50th anniversary exhibit goes up at Winnetka library

“When I got my library card, that was when my life began.” — Rita Mae Brown

Many of the library lovers viewing a photo exhibit commemorating 50 years of the Winnetka-Northfield Library District would undoubtedly agree with Brown. They took time on the retrospective’s Dec. 7 opening day to revisit their district’s past and its constant evolution as a dynamic site for constant learning and pleasure.

Visitors also enjoyed slices of birthday cake and other goodies to celebrate the district’s birthday, courtesy of Friends of the Winnetka-Northfield Library District, while young library users checked everywhere for clues during a scavenger hunt.

Library Director Monica Dombrowski welcomed people to the exhibit and thanked library staff and trustees, among others, for their help and support for the exhibit project over the past few months. She also extolled what the district has continually offered its patrons over the years, “from our beginnings offering materials and reference assistance, to many of the cool current things we offer,” including technology classes, a maker space and more than 1,100 programs a year.

 Many of the people attending the exhibit said they’ve cherished their library experiences for years. 

“I grew up here,” Winnetka resident Eliza Earle said. “I treasured my paper library card!”

Eileen McCarthy, who volunteers at Winnetka’s Sacred Heart School and helps coordinate its library, said she often takes inspiration from the Winnetka library back to school with her.

Northfield resident Ellis Hoffman said he moved to Northfield in 1973, got his daughter her first library card and liked seeing the district’s history displayed on the exhibit’s seven panels of pictures. 

Library district board member Tom Sundell said he hoped the exhibit, which will run until Feb. 8, first in Winnetka and then to the Northfield branch, “can show residents how valuable the district’s offerings are and how worthwhile the tax dollars that go to its operations are.”

“Regardless of what the libraries offered then or offer now, I think the goal’s always been the same — to delight you, the residents, and to help you discover something new every time you visit us,” Dombrowski said. 

For more information on the exhibit, contact the Winnetka Library, 760 Oak St. Winnetka, at (847) 446-7220, or the Northfield Library, 1785 Orchard Lane, at (847) 446-5990. 

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