 A library for the City of Morris was a dream that began with construing a way of providing reading material for the public and finding a place to house it. On February 15, 1873 the Eagle Hose Company met in the firemen’s hall of the old city hall to consider organizing a reading room to provide access to all the leading newspapers and magazines available in the county. Then Dr. Emmanuel Ridgeway suggested that library association be organized  according to a new Illinois State law. By unanimous agreement the petition was sent to the Secretary of State, the charter received, and the Morris Library Association opened the first Morris City Library. Officers were elected and five trustees were appointed to draw up by-laws and a constitution. Immediately 50 people joined, and the local press deemed it “the best thing ever started in Morris.”
The Morris Library Association also sponsored lectures. The first was given by General Kilpatrick on “Sherman’s March to the Sea.” From the very beginning the Morris Library Association established itself as not just a lending library, but a cultural influence as well.
The collection began with 100 volumes, many of them donated, spanning history, travel, biography, novels, and scientific works. A dance was held at Hull’s Hall to raise money to buy more. Membership grew substantially that first year. Four years after its inception the 1,000 volumes had outgrown the city hall. It had to be moved to Room 6 of the Claypool Building. Ten years later it moved again, to the Ridgeway building on the corner of Liberty and Jefferson Streets.
In 1910 when the addition was made to the City Hall, the Council set aside one room for a library, and passed an ordinance taking advantage of a new state law providing tax support for library purposes. Dr. Frank C. Bowker was then serving as alderman of the Second Ward. Dr. Bowker was elected as its first president, and served until his death in 1953.
Computers
IBM and iMAC computers are available for Word Processing and Internet use. There is no charge to use a computer, however, there is a charge of 10 cents per page for printouts. Sixth through eighth grade students must have a signed permission form from a parent or guardian to use the Internet. They are available at the front desk at the library.
Faxing
The Library fax number is 815-942-6415. The cost for sending a fax is $2.00 for a one page fax plus $1.00 each additional page. Maximum charge is $7.00. The cost for receiving a fax is $2.00 for up to five pages and .25 cents each additional page.
Laminating
Laminating is done Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings before the library opens. Drop off materials to be laminated before the laminating days. The cost is .50 cents per linear foot (25 inches maximum width).
The Morris Area Public Library collection consists of more than 50,000 books and other materials. In addition, the library has a collection of more than 2,000 videocassettes and DVDs, as well as, over 800 spoken word audiotapes and CDs. There is a $1.00 charge for new videos and DVDs.
The Library's collection is part of the Prairie Area Library System database that includes more than 1.5 million items. For items not in the collection, interlibrary loans are available. Materials from the collections of libraries within the library system as well as outside the library system are made available to library cardholders through this service. For more information on interlibrary loan services.
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