Wednesday, 17th December

This was my day to visit the Chicago Public Library at the Harold Washington Center. It had snowed heavily overnight and my journey , yet again was precarious , but I made it , as fortunately the hotel was only a couple of blocks away.
The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the city of Chicago. With 10,745,608 volumes it is the largest library system in the Midwestern United States one of the largest public library systems in the United States, only behind the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Boston Public Library, and the university libraries of Harvard and Yale in size and scope. The Chicago Public Libraries currently consist of 79 branches including the central library, two regional libraries, and the numerous branches distributed equally throughout the city's North South and West sides.
In 1991, the Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago's new central library, named for the late mayor, opened to the public. It was the world's largest municipal public library at the time of its opening. http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/harold-washington/

I was met by Greta Bever, Assistant Commissioner, Central Library Services,with whom I had corresponded, and she took me on a guided tour of this magnificent facility and introduced me to various appropriate staff on the way . Thank you, Greta (and your staff) for making me feel so welcome.

The library is approximately 756,640 square feet (70,294 m2) spread over 10 floors as follows :

• The lower level houses the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Multi-Purpose Room and Exhibit Hall.
• The central lobby is two stories tall. On the east side, the popular library is housed. Offers over 11,000 square feet of the newest books and a variety of formats. i.e.
  Books: More than 10,000 fiction and nonfiction books published within the last 24 months
  Video: A wide selection of video tapes and DVDs including children's videos
  Audio: Fiction and nonfiction, on audio cassette, compact disc and playaway

• The second floor houses the Thomas Hughes Children’s library. This area is 18,000sq feet There are child-sized chairs and tables, a computer center with twelve internet computers. (Children ages seven to fourteen may sign up to use the internet or the multimedia. Younger children must be accompanied by a responsible person. ) a parent center, a children's program room with puppet stage, and interesting displays,plus, a Storybook Dollhouse.The Children's Library contains a collection of more than 120,000 volumes .

• The third floor is the floor that is the entrance to the main library. The circulation desk, book check-in/check-out, periodicals, interlibrary loan and general information services department and computers for public use.
• The fourth floor holds the business, general sciences, and technology items.
• The fifth floor holds government publications, Chicago municipal references, maps, and center for the blind, visually impaired and physically disabled.
• The sixth floor holds social sciences and history resources.
• The seventh floor holds literature and language resources as well as a work by acclaimed Polish sculptor Jerzy Kenar.
• The eighth floor holds visual and performing arts resources, music practice rooms, and audio/visual rooms.
• The ninth floor holds the winter garden, which may be rented for social functions, special collection and preservation department, the Harold Washington archives and collections and exhibit halls. The Winter Garden is the architectural centerpiece of the Harold Washington Library Center. Located on the 9th floor, this elegant and spacious atrium features a terrazzo and marble floor and a 52-foot glass paneled dome that spans the entire room. The Winter Garden is the perfect setting for a wedding reception, corporate event, fundraiser, gala dinner, silent auction, or fashion show - wherever your imagination takes you! It is indeed a very beautiful space.
• The tenth floor is not open to the public. It houses library offices and technical services.

Of course, my particular interest was the eighth floor and I spent the most time there, although I was fascinated by the rest of the building and its services. However, you can read more about them on the website -just a few comments for now

• The library has 133 public access PC's and they use a system called Visionware which sets and manages appointments. There is a 10 minute grace period for users to keep their appointment. People are only allowed two appointments per day of one hour, however there is a 15 minute express service. There is a whole bank of printers near the desk, with numbered slots corresponding to the PC number. I met the Manager of this Department and it sounds as if PC users are the same the world over- need I say more.
• the Teen collection is called VOLUME
• The Business Dept runs forums on starting your own business and runs an annual Business Fair .
• There is an 'in -house " Professional Development Program especially for library staff called "Grow your own staff"
• the Library Service runs an extensive events program and is in partnership with many institutions and organisiations http://www.chipublib.org/eventsprog/programs/index.php

MUSIC .
Music dvds and cds which are for borrowing are in the Popular Library , downstairs.

The Art Information Center and the Music Information Center on the 8th floor together form the Visual and Performing Arts Department. The Department covers a broad range of subjects, including acting, architecture, art, collecting, crafts, dance, fashion history, film, music, radio, television and theater history. Periodicals, pictures, pamphlets, videos, recordings, and scores support and extend the Department's extensive book holdings. Current and retrospective periodicals and annuals include complete runs of many titles, frequently in their original format. Printed and electronic periodical indexes provide access. There are two information desks on this floor- one especially dedicated to music and staffed by specialised music librarians and clerical staff of which there are 12-15 in the dept. Each librarian has a different collection area of responsibility.
The special strengths of the music collection lie in popular music, jazz, blues, gospel, the business of music, discography, and music therapy.
Music Recordings: A significant collection of recordings in a variety of formats from 78 RPM to CDs has been developed for research and use in the Library's Listening/Viewing Center. Among them are tapes of New Music Chicago, an annual festival of new works; the Come For To Sing recorded interviews of folk musicians; the Charles A. Sengstock Chicago Dance Band Collection; the Frank McNulty/WLS-TV Collection; and Dick Buckley's Archives of Recorded Jazz series. The Central Library's collection of circulating LPs is found here. Circulating CDs are located in the Popular Library on the first floor.
Scores: Performance scores from instrumental solos to full orchestral parts are available for loan or in-house use, as are instrumental methods, technique books, works of musical comedy and popular music, and a substantial collection of musical monuments and composer-collected works. A collection of sheet music in original covers dating from 1830 to the present is offered for in-house use.
Balaban and Katz Theater Orchestra Collection/WGN Radio Music Library: Stock dance band arrangements, orchestrations of popular classics, orchestrated music for silent films, and sheet music from the libraries of the great Chicago movie palaces. Supplemented by arrangements for jazz orchestras and combos of popular used in the 1950s and 1960s, when WGN maintained a live studio orchestra. Most of the arrangements are in manuscript. Chicago Blues Archives: Recordings, documents, photos, videos, magazines, and manuscripts.
Jubilee Showcase: The Historic Award-winning Gospel Program: "Music Which Both Entertains and Inspires." Video programs from Chicago's longest running program featuring America's greatest gospel artists, including many of Chicago's finest singers, musicians and choral groups.

Jussi Bjorling Audio Archives: A nearly comprehensive collection of sound and video material on the famed Swedish tenor who frequented Chicago.

Made in Chicago Collection: Recordings and publications made in or by Chicago artists. Includes tapes of radio station WYTZ's Beat of Chicago program highlighting local bands.
Martin & Morris Gospel Sheet Music Collection: Nearly the entire output of this landmark Chicago gospel publishing house founded by Kenneth Morris and Sallie Martin.
Stanley Paul Collection: The personal collection of nearly one- thousand show business, personality, and nostalgia LP record albums donated by Chicago’s renowned society bandleader and pianist. Publicity stills, reproductions of photographs, clippings, and other memorabilia used in the 2000 exhibit, "Stanley Paul: Stars in My Eyes," donated by Mr. Paul.Special Services
Corrine & Albert Pick Jr. Listening/Viewing Center (LVC) and Practice Rooms

The Listening/Viewing Center provides equipment for the playback of recording and video formats from the Division's collections. Use of the LVC is restricted to students and researchers.

A chamber rehearsal room, as well as six practice rooms furnished with pianos, is available. The practice rooms are equipped with playback equipment for the Department's large collection of music instruction materials. People who practice here often perform for the public.

I was introduced to the Events Manager, Christopher , who belongs to this department and kindly showed me around. He also invited me to stay for the day's event at 12noon in the foyer- a local school choir singing Christmas Carols - a fitting end to a most rewarding visit .