The library wants to be an involved contributor in all things Glen Ellyn! At community events like STEMCON at College of DuPage and Three Fires Council Scouting Spectacular , library staff showcase technology like Ozobots and encourage physics and engineering projects by building catapults. Organizations like Cub/Boy Scouts and Brownies/Girl Scouts bring young members of the community together, and library staff work with these groups to help kids discover all that the library has to offer! Kids of all ages can have fun experimenting with science, technology, engineering, art, and math, so the library has STEAM kits to try all of these things anywhere. The library wants to be at the top of the list of places that students in Glen Ellyn schools come to be curious and discover.
Glen Ellyn kids love music and dancing, so we plan programs that encourage movement and appeal of all five senses. They love to get out into the community, especially when they can listen to stories at their favorite parks. Three of the Little Free Librarys (LFLs) at Co-Op, Surrey, and Lake Foxcroft parks were made possible by community partnerships with Glen Ellyn Park District and the Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn. As Community Engagement Librarian, I visit each of the LFLs every week with materials for all ages that have been either donated or were once available at the library. I always enjoy chatting with people I see at the parks to find out what they would like to see in the LFL. My latest requests were for mysteries and cookbooks! Sometimes the people I run into ask me reference questions, and sometimes I am able to tell them about American Girl dolls, sewing machines, and DVD players – all available to borrow at the library in our Library of Things!
Library-supported book collections in the waiting rooms of businesses like Marvelous Minds put books in the hands of kids of all ages. If you have ideas for other places kids spend time waiting and might want to read a book, please let me know! Whenever you are out in Glen Ellyn, keep an eye out for someone from the library. You might be surprised where you see us next!