From the "Village of Westchester -- 1925-1975 -- Golden Jubilee", 1976.

The Westchester Public Library

(Photo courtesy of Miss Kathleen Graham)

In an election on February 25, 1956, the people of Westchester voted to buy the property it had been renting and to build a new Village Hall on the site of the existing Village Hall.  On that same day, the people voted in favor of a tax of one-tenth of a cent per 100 dollar evaluation to make a free public library possible in Westchester.

The Library moved into its own wing of the Village Hall on June 7, 1958, with Lillian O'Boyle as the Head Librarian.

The first elected trustees of the Westchester Public Library were:  Dr. Russell W. Zitek, Pres., Mrs. Virginia Boyle, Sec., Mr. Robert S Auten, Mr. Thomas J. Harvey, and Mrs. Rita Killip.

When the Library opened, there were approximately 2,100 volumes on the shelves; 663 belonging to the Library and 1,500 belonging to the Illinois State Library.  In April, 1962, the Library owned 20,086 volumes.  Miss Kathleen Graham, stated that, as of July, 1975, the Library owns 65,000 volumes and has 10,000 registered borrowers.

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Last Modified:  03/26/2005