Crowds gathered at the Glenview Public Library last month to mark the completion of new play features that were made possible through fundraising efforts.
A ribbon cutting took place Feb. 24 to introduce the new Youth Services Play Space, which includes wooden frame structures and toys designed for exploration, creativity and learning, library officials said. A light table, new shelves and furnishings complete the area.
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The $617,700 project was supported through a fundraising drive, led by the Glenview Public Library Foundation, that raised $200,000.
“Our community is, fortunately, very generous and we were able to raise the money for this great play space,” said Foundation President Elizabeth Hibner.
The foundation plans to continue fundraising efforts to support new themes and toys for the play structures, she said. The current theme is “community,” with signs on the structures identifying them as Glenview municipal buildings. Books about communities fill the shelves in the play area.
The next theme, coming this summer, will be dinosaur-related, said Library Executive Director Lindsey Dorfman.
This is the first major upgrade in the children’s department since the library was built in 2010. Focusing on play as a part of learning is the aim of the new design, Dorfman told the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting.
“Reasearch shows us that play is more than something that is fun for kids; it is foundational to how they grow and develop,” she said. “This space is designed to spark curiosity among children through play. That curiosity can be further developed and nurtured through books from the library and other library sources.”
Children’s books make up two-thirds of the materials circulated through the library and attendance for children’s programs surpasses programming for all other audiences, Dorfman said.
Parent Jay Pastucha brought his daughter Lena, 2, to explore the new play space, where she rolled a ball on a maze and served ice cream cones from an imaginary store.
“There’s more variety and opportunities for kids to use their imagination,” Pastucha said of the new play space.
This feature is part of $1.8 million in upgrades happening at the library. A new vending cafe in the lobby was completed and construction of new study rooms on the second floor are slated to begin March 16.
The bulk of the cost is funded through library reserves, plus the $200,000 raised by the Glenview Public Library Foundation and a $70,000 grant from the Illinois Public Library Construct grant, officials said.
These investments were made based on feedback from library patrons, said Library Board President Tom Blanchard.