When the temperature in the old Lakeview library climbed past 90 one summer day in 1982 and the building had to be closed, the bosses downtown decided the time had come to rehabilitate the 40-year-old building at 644 W. Belmont.
The success has come in the face of many obstacles. Construction funds come from different state, federal, and local sources, thus multiplying the paperwork. At times contractors complained that their paychecks were delayed when blueprints went through two or three stages of review. Money for one project–the Logan Square library renovation–was delayed by a feud between Governor Thompson and Mayor Washington. Construction of the Pilsen library stalled as library officials scrambled to find a Hispanic architect. And through it all, library officials have had to deal with mind-numbing indifference on the part of many Chicagoans.
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All told, about $35 million, or 65 percent of the library system’s annual $50 million budget, goes to the 84 neighborhood branches. They employ more than 1,000 workers–nearly 70 percent of the system’s work force–whose biggest challenge is how to stock their collections.
She stacks her magazine racks with a variety of general-interest periodicals as well as publications–such as Value Line, a weekly report on the stock market–that meet more specific needs. “Lakeview is diverse and cosmopolitan. It’s home to more off-Loop theater groups than any other community,” she says. “A lot of the city’s artists live here. So I have a special theater collection. We also have a Judaica collection, since many residents are Jewish. We have materials in Spanish. We have pamphlets and material on the history of Lakeview.”
In addition to hawking best-sellers, Kralevic has also organized two weekly story-telling hours for toddlers. The Lakeview branch also rents videos. It shows children’s movies on Friday afternoons, allows community groups to use its auditorium and two meeting rooms, and displays the works of Chicago painters and photographers. “We want people to use our facility,” says Kralevic. “I love looking out in the reading room and seeing all the chairs taken.”
