History
The Illinois Prairie District Public Library was formed in July of 1950. It is the second oldest library district in Illinois. It encompasses eight townships: Cazenovia, Clayton, Linn, Metamora, Partridge, Spring Bay, and Worth. This is roughly the northern half of Woodford County. It covers 256 square miles. In 1980, the district served a population of 17,776. Today, the district serves 21,481 inhabitants. Bookmobile service to the schools in the district was provided for 45 years. It was discontinued when the schools developed their own libraries. The district provides service to its patrons through its branch libraries in Benson, Germantown Hills, Metamora, Roanoke, Spring Bay, and Washburn. Over the last 15 years, the district has expanded its branches at Spring Bay, Roanoke, and Benson. The library district erected a new building for the Germantown Hills branch in 2016 and completed a renovation of the Roanoke branch in 2020.
