PBC Proposes Sites For 3 More Chicago Public Library Branches

The Public Building Commission Tuesday proposed sites for three new Chicago Public Library branch buildings.

In consultation with library officials, the PBC board approved the three site designations and now will forward them to the City Council for approval. In the meantime, public comment on the proposed sites is invited.

The three proposed sites are:

• a new branch library on the northeast corner of Chicago and Lamon avenues in the 37th Ward on the city’s West Side, providing neighborhood residents with new library services.
• a new Logan Square Branch on the northwest corner of Fullerton and Sawyer avenues in the 35th Ward on the North Side, replacing the current 49-year-old library branch at 3255 W. Altgeld St.
• a new Vodak/East Side Branch on the 3700 block of East 106th Street, replacing a leased storefront branch now at 10542 S. Ewing Ave. in the 10th Ward on the Southeast Side.

All three new branches will be separate full-service library buildings based on the architectural prototypes that have been constructed throughout the city with funds provided by Mayor Richard M. Daley, who also chairs the PBC.

“We want every Chicagoan, young and old, to have close and comfortable access to a full array of reading materials,” explained Daley, whose administration already has built or renovated 40 library branches. “As I’ve said many times before, reading is essential to the success of our schoolchildren, and seeing adults read sends a strong message to kids.”

Each of the new branches will house a comprehensive collection of materials for children, teens and adults-including books, books on tape, newspapers and periodicals, and computers with Internet access and more than 40 electronic databases. All of the buildings also will be fully accessible to people with disabilities.