Central Street Neighbors Association

Now is the time to clear out those books, records, DVDs so you have room to bring in the new ones you buy at the EPLF Mega Booksale on July 15-18th.
Items can be brought to 2112 Central Street mon-thurs 11am-2:30pm. If you have too much or need items picked up email us at booksale@elpfriends.org
Visit www.eplfriends.org for more info on sale times.
Want to help out- or Donate things ?
 
 

The Virtual Online Library Fundraising Auction which ended on June 2nd raised over $34,000 towards funding ongoing neighborhood library services.
A tremendous effort spearheaded by Colleen Chapelle and Cheryl Chamberlin brought together individuals from all over Evanston and the country who donated artwork, services, vacations and more. This is the 1st online auctionon behalf of EPLF (Evanston Public Library Friends), and next years auction is expected to be bigger and more successful. Visit WWW.eplfriends.org for upcoming events and to volunteer. 

Evanston Public Library Friends continues to raise eyebrows as well as funds. Crain's Chicago Business this week listed the ongoing EPLF "Armchair Auction" and tonight's "sneak preview" as one of the top 10 things to do in Chicago this weekend.
 
The online auction, ongoing thru May 30, has a large number of unique and interesting items, and all money raised will benefit EPLF in their quest to save the neighborhood branch libraries from threatened shutdown by the City of Evanston. A party to view the auction items up close and personal will be held tonight, May 21, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., at the site of the former Table Manners shop, 2112 Central St., Evanston.

It's time to shop......

• Dinner with best-selling author, Evanston native Audrey Niffenegger of The Time Traveler's Wife fame,
• Autographed copies of Evanston author Scott Turow's best-sellers.
• Sox, Bears and Blackhawks tix
• Artwork
• Jewelry
• Spa treatments
• Delicious dinners
• Vacation getaways and more

It's all here - live now through May 30.

Evanston Public Library Friends will celebrate National Library Week and the end of the Read-a-Thon with parties at the main library and both branches on Saturday, April 17th from 10am to 12pm.  Join the fun with face painting, balloons, sidewalk chalk, lemonade, and fun for the whole family! 
 
Bring in your Read-a-Thon money and collect your prizes, or stop by and take advantage of the last day to join Evanston Public Library Friends for Free. After April 17th, cost per family will be $25. 

A recent online story on Evanston libraries set up a divisive and inaccurate class/race argument by focusing on census tracts in which the north and south branch are "located." This is misleading rhetoric in several ways, including that the north and south branch are each at the very edge of a census tract, that census tracts are somewhat arbitrary and certainly not monolithic, and that the libraries were "located" long before most current residents. But more important, it misses the point that for most Evanstonians, there is no library at all in their "census tract." Since nearly everyone has to travel by foot, bike, car, or public transportation to use a library, a more practical analysis would instead ask, for every Evanstonian, "What library is closest?"
 
As simple geography and the map below (click Read More to see) demonstrate, the answer is that, for most Evanstonians, either the north or south branch is closer and more convenient than the main branch.

Over 2000 residents have signed the online petition at www.branchlove.org in support of keeping the libraries open and allowing supporters time to secure long term funding for the libraries.
The City Council has changed  its postiion 3 time in the past month, so if you are confused join the crowd. The original budget called for the closure of the branches.
On Jan 23 the council had a straw vote which supported keeping the libraries open for 1 year.
The next meeting the straw vote to Close the libraries.

This evening the Evanston City Council in a historic vote voted to close both the North and South branch libraries.  The vote was 6-3 in favor of closing.  The North branch first opened in 1952.  The South branch was first opened in 1917.
 
The West branch library was closed earlier in 1981,  six years after it opened in 1975.
 
For the first time in 114 years, Evanston will have no branch libraries.

Yesterdays rallies served many purposes in bridging alliances between wards to show that the Evansto Library System is a connection of people, places and ideas. People of all ages joined together in support of neighborhood libraries.
Libraries serve an muliple purpose in todays world. They are not just places that house books, they are or can be the heart of a neighborhood. They are places where people can go and no one asks them for anything.