Mayor Daley Dedicates 50th New Chicago Public Library Branch; Celebrates Beginning Of 2006 Summer Reading Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 12, 2006

Mayor's Press Office: (312) 744-3334
Maggie Killackey, Chicago Public Library: (312) 747-4051

New West Chicago Avenue Branch Serves Austin Community

Mayor Richard M. Daley today joined Austin community leaders and residents to dedicate the 50th neighborhood library that has been built or completely renovated since he first took office in 1989.

"No other city can come close to matching that record," Daley said at a ceremony at the new West Chicago Avenue Branch of the Chicago Public Library at 4856 W. Chicago Ave. "And we will be opening two more libraries very soon - in Bucktown and on the Southeast Side.

"While other cities have cut library budgets and hours, the Chicago Public Library has a healthy and steady budget. Our branches are full of people enjoying innovative programming, and our three largest libraries are open seven days week."

Daley added, "Libraries are the core of democracy. They allow anyone -- regardless of age, income or background - to have access to a wealth of information. Generations of Chicagoans will come to this library for enlightenment and entertainment, and to learn new skills that will lead to better jobs.

"Children will come here to enjoy story hours and to learn to read. Their parents will participate in book discussion groups and learn more about health care, financial and legal matters. Seniors will come here to check out books and to learn how to e-mail and surf the Internet."

Daley was joined at the dedication by Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) and Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary A. Dempsey.

The 7,000-square-foot, full-service library has 12 free Internet computers and 2 Find It! catalog computers, free WiFi access, online research databases, audio books and a $400,000 opening day collection of books and materials, including bestsellers, young adult and children's books, reference books, career materials, newspapers, magazines and a wide range of resources to meet the needs of the neighborhood.

The new branch library will offer children's programs such as the Summer Reading Program, story times, family programs, story crafts and holiday celebrations. Adult programs will include book discussions, author appearances and a host of educational and cultural programs of community interest.

The library is also equipped with a comfortable multipurpose room/auditorium that will accommodate 50 people, a photocopier for public use, community bulletin boards, clean air heating and air-conditioning and free parking for patrons. The library meets the Americans with Disabilities Act standards and is accessible to several public transportation routes.

The building was constructed with environmentally friendly and recycled materials to reduce operating costs through energy efficiency. The Chicago Public Library and the Public Building Commission are applying to the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) certification, which would designate the branch as a "Green Building." A LEED-certified building must meet environmental and energy efficiency standards in construction, performance and comfort.

The new branch will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed on Sundays.

At the dedication, the Chicago Public Library celebrated the beginning of its 2006 Summer Reading Program, Wrapped Up In Reading. Chicagoans between the ages of 3 to 14 are encouraged to head to their neighborhood libraries and participate in the free eight-week program.

This year's theme, Wrapped Up In Reading, celebrates the exciting world of Ancient Egypt, highlighting the life of King Tut. Through a partnership with Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, the program will promote a summer of reading, story times and Egyptian-themed educational and craft activities.

"The Chicago Public Library's Summer Reading Program is a fun, easy and free way for kids to connect reading with the excitement of Ancient Egypt," said Dempsey. "By visiting their local library, reading exciting books and participating in innovative programs throughout the summer, families can spend time together and give kids a head start for the next school year. The Chicago Public Library is thrilled to partner with the Field Museum to present this wonderful opportunity for Chicago's children."

Children who make weekly book reports will earn T-shirts, paperback books and other great prizes. After reading their first 25 books, children 8 years old and younger will receive a T-shirt with the program logo. Picture book readers and pre-readers who have 25 books read to them and children over the age of 9 who read 10 chapter books will also be awarded a Summer Reading Program T-shirt.

All Chicago children who meet their reading goal will be invited, with their families, to attend a special Readers' Day at The Field Museum in August, featuring a special tour of the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs Exhibit.

Chicago's youth will find this year's Wrapped Up In Reading theme especially exciting, because it focuses on a boy who was about their age when he was crowned king.

King Tutankhamun, better known as King Tut, ascended to the throne of Egypt when he was only 10. The Field Museum exhibit, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, will explore how King Tut ruled his country, led a vast military and implemented major religious changes.

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs will be on display at The Field Museum through January 1, 2007. This extensive exhibit tells the intriguing story of Egypt's 18th dynasty, the golden age of the pharaohs. Visitors will see more than 130 ancient artifacts, gold and silver, jewels and semi-precious stones, alabaster and gilded wood, all excavated from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. They also will learn what the latest scientific testing has revealed about how the young king may have died.

"Chicago's Field Museum has been providing families with enrichment and entertainment for generations," commented John McCarter, President and CEO of The Field Museum. "This summer reading program partnership with the Chicago Public Library allows kids to learn about life and death in ancient Egypt and what life was like for a boy king, all before they come to the museum to see our outstanding exhibit."

Special Ancient Egypt-themed programming will take place at libraries throughout the city.

• Chicago storyteller and folklorist, Gwen Hilary will entertain kids with tales from the Great Pyramids and the Land of the Nile.
• The Jabberwocky Marionettes set the stage with sand dunes and pyramids standing like mountain ranges framed in black. Families will be introduced to the legendary King Tut and watch as English explorer Howard Carter discovers the tomb of Tut.
• Singer and songwriter, James Coffey will have kids dancing in an Egyptian style of Freeze Dance and using musical clues to discover ancient secrets.
• Kidworks Theater Company will lead children through a series of activities, dances and customs, such as traditional belly dancing, doumbek drumming, pyramid building, bowing to King Tut and dressing like Cleopatra.

The Chicago Public Library invested approximately $75,000 in popular new paperback books and an additional $100,000 to purchase 6,000 Egyptian-themed juvenile books for the Summer Reading Program. The Kraft Great Kids program donated nearly $50,000 to purchase Egyptian themed paperback books as prizes for readers, and the Helen M. Harrison Foundation donated $10,000 to support kids all over Chicago in reading.

Funding for the 2006 Summer Reading Program is provided by the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Library Foundation, with generous grants from Macy's, The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Kraft Foods, the Citadel Group Foundation, Commonwealth Edison, RR Donnelley, the Dr. Scholl Foundation, the Barnard/Fain Foundation, the Sage Foundation and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Studies have shown that children who read during summer vacation retain more of what they learned during the school year and are better prepared when school starts again in the fall. Since 1977, the Library has offered Chicago's kids the chance to make reading an important part of summer fun by offering books and special programming.

All summer, children can visit any of the 79 Chicago Public Library branches to sign up and obtain a Wrapped Up In Reading guide and book log. Last summer, the Library's Summer Reading Program themed Book Splash! attained the highest participation since the program's inception. Some 45,581 children read 881,239 books, resulting in increases of an 8% and 16%, respectively, over the previous year.

The Chicago Public Library is composed of the Harold Washington Library Center, two regional libraries and 76 neighborhood branches. The Chicago Public Library offers a rich resource of books, DVDs, audio books and more, provides free access to the Internet and WiFi in all of its locations, as well as free public programs for children, teens and adults.

The Harold Washington Library Center, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library and Conrad Sulzer Regional Library are all open seven days a week. The remaining 76 branch libraries are open six days a week and patrons can access all of the libraries' collections online 24 hours a day. For more information, please visit the website at chicagopubliclibrary.org.