1. Brighton Park Story Time, 1998Story Time at Brighton Park, 1998. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 7, Folder 9, Photo 6
2. Tyrannosaurus Reads, Mabel Manning Branch, 2000Tyrannosaurus Reads, Mabel Manning Branch, 2000. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 31, Folder 29, Photo 40
3. Arts and Crafts at Garfield Ridge, 1995Arts and Crafts at Garfield Ridge, 1995. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 14, Folder 26, Photo 10
4. Independence Branch circulation desk, 1980Independence Branch circulation desk, 1980. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 19, Folder 3, Photo 49
5. Circulation Desk, Edgewater Branch, 1990Circulation Desk, Edgewater Branch, 1990. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 13, Folder 30, Photo 3
6. Circulation desk at Garfield Ridge, 2005Circulation desk at Garfield Ridge, 2005. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 14, Folder 32, Photo 11
7. Mabel Manning Branch reference desk circa 1995.Mabel Manning Branch reference desk circa 1995. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 31, Folder 22, Photo 3
8. Reference Desk at Garfield Ridge Branch, 2005Reference Desk at Garfield Ridge Branch, 2005. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 14, Folder 32, Photo 12
9. Women’s History Month Display, Brighton Park, 2004Women’s History Month Display at Brighton Park Branch, 2004 Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs,
10. Library card registration table, Mabel Manning Branch, 1995Library card registration table, Mabel Manning Branch, 1995. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 31, Folder 8, Photo 33
11. Comment Cards at Mabel Manning Branch, circa 2000Comment cards at Mabel Manning Branch, circa 2000. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 31, Folder 30, Photo 2
12. Library Office, Brighton Park Branch, 1978Library office at Brighton Park Branch, 1978. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 7, Folder 21, Photo 9
13. Staff member’s desk at Mabel Manning Branch, circa 2000Staff member’s desk at Mabel Manning Branch, circa 2000. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 31, Folder 30, Photo 21
14. Page at Independence Branch, 1989Page at Independence Branch, 1989. Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 19, Folder 15, Photo 8
15. Family Day At Back of the Yards Branch, 1998Family Day At Back of the Yards Branch, 1998, Source: Chicago Public Library, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library Archives, Branch Photographs, Box 3, Folder 25, Photo 3
Chicago Public Library staff have many aspects to their jobs, not all of which may be obvious to our patrons. Fortunately, we have had plenty of amateur photographers on staff to capture our work lives through the years. As April 1st is Library Snapshot Day, we thought we’d share some of our snapshots from the CPL Archives: Branch Photographs Collection.
One of our most popular and long-running programs is Story Time for various ages. Photo 1 is from Brighton Park during CPL’s 125th Anniversary in 1998.
Chicago Public Library branches have created summer reading programs for young people since the 1930s. Photo 2, taken at Mabel Manning Branch, is from Tyrannosaurus Reads in 2000, celebrating the unveiling of Sue at the Field Museum.
In addition to running Story Time and the summer reading programs, being a children’s staff member requires skill with arts and crafts, as documented by Photo 3 of staff at Garfield Ridge Branch in 1995.
While technology has changed, the dedication of the circulation staff has not. Here, we have a snapshot of the circulation desk at the Independence Branch in 1980 (Photo 4), when we still stamped due dates onto cards in books, at Edgewater Branch in 1990 (Photo 5) as we started automating check-out, and in Photo 6 in 2005 at Garfield Ridge Branch, after we started printing receipts for patrons.
Of course, the reference staff is essential to the functioning of the library. Here we have a librarian in Photo 7 handing out information at Mabel Manning Branch circa 1996 and in Photo 8, reference staff on opening day at Garfield Ridge Branch in 2005.
Reference staff also are responsible for creating displays highlighting our materials. Here’s a photo of a 2004 Women’s History Month display and its curator at Brighton Park Branch (Photo 9).
From time to time, CPL holds library card sign-up drives. Photo 10 shows a library worker staffing the table outside the Mabel Manning Branch in 1995.
Before we put links on our web site to communicate with patrons, CPL used comment cards. This was an important part of a branch manager’s job, as evidenced by Photo 11 from Mabel Manning Branch circa 2000.
Contrary to what some of our younger patrons think, librarians don’t live at the library. We do, however, have offices where we coordinate programs, order books, hold staff meetings, write blogs, and do other jobs that we can’t do at the public service desks. Here in Photo 12 we have a shot of the office at Brighton Park Branch in 1978 and another (Photo 13) at Mabel Manning Branch in 2000.
Pages are vital to keep the library running. One of our amateur photographers caught one of these devoted staff members sorting books at Independence Branch in 1989 in Photo 14.
Of course, it’s not all serious. Photo 15 is one of the many photos of Family Day, a precursor to Bookamania, where staff members got to put on costumes and pose with patrons at Back of the Yards Branch in 1998.
If you’d like to see more photos of Chicago Public Library staff members at work (or just chuckle at what used to be up-to-date and fashionable), please make an appointment at Special Collections at Harold Washington Library Center.
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