Tag: library

In Helsinki

On Saturday, there was no rain in the forecast, and I knew it would be my only biking opportunity, so I agreed when Boris suggested to bike to IKEA and back, and have lunch there. It turned out that I overestimated my abilities, and also, it did start raining, so asked Boris to take the train for part of our trip back. It was still the longest bike ride I had in almost a month!

Lunch in IKEA
The IKEA cafe wall decorations

Later on Saturday, I went coat shopping one more time, and finally found the one I could live with:). Almost not puffy, with the hood which was not falling off, and with zipped pockets. Not ideal, but the best I could find, and under $100. So now I am finally dressed for the weather.

On Sunday, I met up with my friend Natasha and her daughter Sonia. It was a hopelessly rany day, so we started with spending time in the Oodi library, and then went the the Architecture and Design Museum to see the Moomin 80th anniversary exhibit. I took tons of pictures at this exhibit, and I will share it in a separate post. Here, I just want to mention one more time how much I love all these simple things organized the way that life is comfortable for humans.

The playzones in the library. Multiple coat racks in each corner, and the footwear shelves by the play areas. Outside, I alway marvel the bike paths, the bike turning lanes and how thoughtfully they are designed.

After The Meeting With An Author

Today, the Chicago Public Library hosted a meeting with Toya Wolfe, and my goal was to finish Last Summer on State Street before this event. (by the way, all library copies were taken, including the audiobooks, so I purchased it).

I am glad that I could attend and be a part of the conversation with the author. As someone who actively participates in the work of several volunteering organizations which service underprivileged communities, I was deeply touched by the events described in this book. Way too often, I see similar stories unfolding: no matter how hard we try to help the youth in crisis, in most cases, we can do nothing.

Answering one of the questions from the audience, Toya Wolfe made the following analogy: if you go to the war, you might return alive, or you might die; it’s often the question of chance. But if you go to war malnourished, there are higher chances that you won’t survive, although there is still a chance. In the same way, growing up in an unhealthy environment or in a broken home increases the chances of a youth getting into trouble, but at the same time, there are still chances for a good outcome. After today’s meeting, the book feels a little bit less depressing:).

Harold Washington Library

Yesterday, the HWL hosted a meeting of the Society of Midwest Authors meeting – the first one in-person since the pandemic’s start. The UIC professor Dick Simpson discussed his new book, “Democracy’s Rebirth” with Mayor Lori (who wrote a preface for that book).


The worst thing about this event was that it went completely not advertised! One lady in the audience asked me how I learned about this event, and I replied that I was looking for something else on the library website. If I won’t looking to reserve a group room, I would never see it! The library announced that the number of participants would be limited to 300, but I do not think there were 300 people there. Those who came wondered how others would miss an opportunity to see the Mayor right in front of them on the stage :).


The conversations around me in the auditorium were even more interesting than on stage. Several people had some organizing/political background, and they exchanged their life stories. One gentleman said that after he retired, he took a crash course to become an ESL teacher and how he wanted to go to Sait-Petersburg and how now he is glad he didn’t go “because he won’t want to aid Mr. Putin.”

There is a special exhibit on the 9th floor to mark the centennial of Harold Washington. For some reason, they don’t allow any photography there, so there is nothing to report.

And I also checked out the Winter Garden – it’s gorgeous, and maybe next time, I will get a chance to grab a table there 🙂

Renovated Palatine Public Library

On Thursday, I was in Palatine (one-before-last dental appointment; after some hesitations, I decides to make a crow on the implant at my old dentist, and to switch after that). I used this opportunity to meet with one of my Palatine friends before the appointment. We went for a walk around my old familiar places, and then, she showed me the renovated Palatine Public Library. The renovation was discussed while I still lived there, but I haven’t seen the final result.

What I saw, was impressive, and I am really happy for Palatine!

Oodi Library

Nobody bothered to tell me that the pictures in the previous post were not visible (and I know that many people saw that post). I just realized it and fixed the pictures, so if you are curious about what you’ve missed, you can check it out :).

Now – more pictures! This morning, my friend Natasha gave us a tour of the famous Oodi library. Boris and I visited it shortly after it was opened, but even then, we realized that we needed a tour with a Finnish-speaking person :). Then, it was COVID, and finally, it happened!

I think everybody heard about the Oodi library in Helsinki. One might say that none of the features is unique, but being brought together under one roof of the building designed to host the best library you can imagine makes it one of a kind.

That robot scans the books you return and directs them to different transporters to be dropped into a different bin
This DNA-shaped staircase lists all the kinds of people this library is for (Natasha says, no word is repeated:))
THe second floor is the library of things, a digital library and a library of activities
In this area, you can use sewing machines
Continue reading “Oodi Library” →

Palatine Public library in the News

We love our library since our first day in Palatine. Unfortunately, they do not feature anymore the old library sign, which announced the opening of the library in on September 8, 1923 – it has about 500 books back then. 

We grew up in this library. As a family. As citizens. There is so much more in the library than just books. In addition to all the materials you can check, in addition to all the clubs and lectures you can attend, it provides the meeting spaces, which is priceless for anybody seeking to find like-minded people.

Our library has been recognized several times as one of the best in the nation in it’s category. Last year was not an exception – it received “Star Library” recognition among neighboring and national libraries in the Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service for 2019.

Interestingly, the same week, Igor showed me another article, which recognized the library for the outstanding marketing of its renovation project. The article in the Library Journal provides all details, and I can second their recognition. The way how the necessity of the changes was explained, how the library engaged the whole community into the discussion, and made sure each voice was heard was indeed outstanding. You could drop a response in the library collection box, you could reply online, or by mail, there were several public meetings held to discuss the renovation. 

I can’t wait to see how it will turn out!