Alexandria, Egypt, had one, but it was destroyed with untold losses to history. The U.S. Congress has one of its own, which is the largest in the world. Thomas Jefferson sold his to the U.S. government (6,487 volumes for $23,950) upon the destruction of Congress's library by the British during the War of 1812.
These are libraries, the depositories of world knowledge and for centuries the measure of the vibrancy of a community. Even with the arrival of electronic storage and retrieval of the information, hands-on contact with the printed word (and so much more) still stirs the imagination.
How did the means of gaining free access to learning and entertainment come about in each of McDonough County's four public libraries?
Macomb
The Macomb Woman's Club is credited with starting the first library in Macomb, according to Director Dennis Danowski. Then, on November 10, 1881, the Macomb mayor appointed a library board of nine members. It was opened April 18, 1882, in the upper floor of the Stocker Building at 109 S.
