An Evanston woman died after being hit by a motorcyclist while riding her bike Monday in downtown Evanston.

The woman, Gigi Galich, was a librarian at Evanston Public Library, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in an email to Evanston media on Wednesday.

Galich, 55, was taken to the Evanston Hospital after the accident which occurred in the 600 block of Church Street. Following the accident, Galich was in in critical condition after undergoing surgery for a head injury.

The motorcyclist, a 27-year-old Chicago man, was uninjured, police said.

(Evanston woman in hospital after being hit by motorcyclist)

Galich first began working at the Evanston Public Library in 1976, most recently serving as a children’s librarian, and will be remembered for many qualities including her creativity and ability to engage with children, said Karen Danczak Lyons, the director of Evanston Public Library.

“She was a wonderful children’s librarian and she was creative and she was smart and the children loved her,” she said. “She found new ways to engage our youngest readers and help them develop  a real love of learning and reading and she was wonderful with crafts.”

Lyons said Galich, along with another member of the community, developed different crafts for children to participate in, including creating what looks like a “big dreamcatcher” on the first floor of the main library as a project as part of the summer reading program.

“We had a lot of fun,” Lyons said. “She would create wonderful things for the little ones to do.”

Lyons said she will be remembered within the community.

“She will be sorely missed,” she said. “We’re still all in shock. It’s hard to believe that we won’t see her again.”

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