinville City Cemetery.

On Oct. 16, 1923, a statue of Palmer was dedicated on the grounds of the current Illinois statehouse.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. who has extensively studied Palmer’s life. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].