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The Lake Forest Library is the public library serving Lake Forest, Illinois, United States. It is located at 360 E. Deerpath, Lake Forest, Illinois.
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History
The Lake Forest Library was chartered on July 4, 1898 by Mayor Edward F. Gorton, and opened on the second floor of the new city hall as part of that building's opening on June 24, 1899. The first library board members, appointed by Mayor Gorton soon after granting the charter, were J. J. Halsey, D. W. Hartman, Calvin Durand, George S. Holt, Charles S. Frost, John Kemp, David B. Jones, Richard G. Watson, and David Fales.
The library moved to its current location in 1931. The present building, designed as a library by architect Edwin H. Clark, was given to the city by Mrs. Charles H. Schweppe and Mrs. Stanley Keith in memory of Mrs. Keith’s first husband, Kersey Coates Reed, and was dedicated on June 7, 1931. The library's name was changed from Lake Forest Public Library to Lake Forest Library in 1935 after Board President Alfred E. Hamill petitioned the City Council for the change as a gesture of courtesy to the donors of the library. Library service milestones and significant changes to the building are listed below:
1898 July 4: Library Charter by Lake Forest City Council 1899 June 24: Library opens on top floor of Lake Forest City Hall 1905: First catalog listing books by author and subject 1931 Jun 7: New building opens at 360 E. Deerpath (Edwin Clark, architect) 1953: Summer reading program for children 1967: Installation in Children's Department of Apple Tree Children, bronze and wood sculpture by Sylvia Shaw Judson, daughter of Howard Van Doren Shaw. 1975: Friends of Lake Forest Library formed 1976: Friends of Lake Forest Library first book sale 1978: Addition of three wings underwritten by community gifts and a substantial donation from the Reed family (Brenner, Danforth, and Rockwell, architects) 1982: Open Sundays 1987: Public Access Catalog service begins 1990: Three-level book stack renovation 1992: Children's Department renovation, including Thomas Melvin mural for Children's foyer commissioned in memory of Douglas Keyt by Friends of Lake Forest Library 1995: Public Internet access and Library web site started 1996: Adult Reference room, Reference Annex, and Reading Room renovations(Reading Room dedicated to Frank Kreuz and named "Friends Reading Room") 1997: Restoration of the Nicolai Remisoff "Poets and Writers of Antiquity" murals originally installed in 1932(restoration funded by Friends of Lake Forest Library) 1998-1999: Digitized Community Cornerstone Architectural files 2001: Completion of the Louise Wells Kasian Children's Activity Center in the space of the former children's courtyard, 2001-2003: Restoration of Audubon aquatint engravings by Kenyon Oppenheimer, Inc., funded by Friends of Lake Forest Library, memorial gifts, and the Library. 2003: Business Room renovation funded by the Eugene A. and Emily L. Veto Foundation and Friends of Lake Forest Library 2004: Mark McMahon painting of Friends Book Sale 2004-2007: Friends Landscape Plan 2005: Fine Arts Room renovation funded by Friends of Lake Forest Library. 2006: Garden Room refurbished 2007: Alfred Medica memorial sculpture at front entrance (Peter Hessemer, sculptor) 2008: Staff Room renovated 2009: Renovation of Children's Library including the commissioning of additional Thomas Melvin murals(stairwells, over circulation desk, over north area, and elevator and emergency exit doors by Friends of Lake Forest Library 2010: Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter 2011: Social Networking: FourSquare and QR codes 2012: New web site: www.lakeforestlibrary.org 2013: Window restoration 2014: New signage in adult areas 2015: Exterior east stair railing replaced and redesigned 2016: Digitization of Lake Forester newspaper from 1899-1940.