IMLS Grant Award to EPL Will Help Serve Evanston’s Unemployed

The Evanston Public Library (EPL) is the proud recipient of a $149,023 IMLS CARES Act Grant. The grant, one of 68 awarded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, from more than 1700 applications, will fund specific EPL services directed towards those experiencing unemployment. The Chicago Tribune recently reported that Evanston’s unemployment rate has […]



Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg served on the United States Supreme Court from 1993-2020. She was a lifelong champion for human rights and equality. To learn more about the life of this amazing woman, here are some library materials we recommend: Adult Materials Kids & YA Materials   Want to learn more without leaving home? Try these […]


Technology Opens Windows to Your Library and the Pandemic World

by Joshua Perry, Medill 2023, EPL Summer Volunteer Luke Thompson is used to working the technology desk at the Evanston Public Library (EPL). He described it as being a bartender, a social worker, and a therapist all at once. But now, working through the COVID-19 pandemic, he has at various times felt like just a […]


Recent Shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha

The Evanston Public Library is deeply shocked and saddened by the recent shooting of Jacob Blake, Jr., in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  The Blake family has deep ties to the city of Evanston, and has contributed to the advancement of civil rights, both here and elsewhere.  Our thoughts are with the entire Blake family, and we hope […]


Evanston Public Library to Close Two Branches

Decision Driven by Equity Efforts, Diminished Budget and Public Safety Measures August 19, 2020 — With two unanimous votes of 9-0 the Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees approved the permanent closure of the Chicago Ave./Main St. (CAMS) Branch and the North Branch at the end of the year. The Robert Crown Branch (as well […]


Public Safety and Equity are the Lenses Driving Library Decisions

By Karen Danczak Lyons Seismic changes across the country have altered how the Evanston Public Library is making operations decisions. Importantly, our commitment to the current movement calling for systemic societal change accelerated three years ago when we commissioned an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Assessment and got to work on its recommendations. But nature has […]


Statement on Display of Confederate Flag

The Evanston Public Library is committed to anti-racism and stands in solidarity with all who seek racial justice and equity. On Wednesday, July 29, a group of individuals openly displayed a Confederate Battle Flag at Lighthouse Beach in Evanston.  Evanston resident LaShandra Smith-Rayfield confronted and filmed this group of people.  She was later joined by […]


New Technology Assists in Pandemic Summer Programming for Youth

Tyler Works, of the Library’s teen Loft space,  has been making good use of new technology for summer programming this year. In the wake of the pandemic, sites like Netflix Party and Jackbox Games have risen in popularity. Tyler has been using Netflix Party and SyncTube to keep the Loft’s Anime Club for teens alive. […]


Library Awarded RAILS Grant to Create Video Series to Advance Equity in Library Services / Biblioteca Otorgada Una Subvención Para Producir Series de Video Para Avanzar en la Equidad en el Servicio de Biblioteca

By taking the recommendation of the Evanston Public Library’s Racial Equity Task Force (RETF) to create an innovative outreach video series and running with it, Evanston Public Library is now the proud recipient of the RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System) My Library Is… Grant. This grant provides an opportunity for libraries to tell powerful […]


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