A former library in Rock Island won't be vacant for long. This week, the library board approved selling the 30-31 branch building to the American Doll and Toy Museum, which should open sometime next year.
Executive Director, Ellen Tsagaris, says the former library has a great location - in a neighborhood and along major streets.
"It has a lot of room for us - it's set up perfectly for us because we are a teaching museum. We also have books and an extensive library besides the dolls and the toys. There are rooms where people can meet and it's kind of a community venue."
She says her collection describes the many roles dolls have played throughout history - as toys, religious objects, in fashion, and in music, literature, and culture.
"Dolls are expressions of ourselves. The toys that are created are there to help children certainly enjoy themsleves, but also learn their roles later in the world."
After setting up exhibits and doing programs in other museums, Tsagaris is looking forward to having a permanent home for her collection.
And while waiting for the former library to be ready, she'll open a temporary Doll and Toy Museum on November 30th in the former Vintage Rose Store, in the College Hill neighborhood of Rock Island - at 1303 30th Street.
