The Frankfort library began in 1961 as an all-volunteer effort of the Frankfort Mothers’ Club, and in 1966, it became the tax-supported institution it is today. Now, the library is hosting a year-long commemoration of its 50th anniversary.
The Frankfort Public Library District has begun a celebration mode for 2016, and library director Pierre Gregoire said there is “a double reason to celebrate.”
One reason to celebrate is the end of construction which has fulfilled a goal to meet the current needs of library patrons, Gregoire said. He said additional meeting rooms, more privacy during computer use, improved quiet areas, new classes and increased study space for students, among other improvements, make the library a diverse resource for just about everyone.
Gregoire said the library would like “to make as many people as possible aware of what we now have to offer, (including people who) perhaps haven’t been in since they were kids themselves … which is frequently the case.”
Gregoire wants them to know what they are missing.
“We’ve come a long way,” he said.
Year-long celebrating will commemorate the library’s 50th year, Gregoire said. The library began in 1961 as an all-volunteer effort of the Frankfort Mothers’ Club, and in 1966, it became the tax-supported institution it is today.
Gregoire said with the help of research done by librarian and “local expert” Jill Ganeshan who works with the Frankfort Historical Society on the library’s genealogical program, 50th anniversary activities will tap into the library’s roots.
“We’re focusing on a theme of the sixties,” Gregoire said.
The “kick-off” in January was coupons for free beverages to the first 50 patrons of 2016, Gregoire said, and January also begins the year-long “50 Book Challenge” for readers over age 18..
“It’s doable,” he said. “One a week.”
Melissa Rice, head of Adult Services at the library, said readers who hit 10, 25, and 50 book milestones will receive commemorative gifts and also be placed in a raffle at each increment for prizes at the end of the program.
February fun will be a photo booth where library visitors can take “selfies” using personal props or those provided by the library which reflect a favorite decade, Rice said. She said photos can be posted to the library’s Facebook page.
Also in February, Chicago Coach Danny Smith will provide “Couch to 5K” training for those who want to participate in May’s fundraiser, a 5K run.
“He specializes in getting people ready for their first run of this type,” Gregoire said.
Another nod to the past, Rice said, is the race’s name – Retro Run — which is aimed at having participants dress in the style of their favorite decade, she said.
Rice said March will include two home brewing programs, which have been “extremely popular” in the past.
More Top Picks What Learning Differences Run Together Comorbidities Explained
“That was the first program where I actually had a room full of men,” Rice said. “It was great.”
The follow-up to the home-brewing program will be an October contest for a “Master Brewer” for the library’s version of Oktoberfest, Gregoire said.
April marks trivia month, with trivia about the library’s 50 years and the area in general, and May’s big event will be the Retro Run.
Gregoire said June through August will remain the library’s long-standing Summer Reading Program. Because of its significant level of participation — “about 1,000 kids coming through here every day” — anniversary-related programs will resume in the fall and continue through the year, he said.
“We don’t have definitive confirmations from presenters yet, but we will be doing a retro food program (and) retro cocktails, probably in November,” Rice said. “We have lots of ideas. It’s just kind of putting everything together.”
Gregoire and Rice agreed that the public responds well to changes made over its 50 years.
“I think the No. 1 thing we do is listen to the people,” Gregoire said.
Rice said she has been “amazed” during her 10 years with the library at the consistent increase in the number of patrons who participate in the programs and use the resources, “about 200 percent in a decade.”
“People aren’t just coming in for books,” Rice said. “They’re coming in to learn. I think libraries have always anticipated …change. Libraries have always changed even though the public perception may be that they haven’t, but I think librarians know what people need and we’ve always adapted to that.”
Gregoire, who has been library director for seven years, said libraries evolve to meet their patrons’ needs.
“As with any library we’ve seen the evolution from a reading-oriented space exclusively to a research space and a learning space and a community public sharing space, kind of in that order,” Gregoire said. “(There are) more people interacting with each other within the context of a safe environment, both physically and emotionally, backed up by literary giants.”
For more information, visit www.frankfortlibrary.org or call (815) 469-2423.
Ginger Brashinger is a freelance reporter who covers the Lincoln-Way community for the Daily Southtown.