A local group is inviting children and families to a community storytime event celebrating libraries Saturday, April 13 on the Park Ridge Library’s lawn. The organizer says it’s important for the community to appreciate the library, given the threats other libraries are facing.
Mary Fontaine, president of the grassroots organization Spotlight, Elevate, Engage, said libraries play a critical role in educating the community. The group invited state Sen. Laura Murphy (D, 28th District), Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney, Police Chief Bob Kampwirth, and Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen to read books to children ono the Park Ridge Library’s lawn from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 13 for the event Get Caught Reading. Fontaine said Triple Scoop’d Ice Cream will be onsite with treats available for purchase.
“We started thinking about this last fall when there were bomb threats against libraries and we saw the situation in Niles,” said Fontaine. “We thought, ‘We’re not having those issues here,’ but let’s not take a library for granted. All of us who think that they’re really doing a great job, let’s let them know that we think of them.”
Last fall, a Skokie man was arrested for making 56 bomb threats against libraries and other public places throughout the northern suburbs. None of the threats were deemed credible; the man was charged with felony counts of disorderly conduct.
Fontaine also mentioned that four people were elected to the Niles Maine District Library Board in 2021 and made deep budget cuts that led to about a one-third reduction in the library’s staff; they also reduced library hours, cut back the library’s cleaning service during the pandemic and postponed its roof maintenance, which was followed by a water leak, among other effects. Two years later, one of those trustees was voted out of office after his term expired, and voters elected trustees who campaigned on restoring library services.
“It was very hard on the library staff and really affected the services they offered,” said Fontaine. “In other words, it didn’t take much to disrupt what had been a very well-oiled machine.”
Fontaine said the group invited Murphy because of the bill she sponsored in the state senate that created a ban on book bans by cutting off state grants to public and school libraries if they ban books for “partisan or doctrinal” reasons. As for Sorensen, Kampwirth and Maloney, she said, “Kids love the fire chief and the police chief, and the mayor seems like a good representative for the city.”
“They were all very happy to sign up,” Fontaine said, “They love interacting with the kids.”
Fontaine said the library would pick out the books for the readers based on the age range of the children expected to come, and that she doesn’t expect for any of them to be controversial.
Fontaine said there will also be children’s activities like temporary tattoos, sidewalk chalk, coloring, cornhole and other lawn games.
Fontaine said the event is for people of all ages and that the library works with over 70 book clubs; she hopes to see book club members there as well. The event is free and attendees are encouraged to drop off their used books or magazines for the Park Ridge Public Library Friends of the Library sale.
