Happy Anniversary, HPL!
Grover Cleveland was president, a loaf of bread cost seven cents, the World’s Fair was in town, and Hinsdale Public Library was opening its doors for the first time as a tax-supported library. The year was 1893, and now, 125 years later, the Library is celebrating over a century of service to the community with exciting programs and giveaways throughout 2018.
The anniversary celebrations kick off during National Library Week, April 8-14. In recent years during National Library Week, we have marked the occasion by hanging an 800-pound sculpture and conga lining through the stacks with a live salsa band. This year, we’re excited to bring you one of Hinsdale’s very own. Hinsdale resident and New York Times bestselling author Cristina Henriquez will join us on Friday, April 13. She’ll share her love for the Library, answer audience questions, and invite you to browse the stacks after hours for some of her personal recommendations. As always, our HPL After Dark events are free and open to the public and include beverages and refreshments, including a signature cocktail reminiscent of 1893. Register at the Library, over the phone, or online at hinsdalelibrary.info. Limit 100.
To further commemorate this special year, the Friends of the Hinsdale Public Library are offering an anniversary-level membership. Join or renew in 2018 at $50 and receive a custom, small-batch soy candle inspired by the aforementioned 800-pound sculpture “Circuit.” This opportunity will debut at April’s HPL After Dark. For more information, email friends@hinsdalelibrary.info.
When the Library opened in 1893, the collection boasted a meager 150 volumes. Outgrowing its previous locations 6 times, the Library didn’t settle into its current home until 1929. Even then, the Library continued to expand, swapped spaces with the Village, and renovated in 2008. As always, it has been our mission to celebrate lifelong learning through a multitude of experiences. Today, over 150,000 items from DVDs to eBooks to print materials are circulated. If you ask each Hinsdale resident if they’re a card carrying member of the Library, over 12,000 of them could show you their Hinsdale Library card. Nearly 200,000 people walk through our front doors (thanks, 2008 renovation) each year to experience storytimes, after hours events, or simply to browse the stacks.
For seven days in April, we celebrate all that we do by joining libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating the dynamic changes that are happening in today’s libraries. This year, that euphoria will continue through September when we host an all-ages, all-day anniversary extravaganza. Look for more details coming soon.
Molly Castor is the Marketing & Outreach Manager at the Hinsdale Public Library.