Salman Rushdie to Receive 2009 Carl Sandburg Literary Award and Chicago Author Patrick Somerville Selected as 21st Century Honoree
Salman Rushdie
Author Salman Rushdie has been 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, will go to fiction writer Patrick Somerville. Both awards will be 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.
Land of Lincoln Readers launched on June 15th!
The Chicago Public Library's 2009 Family Summer Reading Program celebrates Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.
Honest Abe throws out the first pitch at a Cubs game.
Photo by Phil Moloitis
Children ages 3 and up will travel through history with Land of Lincoln Readers, the Library's 32nd Summer Reading Program for children. Adults and teens will join the journey with Summer Reads for Adults, exploring the life and legacy of our 16th president.
Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street selected as spring 2009 One Book, One Chicago selection
At a press conference on March 11th, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that Chicago-born Sandra Cisneros' novel, The House on Mango Street, will be 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.
American Girl Place: Committed to Children's Reading
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 Girl 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.
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
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.
Bookamania—a celebration of books for the whole family!
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.
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