SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library has finally opened after months of delay and years of political infighting – conditions to which the Civil War president could certainly have related.
Hundreds of history buffs joined state officials Thursday to celebrate the opening of the mammoth three-story, state-of-the-art facility, which is now home to the Illinois State Historical Library and its 12 million items, including 47,000 Lincoln artifacts.
There are six miles of bookshelves inside and room for 258,400 reels of microfilm, along with reading rooms, research areas, education classrooms and conference rooms.
The goal is to preserve those artifacts and make them more accessible to scholars. Meanwhile, the general public will get a high-tech look at Lincoln’s life at a museum being built across the street.
This was the second “official” opening of the library honoring the nation’s 16th president, who successfully steered the country through the Civil War despite intense political pressure from all sides and the chronic dawdling of Union military leaders.
State and national dignitaries gathered for a glitzy dedication ceremony in November 2002, when it appeared the library was just a couple of months away from opening.
Construction problems and glitches in the building’s heating and air conditioning system scrapped that plan. The search for a director, which involved accusations of cronyism by former Gov. George Ryan and at least one prominent candidate dropping out, hurt progress, too.
“We hope you will agree it was worth the wait,” said Richard Norton Smith, director of the $150 million library and museum complex.
Onlookers acknowledged some frustration but said the benefits to scholars, tourists and the capital city make those feelings fade away.
“This is a very exciting place to come, not just because it’s new but because of all the history and all the meaning that it has to Springfield,” said Barbara McKean, who with her husband Malcolm will be volunteering at the library.
Officials stressed that there’s much more to come.
The museum, which will feature replicas of historical buildings and high-tech video screens and sound systems, is expected to open next spring. Smith said if the library draws thousands of patrons, the museum could draw hundreds of thousands.
“They’re two institutions that complement each other, that enhance each other and that do different things, hopefully, to a common or uncommon standard,” Smith said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
