Author Archive for Olivia W

The second map in our collection, although not the one with the least amount of information, was the trickiest one to research.

If you’ve walked around the second floor of the Iowa City Public Library in the last couple years, you may have noticed the old Iowa City maps hanging on the back wall near the Page Station.   These maps were unearthed from the Library’s archival collection in 2016. There was little information on how or when we had acquired these maps, or why they had been given to us. It was clear that the maps were in need of conservation work. Although the maps were in varying conditions, they all needed work to prevent further deterioration, especially as they’d been stored rolled up. 

Iowa City was relatively late in founding a free public library – by the time the library was founded, 31 other cities in Iowa had tax funded public libraries. The idea of the free public library was first brought up in September of 1896, and the Iowa City Free Public Library opened its doors to the public in January of 1897. Although the Library was started with private donations, it was always intended to be for the public and supported by taxpayers.

A brief history of the Iowa City Public Library from 1980-1990. To read more about the history of the Library, take a look at our timeline or check out Lolly Egger's book, A Century of Stories.