CHICAGOLAND, IL – Forty-one public libraries have partnered with nine museums and cultural institutions to share diverse collections and programming in a safe and unique way. Starting Saturday, April 3 and running for nine weeks, the “Your City @ Home” series of virtual field trips gives community members a chance to explore some of what the Chicagoland area has to offer.
What Can You Explore?
The libraries are offering experiences with familiar favorites, such as the Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Children’s Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Field Museum, as well as some hidden gems. Discover the Nuestras Historias exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art and join a docent-led tour of the Illinois Holocaust Musem. Hear Dr. Kim Dulany of Chicago State University lead a conversation on the history of Black people flying above their circumstances with the DuSable Museum of African American History, go behind the scenes at the Garfield Park Conservatory, and see Snoopy soar into space with the Elmhurst History Museum. This series offers entertainment and education for any age.
“It was very important to represent the different cultures in our communities,” says lead coordinator of the series, Kate Cundiff of the Algonquin Area Public Library District. “Chicagoland has such a diverse and rich history. Our libraries continue to represent this in all of our programming.”
Your Libraries Together
All events will be held virtually via Zoom. Registration is required and is available by calling any of the partnering libraries or visiting their websites..
“To be able to offer this series to so many people across so many communities is exciting,” says Cundiff. “We hope these events help those who are feeling stuck at home to feel a bit of relief and visit some places they may not know about.”
The forty-one libraries partnering for this series are: Algonquin Area PLD, Antioch PLD, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Bellwood PL, Cary Area PL, Clarendon Hills PL, Cook Memorial PLD, Crystal Lake PL, Deerfield PL, Ela Area PL, Fox River Valley PLD, Fremont PLD, Gail Borden PLD, Glencoe PL, Glenview PL, Grayslake Area PL, Highland Park PL, Homer Township PL, Huntley Area PL, Indian Trails PLD, Lake Bluff PL, Lake Villa District Library, Lincolnwood PLD, Matteson Area PLD, Morton Grove PL, Mount Prospect PL, Niles-Maine District Library, Plainfield PLD, Prospect Heights PL, Round Lake Area PLD, Schaumburg Township District Library, Shorewood-Troy PL, South Holland PL, St. Charles PL, Vernon Area PLD, Warren-Newport PL, Wauconda Area Library, Westchester PL, Wheaton PL, Woodridge PL, and Woodstock PL.