Programs
Read, learn, discover!
The Chicago Public Library Foundation was established in 1986 as an independent, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to working with the City of Chicago in a true public/private partnership to enrich the collections and programs of the Chicago Public Library.
Through the generous support of many civic-minded corporations, foundations and individuals, the Foundation has provided start-up funding for new programs, such as technology and expanded Sunday and evening service hours, that are now included in the Library's city-funded budget.
The Foundation also provides ongoing funding, through its endowments and annual fundraising, for collections, book acquisition and a variety of community-based programs that contribute to the excellence of the Library. In 2010, these gifts provided $4 million to the Chicago Public Library in support of programs including:
Adopt-a-Branch
The Adopt-a-Branch program provides the opportunity to support individual branch libraries through the Chicago Public Library Foundation. The program currently funds the Teacher in the Library and CyberNavigators programs in branch libraries throughout the city.
Bookamania
Each year, more than 4,000 children and their families celebrate Bookamania, the Chicago Public Library's daylong free celebration of books and book-related crafts for children ages 3 to 10, at the Harold Washington Library Center. In 2011, Bookamania was made possible by a generous grant from Target Corporation through the Chicago Public Library Foundation.
Presented by:
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
CyberNavigators
CyberNavigators are computer tutors who help provide access to information resources for both adults and children at 42 branch libraries throughout Chicago. Through technology training and mentoring, and through one-on-one assistance and public classes, the CyberNavigators program strengthens the Chicago Public Library's ability to connect Chicagoans to their world and fulfills the Library's mission to provide equal access to information for all Library patrons.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
Great Kids Read
Funded since 2003 with generous grants to the Chicago Public Library Foundation from Kraft Foods, the Great Kids program has provided emergent literacy collections for parents, teachers and caregivers at all Chicago Public Library locations. Kraft's funding has also allowed the Library to collaborate with the Chicago Park District in sponsoring monthly reading activities in 12 Park District fieldhouse locations, as well as bringing the Summer Reading Program to Chicago's parks. Great Kids grants also fund the extremely popular Great Kids Museum Passports program.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
The Humanities Collection
Each year the Chicago Public Library Foundation awards the Library a grant to purchase books in the fine arts, literature and other areas of the humanities for all Chicago Public Library locations.
One Book, One Chicago
Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey announced The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow as the 21stOne Book, One Chicago selection.
“Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March is a quintessential Chicago novel and an excellent choice for the One Book, One Chicago program which for 10 years has brought together families, neighborhoods and our entire city around reading,” said Mayor Emanuel. “This fall, I encourage all Chicagoans to pick up a copy of The Adventures of Augie March and explore the seedier side of early 20th century Chicago.” The 2011 One Book, One Chicago programs are sponsored by Allstate and BMO Harris.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
Oprah Winfrey Fund
Funded by a gift from Oprah Winfrey to the Chicago Public Library Foundation, each year the Library purchases Newbery, Caldecott and King Award-winning children's books for all Library locations.
Pick International Relations Collection and Author Series
The Pick International Relations grant from the Albert Pick Jr. Fund allows the Library to create collections and free public programs that foster dialogue and debate by presenting various viewpoints and a balanced exchange of ideas on complex global issues. Past speakers have included Kevin Phillips, author of "Bad Money" and "American Theocracy;" James Carroll, author of "House of War;" Bernard Lewis; James Fallows of The Atlantic Monthly; Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, a member of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission; former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell; Samantha Power, author of "A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide;" Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban;" and Azar Nafisi, author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran."
ScienceConnections
ScienceConnections is a new program of the Chicago Public Library that expands the established NatureConnections program to include Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programming. The overarching goal of ScienceConnections is to increase children’s ability to explore, problem-solve and discover through rigorous scientific discovery. Originally funded through the Herman Dunlap and Ellen Thorne Smith Fund of The Chicago Community Trust, the NatureConnections program allowed the Library to purchase book collections and provide natural science programs for children in all Chicago Public Library locations for more than 20 years.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
Summer Reading Program
The Chicago Public Library's 2011 Summer Reading Program celebrates Chicago’s diverse rhythms throughout the summer through books, music, performances and more. Children ages 3 and up are reading about music and musicians, and nurturing their own creativity during the Library's 34th Summer Reading Program for children. Adults and teens are joining the journey with Summer Reads for Adults, exploring and reading about the world of music. Learn more about summertime activities in the Chicago Public Library guides for Book Beats! 2011 Children's Summer Reading Program and Book Beats Summer Reads for Adults.
Learn more about the Children's Summer Reading Program at the Chicago Public Library.
Learn more about Summer Reads for Adults at the Chicago Public Library.
Teacher in the Library
The Teacher in the Library program makes available after-school homework help and guidance provided by caring, trained, accredited teachers who can address each child's individual needs. Serving children ages 5 and up, the Teacher in the Library program provides high-quality, professional after-school homework help to Chicago's at-risk children and youth a half million times each school year. Teachers explain homework assignments, suggest strategies for completing assignments, contact school teachers, speak to parents and collaborate with Library staff. Funding is currently secured to offer the Teacher in the Library program in 55 branch libraries throughout the city.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
Teen Volume
More than 8 million adolescents between grades four and 12 are identified as "struggling readers," according to the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices. Many middle and high school students can read words, but don't understand the ideas and concepts they're reading about. Education advocates say the problem is that educators lay a good foundation and then stop building the house instead of continuing literacy efforts into middle and high schools. To reverse this trend, the Chicago Public Library's Teen Volume program stimulates teens' interest in reading, improves their comprehension, provides opportunities for self-expression and helps shape participating teens into lifelong readers and thoughtful, literate adults.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.
YOUmedia: A Digital Library Space for Teens
Hang Out – Mess Around – Geek Out: These are the three dynamic sections of YOUmedia, a truly innovative space for teens at the Harold Washington Library Center that will be expanded to branch libraries in three Chicago communities. 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 high school-age Chicago teens with a valid library card. YOUmedia connects teens, books, digital technology, and Chicago’s educational and cultural communities. Mentored by Chicago Public Library librarians, Digital Youth Network and other community partners, teens learn to express themselves through new digital skills in photography, music, video and game design. YOUmedia is now the downtown home of the Teen Volume program, which brings teens from throughout Chicago together through literature and the arts to foster their literacy, creativity, self-expression and success in school and beyond. The Library’s extensive Teen Volume young adult book collection is now housed in YOUmedia, so in addition to state-of–the-art technology, YOUmedia gives teens easy access to thousands of books right in their own space.
Learn more at the Chicago Public Library.