–submitted by Joy Cardin
The City of Madison did not have municipal water, sewage or electricity when its first library opened in City Hall in 1875 – but it had the smarts to promote learning and provide access to information for its residents.
The Director of the Madison Public Library Tana Elias presented the history of the library system as it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year when the Rotary Club of Madison met on location at Madison’s Central Library this week.
Over the years, the library has grown to include nine branches in neighborhoods throughout the city and the Dream Bus Library bookmobile. This spring there was a groundbreaking for the 10th library branch in Reindahl Park. The Imagination Center will be an indoor-outdoor library and community space. It is scheduled to open in September of 2026.
Elias can’t say for sure how libraries will evolve in the future, but she believes our Madison Public Library system will continue to provide the tools and experiences to keep the community informed, inspired and engaged.
If you missed the program, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/oPPpccO7tUg.
Conor Moran, the director of Wisconsin Book Festival, spoke to us today. Conor has been the director of the Festival for the last seven years, since it has been presented by the Madison Public Library and Foundation. He updated us on what has been happening with the Festival since his last appearance before us five years ago. The Festival has become a year-round event, which has made it more prominent among publishers, and they are now eager to participate. As a result, the Festival is able to attract some of the best authors of the most important books in the country, with many from the New York Times Best Sellers list. In addition, C-Span now programs the Festival.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 