Rock Island Public Library

The Rock Island Public Library first opened to the public on November 25, 1872, in a rented location in downtown Rock Island. Because the pre-existing private library donated a location, books and the services of their director, Miss Ellen Gale, the Rock Island Library became the first public library to open for business in the State of Illinois. In 1903, the Main Library opened.

Since our first days, we've continued to evolve, offering new services and locations to meet the needs of many generations. Our locations now include the Rock Island Main Library at 401 19th Street, the 30/31 Branch at 3059 30th Street and the Southwest Branch at 9010 Ridgewood Road. See Branch Services for more information.

Today, we offer More for your Life, including: 

• Print, audio and video resources for checkout at three locations,
• Public computing, including Internet and WiFi access,
• Online research and learning tools to use from your own home computer, and
• Downloadable e-books and other tools.

From the area's widest selection of new and classic books for all ages in print,  audio and large print formats to new DVD movies and CD audio, along with magazines, newspapers, computer resources, WiFi access, graphic novels and more, we have what you're looking for! 

For announcements and current happenings, see Library News.