Harold Washington Library Free Author Lectures

Harold Washington Library Free Author Lectures

Where:  Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State Street, 312-747-4300. VIRTUAL EVENTS REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Most events are in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Lower Level.  Schedule subject to change or cancellation. Always call to confirm or check the CPL website. Seating is available first come, first served.

Poetry East 40th Anniversary celebration with Richard Jones and Miles Harvey Wednesday, April 21, 2021 6:00PM – 7:00PM

A special celebration of Poetry East’s 40th Anniversary. Watch live on CPL’s YouTube channel and CPL’s Facebook page. You’ll be able to ask questions during the event.  Watch later on CPL YouTube channel.

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Accessibility
Need captioning for this event? Please call (312) 747-4015. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.

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About the Chicago Public Library

1871: After the Chicago Fire, Thomas Hughes, a member of British Parliament organized the donation of 8,000+ books to Chicago. Chicago citizens petitioned for a free public library. Previous libraries were private membership-only organizations. The Children’s Library at Harold Washington Library Center is named after Thomas Hughes.

1872: The Illinois Library Act of 1872, authorized cities to establish tax-supported libraries throughout Illinois. In April, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance establishing the Chicago Public Library.

1873: The Chicago Public Library opens at the southeast corner of LaSalle and Adams streets in a circular water tank that survived the fire. The library moved several times during its first 24 years, including an 11-years on the fourth floor of City Hall.

1874: A delivery station system (you request a book and they delivered it via horse-drawn carriage it to a set location) served Chicago’s neighborhoods mostly in stores.  This accounted for two-thirds of the circulation of the Chicago Public Library by the early 1900’s.

1897: October 11, the Central Library, on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Randolph streets, opens in what is now the Chicago Cultural Center. The building cost about $2 million, was designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. The building was designed to be practically fireproof. Preston Bradley Hall, contains a dome and hanging lamps by Tiffany Glass.

1904: Isabella N. Blackstone (the widow of a wealthy president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad from 1864 to 1899) donated funds to construct the first branch library, located in the Hyde Park and Kenwood neighborhoods. The library was modeled after the famous Erechtheion on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

1916: Chief Librarian Henry E. Legler created a library plan calling for an network of neighborhood library locations. The plan included several regional libraries with more comprehensive collections. The first regional library, the Henry E. Legler Regional Library, opened in 1920 in West Garfield Park.

1918: Carl B. Roden, who began work as a library page(book shelver) in 1886, was appointed chief librarian. Over 32 years (1918-1950) he increased staff, holdings, circulation and total expenditures exponentially. The Carl B. Roden Branch in Norwood Park, where he resided, is named in his honor.

1960s: CPL added a significant number of neighborhood branch libraries, via new construction or leasing storefronts or reading rooms. By 1985, there were 76 branches.

1991: The new main library the Harold Washington Library Center opened October 7.

1995: Chicago Public Library established its website.

1996: A three-year, $65 million capital improvement plan begins building or renovating 52 neighborhood libraries.

2000: $44 million in neighborhood library construction begins.