Libraries Transform – Profiles from people who have been transformed by a library or people that have helped transform their library.
Nancy grew up in Chicago, but relocated to Huntley and has lived in the friendly village with the country charm for 32 years. Her earliest recollection of libraries was when she was in the 3rd grade. In Bacheller’s words, “We had a bookmobile that came to our Chicago neighborhood once a week and I really looked forward to that. I was able to walk the two blocks there alone, and I could spend an hour … Read more
Pat found libraries at the early age of 5 and loved talking out books to read. The Huntley resident cites author Michael Connelly of Concrete Blonde and Lincoln Lawyer fame as her favorite and will read anything he writes. When Pat retired from work, she found time to volunteer and chose the Huntley Area Public Library. Unfortunately, Pat’s husband passed away around the time she began volunteering. She found that her time at the library … Read more
Stacey Hassels of Huntley is one of those unique people that have been transformed by libraries so much that she decided to give back and help transform her local library. Hassels, a teacher in Huntley’s Consolidated School District 158, began using libraries at the age of 3. One of her fondest childhood memories was setting up a lemonade stand with all of her cousins. They set up their stand on the golf course across the … Read more
Genevieve was born in Evanston, IL and moved around the Chicagoland area before settling in Algonquin, IL with her family. Her father worked for the Suburban Audio Visual Service which supplied Chicago Area Libraries with Audio Books, films, records, and other materials. She cannot remember not using a library in her lifetime. Hochwarter speaks fondly of her experiences, “Libraries have always given me a sense of calm no matter how hectic my life is. They … Read more
Originally born in Las Vegas where she spent quality time inside the many branches of the Clark County Library District as a child, Angelica moved to Huntley in 2003. She made frequent trips to the Huntley Area Public Library for books, movies and music. Angelica remembers attending programs when the library’s program room could hold over 80 people at time. One of her favorite programs was 2006s Star Wars Costume Party where she donned Darth … Read more
Huntley’s Ken Kozy wasn’t introduced to libraries until he was a teenager. After relying on encyclopedias for learning and research outside of school, at age 15, he visited his High School library for the first time. While he found it exciting and useful, it wasn’t until he stepped into the main libraries in downtown Chicago, and at the University of Illinois that he realized he was overwhelmed with the immenseness and formality of what a … Read more
Marjorie Smith’s earliest memory of libraries is when her father took her to a branch of the Chicago Public Library on Saturday afternoons, at age 3 or 4. Back then, you had to be able to write your own name before you could have a library card of your own. When she was in 5th grade, in addition to the books she checked out of the school library, she also frequented a local bookmobile. Throughout … Read more