About.
The Sherman Public Library holds a collection of over 29,000 items, including books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, video games, and e-books. As a member of the SHARE (Share Holdings and Resources Easily) consortium, our patrons can access more than 10 million items. Membership in OCLC Connexion services extends our patrons’ access to materials in public, academic, and specialty libraries throughout the country. The Library is open 62 hours a week for an approximate total of 3,224 public service hours a year.
Established in 1994In 1994 the Williamsville Public Library received a $38,000 Libraries for Tomorrow grant from the Illinois State Library to form a "demonstration" library district that would serve the Williamsville School District. The library opened for business in February of 1994 with three tables, three computers, eighty books, and high hopes. One of the stipulations of the grant was that after one year of demonstration services, the question of forming a permanent library district and funding it through a property tax assessment would be placed before the voters of the district.
When the referendum in April of 1995 failed, Sherman citizens formed a committee to explore the means by which a library would be created to serve only the Village of Sherman. Enough signatures were collected to place the creation of the new Sherman Public Library District on the November 1995, ballot. The referendum passed by a large margin, and the Sherman Public Library District became official on November 20, 1995. By 1999 it was apparent that the Library had outgrown its home. The Library applied for and received a $250,000 grant in matching funds from the Illinois State Library. A grant in the amount of $40,000 from Illinois First enabled the Library Board to purchase property on the northwest edge of the Village for a new library building. A ground-breaking ceremony was held in March of 2000, and construction began in August of that year. The Sherman Public Library opened for business in its new home on April 1, 2000. The square footage of the new building was just under 5,000 square feet. In 2015, the Library underwent a large-scale expansion project that included the construction of two new wings, an expanded kitchen, a study room, and a larger meeting room. When the construction was complete in October 2015, the new square footage of the Library facility was 9,517. July 1, 2016, marked the retirement of Anita Walters, who served as Library Director from 1994-2016. Under her tenure, the Library experienced massive growth and change keeping in sync with the community’s ever-changing needs. The Library Board of Trustees hired a new Library Director, Rachel Kocis, in July of 2016. In May of 2018 a large scale renovation project was completed. New furniture and shelving were updated throughout the library and a newly designed children's wing was introduced. |
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