Chicago Public Library Records: Early CPL Series

Historical Note

The Chicago Public Library was founded in 1872, and opened to the public on January 1, 1873. The Library came into being as a result of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Before the fire there were a number of libraries operating within the city, although none were run by the city, nor were they free. Virtually all of the books in these libraries, most notable those belonging to the Chicago Library, run by the Young Men’s Association, burned in the blaze.

Responding to the disaster, Thomas Hughes, British Member of Parliament and author of Tom Brown’s School Days, and A.H. Burgess led a drive in Great Britain to “present a Free Library to Chicago, to remain there as a mark of sympathy now, and a keepsake and a token of true brotherly kindness forever.” The result of this endeavor was around 7,000 volumes being donated to the new library from universities, publishers, learned societies, and individuals including Queen Victoria, Benjamin Disraeli, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, John Stuart Mill, John Ruskin and Matthew Arnold.

The impending book donation caused a problem for Chicago’s city fathers. There was no provision in either city or state law which allowed cities to raise funds to maintain free public libraries. A petition was quickly organized by leading Chicagoans to call on Mayor Medill to call a public meeting to establish a free public library for Chicago. The result was the Illinois Library Act of 1872 which was soon followed by a city ordinance proclaiming the establishment of the Chicago Public Library.

Donations flowed in, not just from Great Britain, but from most European countries, including a significant donation of books in German for German speaking residents of the city. Books and money came in from all over the United States and from individuals in Chicago itself. The Board of Directors was established and the first president named was Thomas Hoyne, the first Secretary was William Bailey Wickersham. The Library opened to the public on January 1, 1873 in a disused iron water tank, one of the few structures which had survived the fire, on the corner of Adams and LaSalle Streets. By October 1873 William Frederick Poole, one of the foremost librarians in the country, was appointed Librarian and by May 1874, the Library began to circulate most of its collection.

The Library moved from location to location during its first 24 years until 1897 when it moved into the newly constructed Central Library, build expressly for the Library’s use, on Michigan Avenue, between Randolph and Washington Streets. The Library remained there for almost 100 years until 1991 when a second new Central Library was built in the south loop, the Harold Washington Library Center.

Presidents of the Board of Directors, Chicago Public Library, 1872-Present

Secretaries of the Board of Directors, Chicago Public Library, 1872-

Position known as Business Manager from 1957

Librarians/Commissioners, Chicago Public Library, 1873-Present

Scope and Content

The Early Papers Series of the Chicago Public Library Archives document the foundation of the Library, from immediately after the 1871 fire and includes detailed information regarding the legislative process which gave authority to the city to raise taxes to maintain a public library; extremely detailed information regarding donated books; shipping information and costs of exporting the donations to the United States; lists of who donated what; and general everyday library business. The series also has information about employment matters in the Library and the construction of the new Central Library.

Arrangement

Arranged in three subseries:

1. Papers of the President of the Board of Directors
2. Papers of the Secretary of the Board of Directors
3. Papers of the Librarian

Provenance has been maintained as far as was possible. The papers of the President, Secretary and Librarian were already distinct from each other and the papers of Secretary Wickersham were already organized into the subject breakdowns listed below. To help researchers make maximum use of this series, this subject breakdown has been copied to the other papers. Documents within each subject have been put into chronological order by the archivist. A list of subjects can be found below. Researchers should be careful to consult papers of the President, the Secretary, and the Librarian for any one topic of research.

List of subject breakdowns:

• Legislation
• British Book Donation
• German Book Donation
• Other Donations
• Bills of Lading
• Forwarding of Books (from US port to Chicago)
• Letters Relative to Donation (see also Oversize 1)
• General Library Business
• Employment
• New Library Building (Construction of the new Central Library, what is now the Cultural Center)
• Library Buildings

Related Materials

• Board of Directors Proceedings
• Annual Reports of the Chicago Public Library

Container List

See individual subseries guides for the Papers of the President of the Board of Directors, the Papers of the Secretary of the Board of Directors and the Papers of the Librarian.