Joliet Public Library: Area libraries unite for community enrichment

It’s March, and the first signs of spring have been hanging in the air for a few weeks now. As Midwesterners, it’s literally a breath of fresh air, we start shedding layers and getting back outside. At the library, we plan things months and months in advance.

When spring hits, we have been planning for summer, maybe even fall. Especially at Joliet Public Library, we began planning for our Summer Reading Challenge and of course, the epic Star Wars Day the first Saturday in June.

But a few things also happen in the spring that I think deserve a little bit of recognition.

The Joliet Public Library has two branches, but we are also in a “Library Consortium” known as “Pinnacle Library Cooperative.” You may not have heard about it, or you may have but never really thought twice about what that means.

Being in Pinnacle, Joliet is able to share resources with other area libraries. Fountaindale (Bolingbrook), Shorewood-Troy, Lemont, White Oak (Romeoville, Crest Hill, Lockport), and Plainfield also make up Pinnacle. I like to think of it as our area team. Together, we are able to share over 1,340,000 with our patrons. It means if you are a Joliet patron, you can check out materials at Shorewood or Fountaindale if we don’t have it, or you can place a hold and they will send it over.

We also share our knowledge with each other and staff training. We rely on each other when it comes to some decision making and lean on each other to bounce ideas off of. We also host events together, which brings me to two upcoming programs Joliet Public Library will be participating in, that will encourage you to visit area libraries, and get you out of the house.

The “Library Road Trip” will take place from March 23-April 30. Although only Shorewood-Troy from our Pinnacle partners are participating this year, 17 area libraries will be participating in this program from Messenger Public Library in North Aurora, to Coal City and Wilmington. To get started, pick up a library “passport” at any participating library. You will collect a souvenir for visiting and a stamp on your passport. Collect as many stamps as you can, then turn your passport in at your home library for entry into a drawing for awesome prize baskets offered by each participating library.

For a full list of participating libraries, visit jolietlibrary.org/blog.

The second event “Pinnacle & Pours” starts April 1 through May 31 and is a collaborative effort between our Pinnacle libraries to promote library programming, reading lists and even local coffee shops and breweries. The more you participate by visiting libraries and attending programs, the more points you earn on your way to a prize basket. For Joliet, Jitters Coffee House at 178 N. Chicago St. will be the participating business.

These two events this spring are unique to our local library community, and promote unity among our shared goals, visions and missions. Another plus, all of our libraries have a different “vibe.” Even our two Joliet libraries are vastly different from one another. We encourage you to get out there and see them for yourself, and win some prizes along the way.

For more information about the Joliet Public Library, visit jolietlibray.org or call 815-740-2660.

• Mallory Hewlett is the communications manager for the Joliet Public Library.