Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the State of Illinois, the La Grange Public Library will be getting equipment designed to foster experiential learning and provide patrons with a hands-on experience in a number of practical areas.
The equipment includes a Charlie Cart, a mobile kitchen complete with cooking tools, 11 sewing machines, 11 ukuleles, and a Meeting Owl Pro, a camera capable of rotating 360 degrees.
“We noticed activities that were very popular during the pandemic,” Arcadia McCauley, marketing and public relations manager of the library, said in a telephone interview. “This is really designed for all ages, including adults, teens, and young kids.”
The Charlie Cart was developed by the Charlie Cart Project, a 501c3 nonprofit begun in 2005 by a group of educators seeking to provided various entities with training in food education, especially as it relates to heath awareness and environmental sustainability.
It includes a kitchen on wheels, with power, storage, sink, and all the tools needed to prepare meals and conduct classes.
The Charlie Cart Foundation also includes a curriculum with lesson plans for K-5, and staff training to maximize the experience.
But McCauley stressed that the Charlie Cart was an activity that would benefit all ages.
“We can help teach kids and adults different ways of cooking from different cultures,” she said.
The Meeting Owl Pro will allow community members to participate in group meetings without actually being in the library.
Made by Owl Labs, the camera is an all-in-one, 360 degree camera that contains a microphone and speaker for use by community organizations engaging in collaborative activities.
“It will rotate its view depending on who is speaking and what sounds are coming from an area,” McCauley said. “It’s for any organization meeting in the Library. People will be able to view the meeting from outside the building.”
All of the equipment, already at the library, including the mobile kitchen, the camera, the sewing machines, and ukuleles, will be available for use by anyone with a La Grange Library Card when not in use by a class or other scheduled activity.
“Most of the time, the equipment is available for use in the library, simply by checking it out like you would a library book,” McCauley said.
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The La Grange Library has received other state grants, including one for a digital studio on the Library’s Lower Level. The new grant was arranged through the efforts of State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago, 8th District).
“We are very pleased — and grateful — that Rep. Ford has reached out to our Library for these grant funds,” McCauley said.
But the Library still had to apply for the grant and get approved by the state. The decision to seek funding for these particular items was one made by Library staff and the Library Board.
“We asked ‘where can we use this $25,000 that’s going to be most useful for the community,'” McCauley said. “We thought that the experiential learning approach would be the most practical way to bring new services to our community.”
Further information about the new equipment can be found in the Library’s quarterly newsletter.
McCauley said the best way to reserve equipment would be to visit the La Grange Public Library’s webpage: lagrangelibrary.org
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.