The following was delivered by Ed. M. Stotlar on February 29, 1916 at the dedication exercise held at the library building during the evening:
The first organized effort for the starting of a Public Library in Marion, Illinois occurred in January, 1906 when Prof. J.W. Asbury, then Supt. of the City schools made a public call for a mass meeting of all citizens interested in procuring a public library for Marion. The meeting was held in the City Hall and liberally attended by citizens interested in the movement. At this meeting Prof. J.W. Asbury was chosen chairman of a committee to confer with the aldermen and mayor and city attorney and ask that a library ordinance for the City of Marion be drawn and passed at once. As a result of the efforts of this committee, the first library ordinance was passed on March 12, 1906, known as Ordinance No. 60. Mr. C.H. Denison was Mayor and the board of aldermen consisted of B.H. Jeter, A.M. Townsend, Sandy Miller, E.H. Moulton, Joseph H. Moss, W.O. Potter, John S. Strike and A.B. McLaren, with George Campbell, Secretary and Hosea V. Ferrell, attorney.
Under the provisions of this Ordinance a Library Board was appointed consisting of the following Members:
One year: Ed. M. Stotlar, Mrs. W.O. Potter and Mrs. Thomson, wife of minister of First Methodist Church.
Two years: J.M. Burkhart, J.W. Asbury and Mrs. W.H. Warder
Three Years; Mrs. A.M. Edwards, Dr. W.P. Throgmorton and Senator O.H. Burnett. Throgmorton was Baptist minister of the First Baptist Church.
The board met and organized on Thursday April 19, 1906 by electing J.M. Burkhart, President and J.W. Asbury, Secretary. After various propositions for securing a library had been considered, upon motion, it was decided that the Secretary should correspond with the Carnegie Corporation and determine the requirements incident to obtaining aid from that source. Also, a call was made for sites suitable for building purposes. Various sites were submitted to the Library Committee. In the meantime the Tax levy under the ordinance was being prepared in order to raise the funds to purchase a site. While this was pending, Mayor Denison saw fit to veto that part of the Ordinance relating to the library Tax Levy, giving as his reason that he didn’t see that the people needed a library at that time and that it would be an additional tax on the tax payers. With the failure to obtain funds to purchase a site, the efforts of the Library board were in vain, and nothing came of the proceedings. In the fall of 1908 the W.C.T.U. commenced agitation and in 1909 the office of Carnegie was reaffirmed.
All efforts for a Public Library seemed to have remained dormant until the early summer of 1912, when the next Ordinance known as No. 40 was passed July 8th of that year with Mayor J.H. Burnett presiding. The Aldermen at that time were James Carter, E.N. Rice, Thomas Hunt, James A. Cannon, William Welge, John H. Youngkin, R.C. Launius, O.P. Brown, Frank S. Morrison and Mark Woodley with Eura Griggs, clerk, and Walter Skaggs, attorney.
Under this ordinance a library board was appointed consisting of the following members; for 1 year, R.O. Clarida, Noah Payne, E.G. Lentz. Two years; W.G. Cochran, J.M. Dodd, E.B. Jackson. Three years; George H. Goodall, Ed Longbons and Mark Woodley.
Upon the call of Mayor Burnett, this board met in the City Hall Saturday, March 15, 1913 and proceeded to organize by electing Mark Woodley, President, Edward Longbons, Vice President, E.G. Lentz, Secretary. Upon motion, the President appointed a committee consisting of R.O. Clarida, E. Longbons and E.B. Jackson to draft by-Laws for the organization.
The by-laws committee reported back to the board on May 3, 1913 and under its provisions the following standing committees were appointed by Pres. Woodley.
Building and Grounds: R.O. Clarida, George H. Goodall and J.M. Dodd
Finance: E.B. Jackson, E.G. Lentz and Noah Payne
By-laws and Regulations: George H. Goodall, E.G. Lentz and Noah Payne
Library and Reading Room: Ed Longbons, R.O. Clarida and E.B. Jackson
The next meeting of the board occurred on June 24, 1913 at which time communications from the State Library Commission and Carnegie Foundation were read and considered. The Carnegie proposition at this time submitted was a repetition of the statement addressed to Prof. J.W. Asbury, 1909, which was in effect; That on condition that Marion Board of Aldermen gave definite assurance that they would maintain an annual appropriation of $1,800 for the maintenance of a Public Library, the Carnegie Corporation would donate for the purpose of building, a sum of $18,000. The city council in accord with the request promptly gave assurance that they would maintain such a fund, but because of the Treasury being wholly without funds, nothing was done in the way of securing a site until the latter part of 1913, when the members of the Old Board and the new appointees made by Mayor Calhoun met for organization October 11, 1913. The new board consisted of R.O. Clarida, E.B. Jackson, Ed M. Spiller, Ed Longbons, Dr. H.G. Norris, J.M. Dodd, Ed M. Stotlar, Mark Woodley and George H. Goodall.
The organization was perfected by the election of Mr. Mark Woodley as President; R.O. Clarida, Vice President; Ed M. Stotlar, Secretary and E.B. Jackson as Treasurer.
Mr. Woodley then proceeded to outline the steps to be accomplished as follows: Procuring a site and devising ways and means. A report from City Clerk, George C. Campbell was read, bearing the information that $1,800 from the Tax levy was then in the treasury for the Library Fund and a further levy duly made for the ensuing year. A committee consisting of Ed. M. Spiller, Dr. H.D. Norris and John M. Dodd was appointed to obtain offers on suitable building sites in the city.
Practically nothing was accomplished however until the following year because of the failure of an attempted Bond Issue for $3,500 on the city to purchase a site.
In August, 1914, upon a call from Pres. Woodley the Library Board met and upon motion it was decided that the funds in the treasury be used temporarily for the purchase of a site. In accord with this resolution, Dr. Norris who was chairman of the site committee on August 22, 1914 reported four satisfactory sites under option as follows: George Campbell residence site on East St.; the Mrs. Sarilda Cline residence site on South Market Street; the Dr. Walter Moore residence site on S. Market St.; and Gray brothers property on the North side of East Main Street. The President accordingly called for a preference ballot on the sites submitted on condition that satisfactory terms could be arranged with owner and purchaser. By this vote, the Mrs. Sarilda Cline site was chosen as being the most satisfactory which decision was accordingly reported to the city council and was duly approved by them on October 8th.
The Library Board was convened for the purpose of considering the report of the Site Committee consisting of Dr. Norris, Chairman and Stotlar and Wilson, members, and in accord with recommendations of that Committee, agreed to the terms then held under option with Mr. J. M. Cline for the Cline site, and instructed the committee to call for deeds and abstract to the property. In the meantime correspondence was being carried on with various architects about suitable plans for a library building. Upon information of the building committee, Pres. Woodley called the board together December 19, 1914 to consider the sketches submitted for consideration of the Board together with their terms, etc. The architects as follows: Mr. G.W. Ashby of Chicago; Clifford Shopbell and Co. of Evansville and A.T. Simmons of Bloomington and Reister and Reubuck of Belleville submitted plans. Of these plans and terms those of Clifford Shopbell and Co. of Indianapolis proved most satisfactory and upon recommendation of the building committed, they were adopted by the board.
On February 20, 1915, the board was called together by President Woodley to consider the revised building plans submitted by Shopbell and Co. which were promptly approved. These plans together with the necessary date of the proceedings of the Library Board and of the City Council and also Abstract of Title to the Library site were forwarded to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for approval.
On March 3, 1915 the submitted plans were returned from the Carnegie Corporation asking for a few minor changes. The plans were promptly forwarded to Mr. Shopbell and the changes made in accord with the wishes of the Corporation, which plans were adopted by the Library Board, May 3, 1915.
Bids for the construction of the building according to plans and specifications were promptly called and on May 20, 1915, the Library Board met for the purpose of considering the various propositions. As guests of honor, there were present, Mayor D.D. Hartwell, Clifford Shopbell, and City Clerk, George C. Campbell. Eight complete bids from various architects were considered, and by comparison it was found that Robert Sparks of Marion had the lowest bid and in accord with his bid was awarded the contract for the erection of the building for the sum of $15,233.05, and the O’Donnell Steam Heating Company was awarded the contract for installing the heating plant for $1,175. Both contractors immediately filed bond for the faithful performance of the work, and construction was started in a few days. The building was to have been completed by October 1, 1915, but owing to several delays occasioned by weather, and failure to secure materials, all of which was beyond the control of the contractor, the building was not completed until February 1916.
In the meantime applications for the position of Librarian had been called and from a number of applications submitted, that of Miss Mary E. Williams was selected and approved. Miss Williams of Marion, upon being notified of her election promptly applied for admission to the Summer School of the State University of Illinois at Champaign, at which place she obtained special instruction in Library Science. At the close of the session Miss Williams visited several libraries of similar organization to that of Marion and obtained data relevant to the needs and requirements of such institution. That the latest and most practical methods for Library management might be installed, the Board secured Miss Sarah Hougham of Manhattan, Kansas to superintend the classification and cataloging of the books and assist in the opening and popularizing of the Library. She arrived in Marion and took charge of the work February 10th on work already started by Miss Williams and both librarians have been diligently concerned with the preparation each day since.
It should not go without mention of the kindly assistance rendered by the ladies of the city, who upon being notified by the Board of the meager funds for furnishing the Ladies’ Room and the Assembly Room of the Library, promptly set about obtaining furnishings for the rooms by popular donations from the members of the club organization. Owing that some trouble, because of water, was occasioned in the basement, the furnishing have not been installed but are in storage ready for service as soon as the basement can be put into proper condition.
At present, no provision has been made for the furnishing of the Men’s Reading Room.
Because of the temporary use of funds for the purchase of a site, the Board has been considerably handicapped to provide a supply of books and periodicals. At present, a fund of approximately $1,000 is all that is available which will supply from 1,000 to 1,200 volumes. This of course makes a very meager showing to start with but the Book Committee has exercised a strict and careful supervision of all selections and purchases and it is believed that no book has been installed that is not useful to the reader. The Board wishes to express their gratitude to the various citizens who have made donations according to a list of books called for by the Book Committee. Especial mention should be made and thanks expressed for the donation of the Y.M.C.A. Library which consisted of nearly 100 volumes of choice literature. Also, the Board desires to extend appreciation to Mr. Hal. W. Trovillion of Herrin, Illinois for the valuable and neatly bound booklets contributed from his pres. Also, Mention is due Mrs. Joab Goodall of Carbondale for several volumes from the private library. As well as Miss Anna Price, Secretary of the State Library.
The present Library Board is composed of the following members: Mark Woodley, Pres.; Ed. M. Stotlar, Secretary; Ed Longbons, P.B. Wilson, George R. Stone, Fred J. McIntosh and Ed. M. Spiller, all of whom are particularly anxious to serve the public and receive complaints and suggestions from any citizen that will be of value toward making the institution the most serviceable possible to the Public.
(Delivered by Ed M. Stotlar on February 29, 1916 at the dedicatory exercises held at the Library building during the evening)