Public library system in Chicago, United States
Chicago Public Library
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The library seal contains the Y-shaped
Chicago municipal device
[1]
[2]
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Location
| Chicago, Illinois, United States
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Established
| 1873
; 151 years ago
(
1873
)
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Branches
| 81
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Size
| 5,721,334
volumes
(July 2010, ALA data)
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Circulation
| 10 million
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Population served
| 2.8 million
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Budget
| $106 million
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Director
| Chris Brown
[3]
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Employees
| 958
[4]
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Website
| chipublib.org
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The
Chicago Public Library
(
CPL
) is the
public library
system that serves the
City of Chicago
in the
U.S. state
of
Illinois
. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city's
77 Community Areas
.
[5]
The
American Library Association
reports that the library holds 5,721,334
volumes
, making it the ninth largest public library in the United States by volumes held, and the 30th largest academic or public library in the
United States
by volumes held. The Chicago Public Library is the second largest library system in Chicago by volumes held (the largest is the
University of Chicago Library
). The library is the second largest public library system in the
Midwest
, after the
Detroit Public Library
.
[6]
Unlike many public libraries, CPL uses the
Library of Congress cataloging classification system
rather than Dewey Decimal.
History
[
edit
]
In the aftermath of the 1871
Great Chicago Fire
,
Londoner
A.H. Burgess, with the aid of
Thomas Hughes
, drew up what would be called the "English Book Donation", which proposed that England should provide a free library to the burnt-out city. The Chicago Public Library was created directly from the ashes of the great Chicago Fire. Burgess wrote on December 7, 1871 in
The Daily News
that "I propose that England should present a Free Library to Chicago, to remain there as a mark of sympathy now, and a keepsake and a token of true brotherly kindness forever
..."
[7]
After circulating requests for donations throughout English society, the project donated 8,000 books. Private donors included
Queen Victoria
,
Benjamin Disraeli
,
Alfred Lord Tennyson
,
Robert Browning
,
John Stuart Mill
,
John Ruskin
, and
Matthew Arnold
.
[8]
In Chicago, town leaders petitioned
Mayor
Joseph Medill
to hold a meeting and establish the library. The meeting led to the
Illinois Library Act of 1872
, which allowed
Illinois
cities to establish tax-supported libraries. In April 1872, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance establishing the Chicago Public Library. In the rebuilding section of the city, on January 1, 1873, the Chicago Public Library officially opened its doors in an abandoned iron water tank at LaSalle and Adams Streets. The collection included 3,157 volumes. The water tank was 58 feet (18 m) in diameter, 21 feet (6.4 m) high and with a 30-foot (9.1 m) foundation. A two-story office building was soon built around it to hold city offices, and a third floor reading room was built for the library.
On October 24, 1873,
William Frederick Poole
was elected the first head librarian by the library's board of directors. Poole was mainly concerned during his tenure on building the circulation. In 1874, circulation services began with 13,000 out of 17,533 available for lending. The library moved from place to place during its first 24 years. Eleven years it spent on the fourth floor of city hall. In 1887, Poole resigned to organize the private, research
Newberry Library
of Chicago.
On October 15, 1887, Frederick H. Hild was elected the second Librarian of the Chicago Public Library and securing a permanent home was his primary drive. Ten years later, the Central Library was opened. Designed by the Boston firm of
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
in the same academic classical style as their building for the
Art Institute of Chicago
, it is located on Michigan Avenue between Washington Street and Randolph Street on land donated by the
Grand Army of the Republic
, a Civil War Veterans group led by
John A. Logan
, a Civil War General and U.S. Senator from Illinois. In return for the land, the Library was to maintain a Civil War collection and exhibit in a G.A.R. room until the last northern Civil War veteran died. The library would remain on this site for the next 96 years. The building is now the
Chicago Cultural Center
.
Henry Eduard Legler
assumed the leadership of the Chicago Public Library on October 11, 1909. Previously a Wisconsin Progressive, he was well known as an aggressive advocate of the expansion of library service. In 1916, Legler presented his "Library Plan for the Whole City", the first comprehensive branch library system in the nation. A landmark in library history, the plan called for an extensive network of neighborhood library locations throughout Chicago. The goal of the plan was to bring "library service within the walking distance of home for every person in Chicago who can read or wants to use books."
Legler was succeeded by his assistant
Carl B. Roden
in 1918. Roden served as Chief Librarian until 1950. The South Chicago Branch library history from 1937-1947 has been explored by Latham who focused on its service to an industrial community and adult education.
[9]
She has also examined the role of the John Toman Branch library from 1927-1940.
[10]
Roden was succeeded in 1951 by Chief Librarian Gertrude E. Gscheidle. During her tenure the Library expanded its service to Chicago's neighborhoods by modernizing its bookmobile services.
In the 1960s several new neighborhood branch libraries were constructed or were established in leased storefronts or reading rooms.
The two-story, 62,000-square-foot (5,800 m
2
) modernist
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library
, named after the "Father of Modern Black Historiography," opened its doors in December 1975, to serve as the South Side. A decade later, Chicago Public Library replaced its north side regional library when the post-modernist Conrad Sulzer Regional Library opened to the public in late 1985. The Woodson regional branch library features the
Vivian G. Harsh
Research Collection, one of the largest repositories of African-American archival information in the Midwest. It holds the papers of many notable Chicagoans, such as
John H. Sengstacke
,
Robert S. Abbott
,
Doris E. Saunders
, Timuel Black, Rev.
Addie L. Wyatt
, and numerous others.
The class politics of urban public librarianship through "outreach" efforts during the federal
War on Poverty
uses the Chicago Public Library as a case study during the 1970s under director Alex Ladenson.
[11]
In 1974, the board of directors authorized an $11 million renovation of the Central Library. While the restoration of the original central library proved a great success, the collections remained warehoused outside the old library while the City debated the status of the future of the central library. One plan was to move the library to the former Rothchild/Goldblatts Department Store which stood empty on Chicago's State Street and had reverted to City ownership.
From 1982 to 1985,
Amanda Sullivan Randle Rudd
rose to become the first
African-American
to head of the Chicago Public Library system. Rudd had experienced
segregated libraries
during her childhood in South Carolina. Her stewardship in Chicago saw a particular focus on literacy services, and she strongly mentored younger colleagues, including a future Librarian of Congress,
Carla Hayden
.
[12]
The
Chicago Sun-Times
editorial board and Cindy Pritzker, then President of the Library Board, launched a grassroots campaign to build a new state-of-the-art central library. On July 29, 1987, Mayor
Harold Washington
and the
Chicago City Council
authorized a design and construction competition for a new, one-and-a-half block $144 million library at 400 South State Street.
Current services
[
edit
]
In 1991, the
Harold Washington Library Center
, Chicago's new central library, named for the late mayor, opened to the public. It was the world's largest municipal public library at the time of its opening. It is accessible from the
Brown
,
Orange
,
Purple
and new
Pink Line
trains at the "
Library
" stop, from the
Blue Line
at the "LaSalle" and "Jackson" stops, as well as from the
Red Line
at the "Jackson" stop.
In January 1994, Mary A. Dempsey was appointed Library Commissioner by Mayor Richard M. Daley and served in that role until January 2012. Under her direction, the Library launched the largest branch building program in its history, constructing or renovating 44 branch libraries; installed more than 2500 free public access computers and wifi throughout the library system; completed 2 strategic plans; established professional development and training programs for all library staff; and launched signature programs such as One Book, One Chicago; YOUmedia the museum and Ravinia free admission programs; Teen Volume; Law at the Library; and Money Smart financial literacy programs for adults and teens. The library's success in revitalizing communities through branch library development was analyzed by Robert Putnam in 2003.
[13]
The "Charlotte Kim Scholar in Residence Program" took place from 1999?2008. Scholars included
Camila Alire
(1999); Leigh Estabrook (2002);
Kathleen de la Pena McCook
(2003); Joan C. Durrance (2004); Michael Stephens (2005); Maureen Sullivan (2006); George Needham (2007) and Patricia Martin (2008).
[14]
The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building
published by the Urban Library Council (2006) highlights several Chicago public libraries and their efforts in strengthening the community and effectively enhancing the well-being and capacities of urban neighborhood residents, associations, non-profits and public institutions.
[15]
Brian Andrew Bannon was appointed Library Commissioner effective March 2012.
[16]
Some of the free programming the Chicago Public Library offers include: The One Book One Chicago program, The Summer Learning Challenge, Bookamania (held every November), Kids Museum Passport Program (allows patrons free admission to a variety of Chicago's world-class institutions), and Words and Music Program
[17]
(which provides patrons with free lawn tickets to selected Ravinia concerts). The library also offers a free homework help desk daily in order to serve struggling students after school.
[18]
The Chicago Public Library offers free lecture series covering a variety of topics including: Law at the Library (a free monthly lecture series that offers participants the opportunity to speak with a legal professional about a variety of legal topics), Money Smart (a series of financial literacy programs), and Author Series.
The Chicago Public Library provides access to a large selection of databases, most of which are also available for use at home or other remote location with a Chicago Public Library card. Internet computers are available for anyone with a Chicago Public Library card. Also, anyone can use the Wi-Fi on their own laptops, tablets and smartphones without a library card.
In June 2013, the library announced a $1 million grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
establishing a partnership between the Chicago Public Library and the public library system of
Aarhus
, Denmark.
[19]
That same month, the Library opened its Innovation Lab, featuring a Maker Lab with 3D software, milling machine, laser cutters, and 3D printers. The space has proven highly successful in offering free access to the latest in advanced manufacturing technology and was awarded the Chicago Innovation Awards Social Innovator Award in October 2013.
In late 2013, a study released by the Information Science Department of Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany ranked Chicago Public Library first in the United States and third in the world, when comparing 31 major urban libraries taking leadership roles in supporting "smart cities" in a "knowledge economy."
[20]
Andrea Telli was appointed Library Commissioner effective June 2019.
[21]
In 2019, CPL became the largest public library system in the United States to eliminate fines for borrowed overdue items. All existing fines were forgiven. There will still be due dates, and patrons are still required to return items or replace them to continue their borrowing privileges.
[22]
Chris Brown was appointed Library Commissioner effective February 2021.
[23]
In 2023, the CPL celebrated its 150th anniversary with an exhibit exploring the history of its branches.
[24]
Branches
[
edit
]
Central library
[
edit
]
Harold Washington Library Center
Regional libraries
[
edit
]
North
[
edit
]
South
[
edit
]
Central
[
edit
]
Branches
[
edit
]
North District
[
edit
]
- Albany Park Branch
- Austin-Irving Branch
- Harold Bezazian Branch (Uptown)
- Bucktown-Wicker Park Branch
- Budlong Woods Branch
- Richard M. Daley (West Humboldt Park) Branch
- Dunning Branch
- Edgebrook Branch
- Edgewater Branch
- Galewood-Mont Clare Branch
- Humboldt Park Branch
- Independence Branch
- Jefferson Park Branch
- Lincoln-Belmont Branch
- Lincoln Park Branch
- Logan Square Branch
- Mayfair Branch
- John Merlo Branch
- North Austin Branch
- North Pulaski Branch
- Northtown Branch
- Oriole Park Branch
- Portage-Cragin Branch
- Roden Branch
- Rogers Park Branch
- Uptown Branch
- West Belmont Branch
Central District
[
edit
]
- Austin Branch
- Back of the Yards Branch
- Blackstone Branch
- Brighton Park Branch
- Canaryville Branch
- Chicago Bee Branch
- Chinatown Branch
- Richard J. Daley Branch
- Douglass Branch
- Gage Park Branch
- Garfield Ridge Branch
- George Cleveland Hall Branch
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch
- Little Italy Branch
- Little Village Branch
- Rudy Lozano Branch
- Mabel Manning Branch
- McKinley Park Branch
- Near North Branch
- Sherman Park Branch
- Toman Branch
- Water Works Outpost
- West Chicago Avenue Branch
- West Loop Branch
- West Town Branch
South District
[
edit
]
- Altgeld Branch
- Avalon Branch
- Beverly Branch
- Brainerd Branch
- Chicago Lawn Branch
- Clearing Branch
- Bessie Coleman Branch
- Greater Grand Crossing Branch
- Hegewisch Branch
- Jeffery Manor Branch
- Kelly Branch
- Thurgood Marshall Branch
- Mount Greenwood Branch
- Pullman Branch
- Scottsdale Branch
- South Chicago Branch
- South Shore Branch
- Vodak East Side Branch
- Walker Branch
- West Englewood Branch
- West Lawn Branch
- West Pullman Branch
- Wrightwood-Ashburn Branch
- Whitney M. Young, Jr. Branch
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"The Chicago Municipal Device (Y-Shaped Figure)"
. Chicago Public Library. Archived from
the original
on January 31, 2015
. Retrieved
December 8,
2014
.
- ^
Kaplan, Jacob (December 10, 2008).
"The Municipal Device"
. Forgotten Chicago
. Retrieved
June 13,
2014
.
- ^
"Meet the Chief Librarian: Chris Brown"
,
Chicago Public Library Foundation
, May 17, 2021
, retrieved
2021-10-11
- ^
"Facts and Figures"
,
Chicago Public Library
, September 27, 2021
, retrieved
2021-10-11
- ^
"
Annual Report for 2010
Archived
2012-03-24 at the
Wayback Machine
," Chicago Public Library.
- ^
"
The Nation's Largest Libraries: A Listing By Volumes Held
" (July 2012), American Library Association.
- ^
Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science
(Vol. 5). Ed.
Allen Kent
. CRC Press, 1970.
- ^
"
Library History, 1870?1899
Archived
2008-03-14 at the
Wayback Machine
." Chicago Public Library.
- ^
Latham, J. M. (2011). Memorial Day to Memorial Library: The South Chicago Branch Library as cultural terrain, 1937?1947.
Libraries & the Cultural Record,
46(3), 321?342
- ^
Latham, J. M. (2013). “A liberal and dignified approach”: The John Toman Branch of the Chicago Public Library and the making of Americans, 1927?1940. In, L. Robbins & C. Pawley (Eds.),
Libraries and the Reading Public
(pp. 111?128). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
- ^
Wheeler, Jeff. 2021. “‘How Much Is Not Enough?’: Public Library Outreach to ‘Disadvantaged’ Communities in the War on Poverty.”
Library Quarterly
91 (2): 190?208.
- ^
Megan, Graydon (February 21, 2017).
"Amanda Rudd, historic head of Chicago Public Library, dies at 93"
.
Chicago Tribune
. Retrieved
December 8,
2018
.
- ^
Putnam, R. D., & Feldstein, L. M. (2003). "Branch libraries: The heartbeat of the community". In
Better together: Restoring the American community
(pp. 34?54). New York: Simon and Schuster.
[
ISBN missing
]
- ^
"Charlotte Kim Scholars in Residence Program"
(PDF)
.
Reporter
.
25
(5). Illinois Library Association: 18. October 2007. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 12 May 2013
. Retrieved
4 December
2013
.
- ^
The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building
Urban Library Council (2006)
- ^
"CPL History"
.
www.chipublib.org
. Retrieved
2023-07-18
.
- ^
"Words and Music"
.
Chicago Public Library website
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-05-31
. Retrieved
2009-05-08
.
- ^
Toppo, Greg (2 June 2014).
"Libraries' choice: Change or fade into oblivion"
. USA Today
. Retrieved
28 March
2016
.
- ^
Hadro, Josh; Schwartz, Meredith (August 2013). "$1 Million Grant To Fund Chicago, Aarhus Venture".
Library Journal
.
138
(13).
Media Source Inc.
: 15.
- ^
Meinka, Agnes (2013).
Public Libraries in the Knowledge Society: Core Services of Libraries in Informational World Cities
(PDF)
(Report)
. Retrieved
2021-03-06
.
- ^
"CPL History"
.
www.chipublib.org
. Retrieved
2023-07-18
.
- ^
"Chicago Public Library To Eliminate Overdue Fines, Wipe Out Existing Debts"
.
CBS Chicago
. September 30, 2019
. Retrieved
2019-09-30
.
- ^
"CPL History"
.
www.chipublib.org
. Retrieved
2023-07-18
.
- ^
"CPL 150 Anniversary"
.
www.chipublib.org
. Retrieved
2023-03-12
.
External links
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International
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National
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Other
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