Updated 6/26/2021 12:16 AM
On June 17, the new 56,000 square-foot St. Charles Public Library hosted a Foundation Donor Appreciation event offering a first look at the city s beautiful new facility and to recognize the wide-ranging literacy and cultural initiatives the foundation provides to its community.
Welcome remarks by foundation president Maggie Brewner listed the many enrichment opportunities the foundation spearheads such as 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten which also includes book bags, a cooking demonstration table in the Huntley Community Room, and underwriting music performances in the Carnegie Room, among many others.
Also noted was the 250-pound signature bronze relief art piece, Porta Passage with Architectural Detail now installed safely above the fireplace on the main floor created by talented Geneva sculptor Larry K. Johnson. The foundation, again, was instrumental in its selection and offsetting costs.
St. Charles Public Library Director Edith Craig gave a first look at the new $18.6 million facility poised to open next month at its original location at the southeast corner of Main Street and 5th Avenue.
Updated 2/19/2021 7:45 PM
In the midst of an $18.6 million project to build a new facility, St. Charles Public Library officials remain committed to maintaining the historic elements of the Carnegie building right next door.
Part of that commitment includes restoring the front doors of the city s first public library to their original look. Library officials received approval this week from the St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission to replace the wood panels of the doors with glass to be more consistent with the original structure.
While there was hope that the library might be able to use the original glass, the staff was unable to find it in storage. In addition, the new glass will be safer, be more efficient and adhere to city code.
The Daily Bean is back.
The coffee shop at the St. Charles Public Library is the result of a collaboration between library officials and the St. Charles Unit District 303 Transition Services team, which helps students with special needs between the ages of 18 and 22 adjust to more independent lifestyles.
The shop had been closed for much of the school year due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it reopened on Jan. 19 for the first time since November with the library open to the public and District 303 returning to at least partial in-person learning for all its students.
The library is temporarily located at the Haines building at 305 S. Ninth Street while a new $18.6 million facility is built at the southeast corner of Main Street and Fifth Avenue.
Take a trip on the Inca Trail with St. Charles library s virtual program Brian Michalski, the Mindful Vagabond, will take you on a photographic tour of his most recent travels in South America. Courtesy of Brian Michalski
Posted1/21/2021 7:19 PM
Fresh off his most recent travels, the Mindful Vagabond, Brian Michalski will share photography and vignettes gathered from exploring and working in South America for more than a year.
This virtual presentation, sponsored by the St. Charles Public Library, is available beginning Tuesday, Jan. 26 through Feb. 2.
As Michalski trekked the Inca Trail, navigated pristine Patagonia, and explored the Amazon rainforest, he also volunteered, took Spanish classes, earned his English teaching certificate, and worked remotely.