ABSTRACT
Probably the Kewanee Public Library would never have considered joining a bibliographic network in late 1979, except that it was proposed by the Illinois Valley Library System (IVLS) of which the library is a member. The Kewanee Public Library has a service area of two townships with a population of about 16,000, and both an urban and a rural constituency. At present the Library is open 61 hours per week, has a collection of about 50,000 titles, a staff of 8.5 FTE’s and a budget under $200,000. Kewanee is relatively remote from any large metropolitan area, being 50 miles from both Peoria and the Quad Cities. Despite its isolation the Board of Trustees has prided itself over the years on keeping the Kewanee Public Library in the mainstream of library development. Founded in 1875, the Library has consistently taxed at the maximum allowed by law, has developed a substantial endowment fund which more than covers the materials budget, and has maintained, in good condition, the handsome Carnegie building which was constructed in 1908. However, the city has not grown over the years; in fact the last few decades have seen the population decline and library income level off. Of great benefit to the Kewanee Public Library was the establishment in 1965 of the state-wide network of 18 Cooperative Library Systems.
