I want to explore the timeline of when libraries were established and built in Madison County and perhaps the surrounding area. I grew up in an area that only had one local library, with the nearest Wisconsin branch being a thirty-minute drive away – and as a child there was no reciprocal borrowing between the branches (at least not in a way that was available to me). When I moved to the St. Louis, I was struck by the number of branches the library system had, though it was more of a necessity with a population as large as the St. Louis region. I never got a card when I lived in STL, so when I moved to Edwardsville I made a point to put my money where my mouth was and support local libraries. I was very surprised when I received my card and was told that my card was able to be used in most libraries in southern Illinois, so long as it was in good standing.

Having worked in libraries now for over five years I’m intimately familiar with the ways in which libraries are connected, and learned – at least in a vague way – the history of the libraries I have worked in. This last October Glen Carbon Centennial Library celebrated it’s twentieth anniversary from being built, and to celebrate the library went through many of its records and compiled a history of the library, and how it was established well before the physical building went up in 2004. I have previously explored the ways in which different library districts may not meet the needs of the population, as districts tend to leave gaps in coverage (Illinois Public Library Service Area Populations). In doing that geospatial project last semester, and in watching my library build its own history, it made me curious as to when and how different libraries in the region came to be – especially considering the politics of the time (e.g., Edwardsville’s library district was unwilling to allow another local library to join the consortium, as tax revenue from participating Glen Carbon residents would be routed away from the Edwardsville Public Library, making the library a contentious topic for the region).

Luckily, as many libraries are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements surrounding transparency, most libraries have at least a partial history of their building on their website, or listed in their policy/procedure/personnel manuals. Glen Carbon Centennial Library, which of course would be included in my work, has its own webpage dedicated to the history of the library: Library History (glencarbonlibrary.org). In addition, there are some sources that can be found via news articles kept by the libraries in question, as well as histories provided by the Illinois Heartland Library System, specifically about how IHLS was implemented and when (illinoisheartland.org).

I think in terms of this project, it would make the most sense to use either an interactive timeline, such as KnightLab’s Timeline software, or StoryMap, since both would allow for a visual representation of when and how the locations were built. StoryMap specifically might be more visually appealing, but I’m unsure what data I will be able to find outside of date, place, and some basic surrounding information, such as how funding was sourced, so I think I’ll narrow down my focus as I move forward.