By Sara Peck
Contributing Writer
After a summer full of renovations, the children’s section at Evanston Public Library re-opened in late August, unveiling a new area for children and a loft for teens.
“(This library is) a different approach to the traditional warehouse to hold books,” said Neal Ney, board director for the library. “(We wanted) to surround books with things that aid in a child’s learning.”
The $2.4 million project took nearly three years to complete, said Ney, who added that the board wanted to provide a comfortable and educationally sound space for children of all ages.
After the library re-opened, the atmosphere was like “a continuous cocktail party without the alcohol,” Ney said.
Just inside the library doors at 1703 Orrington Ave., 15,000 square feet of plush play areas, soothing colors and interactive games await tots and their families. The revamped play area features child-sized seating, cushioned crawl spaces and a fiberoptic “Interactive Wall” to entertain tiny library-goers.
Children can also explore their creative side with a puppet stage, colorful climbing blocks and “discovery boxes” filled with textured surprises.
“(The library is) one of the best places I’ve seen,” said Semira Yassin, a nanny present with her charge. Yassin added that she enjoyed the space so much that she planned to bring her own children.
Martha Gaines, a nanny watching Luke, 2, said the new section was “well-designed for children.”
Catering to teenagers was also a concern, said Janice Bojda, who leads the library’s children’s services programming. Throughout the design and construction process, a Teen Advisory Board worked closely with architects to ensure its child-friendly layout, Bojda said.
Dubbed “The Loft,” the teen space includes comfortable study areas and a small stage for dramatic readings and performances. Library directors used Evanston Reads!, a grant program, to bring in speakers for the teens, such as Sudanese refugee and Harvard alumnus Mawi Asgedom, author of “Of Beetles and Angels.”
Asgedom’s Sept. 26 reading drew about 170 middle and high school students from at least three area schools, Bojda said.
Money from private donations, the library endowment and an Illinois library grant facilitate the construction costs, and the project was completed “on time and under budget,” Ney said.
“It’s better than expected,” he said.
The Evanston Public Library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Programs, book sales and other event announcements can be found at www.epl.org.
Reach Sara Peck at [email protected].
