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The Waukegan Public Library is the public library serving Waukegan, Illinois. It is at the intersection of County and Clayton streets in downtown Waukegan, near the county government complex. The library has approximately 205,000 books as of 2011,〔 and recorded a total of 338,615 library visits in fiscal year 2005. In addition to its main location in downtown Waukegan, the library operates a branch in Hinkston Park, on the city's northwest side. In 2013, the Waukegan Public Library was selected as one of ten recipients of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, "the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community and celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities," awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The award was based on the library's successful work in providing literacy and ESL instruction. The library has also received the Public Library Association's Upstart Innovation Award on three occasions.〔 ==History== As with many towns across the United States, Waukegan was served by private subscription libraries for many decades before acquiring a public library. The first of these was the "Little Fort Reading Room and Library Association", housed in the courthouse and established in 1845. This was followed by the Young Men’s Association Library in the 1860s, and finally by the Sesame Club in the 1890s, which sought to establish a free public library. After successfully operating a free library for two years, the Club appealed to the Waukegan city government for support, and in 1898 the Waukegan Public Library was formally created when the city took ownership of the Sesame Club's library. However, the library still lacked an actual building. This situation was not remedied until 1903, when the Carnegie Foundation provided $25,000 to the city to support construction of a library building, in exchange for the city providing a building site and guarantee of annual support.〔 The Carnegie library, which still stands as of 2013, was located at the corner of Sheridan Road and Washington Street. During the 1930s, the library provided a frequent refuge for the young Ray Bradbury, who later willed his personal book collection to the library. In the 1950s, as Waukegan's expanding population began to exceed what the small Carnegie library could serve, the library began to operate bookmobiles, the first coming into service in 1956 and the second in 1962.〔 The "Friends of the Waukegan Public Library" organization was formed in 1963.〔 The limestone building currently occupied by the Waukegan Public Library, located at the corner of County and Clayton streets, was opened for business on December 27, 1965.〔 A major renovation in 1998 added some 16,000 square feet, while remaining faithful to the building's original esthetic.〔〔 In 2008, based on analysis of the need for literacy exposure among Waukegan kindergarten students, the library opened a 2,000-square-foot Early Learning Center in the children's department.〔 Further renovations the following year created an area known as the "Literacy Suite", which hosts one-on-one and group tutoring in literacy and computer skills.〔 After Shimer College moved to Waukegan in 1979, much of the school's library was housed in the basement of the Waukegan Public Library, due to the school itself having insufficient space. This made it nearly unique among municipal libraries in housing a college's main collection within its own. The college and library maintained numerous ties, including the painting of a mural on "the Art of the Story" on the library building in 2004. After Shimer left for Chicago in 2006, the basement space that had been used for the Shimer collection was repurposed. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Waukegan Public Library」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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