Elgin Community Library was started in the mid-1980’s. It was first located in the unused City Jail, but due to a leaky roof and mold issues, it was decided to move it to another location. The next stop on its journey was a room in the Municipal Building which also housed the police, fire, and ambulance departments. Moving onward, the third location was in a corner of City Hall. It stayed put for several years, but lack of visibility caused many citizens to not realize there was a library. 

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Fall 2011, the library moved to 8171 State Hwy 17. It was in a 1,100 square foot building immediately west of City Hall. After the move, with new signage, large front windows, and an active Facebook page, the library blossomed. Grants brought about an automation system, three patron use computers, and several new children’s books. 

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During the summer of 2017, the City Council made the comment that the library needed to be larger to better serve the community. After some searching for an appropriate building or land location, the City was offered at a greatly reduced price, an empty 3,200 square foot building that would suffice once remodeled. The City closed on the sale in January 2018 and remodel through volunteers immediately began. 

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The first day open at the fifth location, 108 Thoma Drive, was September 11, 2018, with the grand opening and ribbon cutting on September 28. Fast forward to 2025. Due to Elgin’s growth, we are once again in need of a larger building and green space in order to offer more programs and services to the communities that we serve.