108 Thoma Drive

Elgin Community Library was started in the mid-1980s. 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.

 

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 and added on to. 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. At this time, the additional 2,700 square feet still needs to be added to the back of the building. 

 

The library offers a weekly story time for birth through pre-k, an afterschool program for elementary age children, a weekly teen group, a specialized weekly story time for children with suppressed immune systems, a STEAM program for homeschool families, an adult book club, a movie club,  proctors test, copier and fax services, and provides minimal computer assistance on an as needed basis. There is a charging station, a disc clean and repair machine, and six patron use computers. 

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We have a "Friends of the Library"  Click here to find out more.