News

Salman Rushdie Awarded the 2009 Carl Sandburg Literary Award and Chicago Author Patrick Somerville Presented with the 21st Century Award

April 3, 2009

Salman Rushdie

Author Salman Rushdie was selected to receive the 2009 Carl Sandburg Literary Award, presented annually by the Chicago Public Library Foundation and the Chicago Public Library in honor of a significant body of work that has enhanced public awareness of the written word.

Patrick Somerville

The 21st Century Award, honoring recent achievement in writing by an author with ties to Chicago, was awarded to fiction writer Patrick Somerville. Both awards were presented at a fundraising dinner for the Chicago Public Library Foundation on October 15, 2009 at the Harold Washington Library Center, chaired by civic leader Frances Comer and Abbott Chairman and CEO Miles D. White.

Fall 2009 One Book, One Chicago

July 31, 2009

Inaugurated in the fall of 2001, the One Book, One Chicago program is launched each spring and fall to cultivate a culture of reading and discussion in Chicago by bringing our diverse city together around one great book. Reading great literature provokes us to think about ourselves, our environment and our relationships. Talking about great literature with friends, families and neighbors often adds richness and depth to the experience of reading. We invite you to join us as we explore yet another great piece of literature. The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City

YOUmedia at the Chicago Public Library – A Digital Library Space for Teens

January 1, 2010

Hang Out – Mess Around – Geek Out These are the three dynamic sections of YOUmedia, a truly innovative new space for teens at the Harold Washington Library Center. Based on research funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation about the impact of new media on the way young adults learn, YOUmedia gives teens a place to hang out with friends, mess around with digital media and geek out in workshops where they learn to create digital artifacts. YOUmedia debuted in July 2009 and is open to all Chicago teens with a valid library card.

Bookamania—a celebration of books for the whole family!

December 12, 2008

Superstar children's author Mo Willems was on hand for Bookamania 2008 at the Harold Washington Library Center on November 22. Over 5,000 children and their families celebrated the Chicago Public Library's annual day-long free celebration of books and book-related crafts for children ages 3–10 years old. Bookamania was made possible by a generous grant from Target Corporation through the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

Presented by:

Land of Lincoln Readers at the Chicago Public Library!

June 10, 2009

The Chicago Public Library's 2009 Family Summer Reading Program celebrated Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Children ages 3 and up explored history with Land of Lincoln Readers, the Library's 32nd Summer Reading Program for children. Adults and teens joined the journey with Summer Reads for Adults, exploring the life and legacy of our 16th president.

2009 Donor and Partner Luncheon

July 9, 2009

Bob Donnelley, Daisy Hubbard and Monica Fohrman with Chicago Public Library Foundation Chairman Jim Donnelley

The Chicago Public Library Foundation and the Chicago Public Library welcomed 150 donors, partners and friends to the 2009 Annual Recognition Luncheon on June 16 in the Winter Garden of the Harold Washington Library. Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer brought Honest Abe to life with his fascinating tales about our 16th President at this Lincoln-themed luncheon.

American Girl Place: Committed to Children's Reading

December 12, 2008

Chicago Reads Together, the early literacy program of the Chicago Public Library, received a funding and public awareness boost from the grand opening benefit of the new American CGirl Place at Water Tower Place, which raised $160,000 in contributions and in-kind support.

American Girl has had a long-standing commitment to children's literacy, and is one of the nation's largest children's book publishers in the U.S. When its first retail store opened on Chicago Avenue in 1998, the Chicago Public Library Foundation was its charitable partner. With the expansion and relocation of the flagship store to Water Tower Place in October, the Chicago Public Library Foundation was once again selected as the beneficiary of the store's Grand Opening benefit.

Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street was the spring 2009 One Book, One Chicago selection

March 31, 2009

Chicago-born Sandra Cisneros' novel, The House on Mango Street, was the 16th selection for Chicago's citywide book club, One Book, One Chicago.

"One Book, One Chicago has been a great success and has come to be viewed as the national model for creating similar programs. We look at it as a way to bring people together in all our neighborhoods and to foster the kind of communication that can only help make Chicago a better place to live, work and raise a family," Daley said in remarks at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street.

One Book, One Chicago began in the fall of 2001, to encourage all Chicagoans to read the same book at the same time, and discuss a great piece of literature with friends and neighbors. The Spring 2009 One Book, One Chicago is presented by the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Public Library Foundation, the Motorola Foundation and Northern Trust. Additional support is provided by the Chicago Tribune, National Museum of Mexican Art, DePaul University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Steppenwolf Theatre and the Park Hyatt Chicago.

Chicago Public Library Foundation Receives $1 Million Gift from the Shirley H. and Benjamin Z. Gould Family Foundation for Teacher in the Library After-School Homework Help

October 20, 2008

The Directors of the Shirley H. and Benjamin Z. Gould Family Foundation have announced an endowment gift of nearly $1 million to the Chicago Public Library Foundation to provide funding for Teachers in the Library who will provide after-school homework help in seven branches of the Chicago Public Library. The gift will provide 15 years of continuity for this essential academic support.

Chicago Public Library 2010