Kewaneeans can visit their parks to play a round of golf, or watch a youth soccer game, or stroll around the banks of a lagoon, or take their kids to cool off in a splash pad, or let their dog scamper around in a dog park. . .
. . .And now, to pick up a library book.
On Thursday, Kewanee Park District and Kewanee Public Library staffers announced that six mini-libraries have been set up in the parks.
Library staffer Chris Reeves placed a couple of dozen books in the container at Northeast Park, which is near the parking lot for the Oasis Family Aquatic Center. The other five containers were being filled as well.
Two of the containers are in place at Baker Park, one near the clubhouse and one at the entrance to the inner drive.
There are also book containers near the main entrance at Windmont Park, near the Chautauqua Park dog park and near the new splash pad at Liberty Park.
The books in the containers have been removed from circulation at the main library, replaced by new books.
Reeves explained that no one is keeping track of who takes books from the containers, or how long they keep them. In fact, people are free to keep the books permanently if they wish.
People can even bring books from home that they no longer want, and place them in the containers so others can take them and read them.
There are books for people of all ages in the containers, and Reeves said library staff will check the containers from time to time and put more books in if needed.
The idea for the libraries in the parks came up at a library staff meeting. It then went to the library board, of which Parks Director Andrew Dwyer is now a member.
Dwyer was an enthusiastic supporter of the program, and the library board approved it.
Reeves went online looking for a place to purchase the book containers. She found a man in Peoria who had six of them. Reeves bought all of them for $300 with library funds.
Carter Bates, who’s working as a summer intern in the park district, painted all of the containers dark green, and B&B Printing created decals for the outside of the containers.
“As a former teacher,” Reeves said, “I want a book in every kid’s hands.”
