West Branch Library

Main Library
121 East Washington Street
Belleville, IL 62220
(618) 234-0441
Hours of Operation
Monday-Thursday 9:00am-8:00pm
Friday-Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm
Closed Sundays

West Branch Library
3414 West Main Street
Belleville, IL 62226
(618) 233-4366
Hours of Operation
Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm
Tuesday & Thursday Noon-8:00pm
Closed Sundays

St. Clair County received its first surge of German immigration during the early 1830s. Among this wave were the Latin Farmers. The Latin Farmers were liberal-minded, college educated men who came to America because it allowed more personal freedoms and once here settled into agricultural pursuits. These men were interested in a variety of subjects, but especially the politics and history of the United States which they now called home. These men were the founders of our library.

A few years after their arrival, a new book was about to be published titled The Life of George Washington by Jared Sparks. This book is so important to the library because it is the impetus for our existence. This book was very expensive and no one man could afford to purchase the book individually so Dr. Anton Schott proposed at a gathering at his home in June of 1836 that a circulating library be formed with The Life of George Washington as its foundation. The next month, on July 17th, 1836, which was also Dr. Schott’s birthday, the German Library Society of St. Clair County was organized. Each member paid a fee of $ and Dr. Schott was chosen as Librarian and the library was kept at his home in Shiloh. George Bunsen served as President and Theodore Hilgard served as Treasurer. In addition to the purchase of The Life of George Washington, each member donated books from their own personal libraries to form the library collection which consisted of 93 volumes. In addition to being the story of how the library came to be, this story also epitomizes just what a public library is - a place where books, media, and research materials are always available for access, regardless of one’s ability to personally purchase them.

The library continued to steadily grow in both members and books and was moved to Belleville in 1853 to be more centrally located for its members. While the library continued to move to several locations before finally settling here at 121 East Washington Street, the main library has been located in downtown Belleville ever since the initial move from Dr. Schott’s home in Shiloh.

In order to reach more people, the German Library Society joined with the Belleville Saengerbund in 1861 and the new society was called the Belleville Saengerbund and Library Society. The connection between music and the library is 150 years old and we are so glad to have a trio from the Belleville Philharmonic to perform here today. Henry Raab was the Librarian during the majority of the Belleville Saengerbund and Library Society’s existence and it was during his librarianship that women were allowed full membership into the society in 1873 and children were first allowed in the library. Children were permitted to check out books on Sundays from 10 to 11 in the morning. Things have surely changed! Today, the children’s section is vital to the library and the community.

The Belleville Saengerbund and Library Society continued until 1883 and when it was about to dissolve, it offered its library collection to the City of Belleville as a donation on the condition that it be made and kept forever a free public library in accordance with the laws of Illinois. The City Council agreed and the Belleville Public Library opened in the Union Engine House on South Jackson Street on March 10, 1884. Only two of the original founders of the German Library Society of St. Clair County were alive to see it transferred to the City. The two men were Gustave Koerner and Theodore Krafft. To honor them, they were both appointed members of the Library Board of Trustees.

The library outgrew its location at the firehouse and the Library Board resolved to build a library building that could be used as both a library and city hall. The Board petitioned the City Council and the council agreed. The cornerstone for the new building was set on September 21, 1892 on the site of the current Belleville City Hall. The library opened on the second floor of the building on October 9, 1893.

The twentieth century was a time for many advances and expansions for the Belleville Public Library. A children’s room with an attendant opened in 1906 and a few years later Ethel Huff was appointed the first female librarian. She served in this capacity from 1909-1915. It was during this same time that efforts began to have a new Library Building donated to the City by the Carnegie Corporation. The request was granted in 1913 with the stipulation that the City Council provide a site and pledge itself to maintain the library at a cost of no less than $4,500 a year. The library opened in the new Carnegie Library on January 20th, 1916. It is the first building dedicated solely to house the Belleville Public Library.

The opening of the West Branch library occurred in 1925. The West Branch Library opened on January 6, 1925 in Freudenberg’s Drug Store, located in the Kissel building at 1401 West Main Street. A few years later, the West Branch moved just a few doors down to 1411 West Main Street and stayed at that location until 1969 when it moved to its current address at 3414 West Main Street to better serve the west end of Belleville.

There was a dedication to children’s literacy with regularly scheduled children’s story times and the introduction of the Summer Reading Program. Some of these events were so popular that children had to be turned away. For instance, on June 10, 1968, 125 children crowded into the basement for the library’s storytelling hour. More than 50 children had to be turned away because there was no more room.

The last thirty years of the twentieth century were a time of construction and expansion for both locations of the library. A two story addition to the Main library was added in the 1970s adding 5,000 square feet. An addition to the West Branch library was constructed in 1971 followed by another in 1988 and 1989. In 1997 a renovation began on the Main Library and was completed in 1998.

Expansion of the buildings was not the only accomplishment, however. Expansion into the community by partnering with the St. Clair County Genealogical Society and becoming its depository occurred during this time period. The library also became a Satellite Resource Center of the St. Louis Art Museum thanks to a generous donation by the Belleville News-Democrat. The library entered into the technological age in 1988 by purchasing its first computer for public use. A Belleville News-Democrat article described its use as a game computer for children while adults used the computer for word processing.

2011 marked the 175th anniversary of the founding of the library and a celebration was held on September 18th, 2011, to commemorate the event. In the winter of 2012, renovations will begin to update the Main library to better serve the public.

In a charter granted by the Illinois General Assembly in 1839, the German Library Society of St. Clair County states that its existence and mission is in the “purpose of acquiring and disseminating general and useful knowledge.” That is still our mission today. The way that we acquire and disseminate knowledge has changed in the last 175 years. Not only do we have books like the original collection, but we have music CDs, audiobooks, DVDs, microfilm, and online databases. We continue to evolve and adopt new media to better serve the public and we hope that you will come visit us. We look forward to serving you!