The Green Hills Public Library has received a makeover–and the results are long overdue.
Colorful quilts drape the library walls, attractive book displays, easy access to books, videos and CDs, Internet access, an on-line catalog, a suggestion board and a teen newsletter are all part of the face lift.
A new director is providing a direction that has made the library busier than ever. Figures also show that patrons have given their thumbs-up to the library’s hip ambience.
Library loans are up 25 percent in the last four months, while the number of cardholders is up 20 percent.
The spurt in the use of the library comes after years of either stagnant or dwindling circulation.
Director Annette Corsiglia, who took over in April, brought with her 20 years of experience. She was formerly assistant director of the Palatine Public Library
“It is a very dramatic increase and represents a complete turnaround,” Corsiglia said.
“Popular materials was our defined mission even when I took over but the organization was not really working to meet that goal. We are now emphasizing the more popular and not the esoteric (works). We’re straddling the print and electronic technology and its expensive to do that. Our funding is tax-capped, but our expenses are not.”
The library caters to the 30,000 population of Hickory Hills and Palos Hills. It is also experiencing a severe space crunch. In a two-pronged bid to beat the space crunch and spruce up the library, as many as 20,000 items were removed from the collection.
