SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — A room on the first floor of the Illinois State Library will now be named after former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias officially dedicated the Jim Edgar Reading Room on Wednesday. Edgar revealed in February that he has Pancreatic Cancer.

The former Governor served from 1991-1999, and he also served as Secretary of State prior. Edgar, a Republican, has continued to foster bipartisan alliances through his Edgar Fellows program. Policy leaders from all over the state — from both sides of the aisle and from outside organizations — gather for lessons in statesmanship and grow relationships outside of the tensions of the capitol.

“Libraries are the pillar of every single community in Illinois, rich or poor, rural or urban,” Giannoulias said. “And for Governor Edgar, it was all about making that knowledge more accessible and offering a public space to foster a love for reading and intellectual growth.”

The honor is particularly fitting for Edgar. Both because he made supporting libraries a big part of his time in office, and because he oversaw the construction of the State Library when he was serving as Secretary of State.

“The most important thing I want to tell you today make use of this beautiful building,” Edgar said. “This building ought to be libraries are only good if people are in them. That’s what a library is about, people. And we need to have people in this library all the time.”