Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A room at the Illinois State Library now bears the name of the governor known as “the Reader.”

Illinois’ secretary of state serves as the state librarian, and Jim Edgar said in his remarks Wednesday it was his favorite role in a lengthy state government career.

At the Jim Edgar Reading Room dedication ceremony, Edgar told stories about constructing the Illinois State Library, including the involvement of then-House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“He said, ‘well, how much is it going to cost?’ and I said, ‘well, about $30 million.’ He said, ‘Oh, good. You know, we are building a new (public) library in Chicago,’” Edgar said. “‘So that means we get $30 million, too,’” though Edgar added he was glad Madigan did not hold him to that.

The state’s current secretary of state, Alexi Giannoulias, said this is a difficult time to be a librarian, what with book bans and even violent attacks on librarians,