In 1979, the Cowden-Herrick School Board and Herrick Township came together with a shared goal: bring a public library to the community by housing it right inside the school. The original board of trustees held fundraiser after fundraiser to get it off the ground. And nearly five decades later, that same spirit of community support still keeps our doors open.
Over the years, the library has been guided by a handful of dedicated librarians, including Marjorie Eversole, who served longer than anyone before her, and our current librarian, Becky Wilson. Throughout, the library has worked closely with the school's former librarian, Mr. Howard Taylor, keeping the partnership between school and community strong.
Since the beginning, we've also been part of a larger network of libraries, first the Rolling Prairie Library System, and since 2011, the Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS), which serves southern Illinois. That membership means more than shared resources: it means grants, guidelines, and ongoing training that help us keep growing. It also means a Herrick library card works at any IHLS library, free of charge.
Herrick Township and the Cowden-Herrick School Board establish the public library inside the school.
2000
A $5,000 mini-grant funds our first real transformation: new blinds, fresh paint, a cozy carpeted sitting area with wingback chairs, and a proper circulation desk, replacing the old tall box-style desk kids couldn't even see over.
2002
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awards the library a technology grant worth over $20,000, bringing in two high-security computers, a laser printer, and a web server.
2011
The Rolling Prairie Library System becomes the Illinois Heartland Library System, expanding our network across southern Illinois.
2014
The library offers e-books for the first time.
2025
A $12,500 technology grant funds new computers, a color laser printer, a sound system, and a projector with screen. Resources now available for the whole community to use.
Small Library, Big Reach
We're only open 20 hours a week, but our reach goes far beyond that. About 20,000 items are catalogued in our system, meaning we can request materials from libraries across the region; and they can request ours. Whether you're here in person or borrowing from another library in the system, your Herrick library card opens a lot of doors.
