The Iowa flood of 2008, considered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be "one of the worst and most costly floods in Iowa--and even U.S. history,"[1] destroyed the building at the previous downtown location of the main branch, along with over half of the library's collection.
In the first year of service, the new library saw over 660,000 visits from the community, and over 100,000 people used the meeting room spaces, including the new 200-seat Whipple Auditorium.
On March 2, 1896 the city of Cedar Rapids was to make a vote on whether or not they would have a public library.
Due largely to the work of a group of women called the City Federation of Ladies Literary Clubs led by Ada Van Vechten, the vote was favorable.
On January 15, 1897, the first public library was to open its doors to the citizens of Cedar Rapids.
Andrew Carnegie was contacted in late January 1901 to request money to construct a dedicated library building.
[5] Evelyn Zerzanek worked hard to not only get books into children's hands, but also to think for themselves and be creative.
In 1981, the Hall Foundation offered over 25% of the $7.9 million bond issue if the city would pay the remainder, but again, the 60% voter approval would not be met.
By the end of September, $1.3 million in private contributions had secured the amount necessary to move forward with the plans for a new library.
The branch material would be consolidated with the library's surviving collection in the former Osco Drug Store space.
Other events include author talks, live music, and art exhibits by local area artists.
These cuts resulted in a reduction of library services, including operation hours.
Effective starting March 27, 2016 both the Downtown and Ladd locations will be open Monday-Thursday, 9am-8pm and Fridays 9am-5pm.