Librarian Branching Out At Near North Site

Helping Patrons Is Highlight Of Busy Schedule

September 09, 1998|By Pamela Dittmer McKuen. Special to the Tribune.

Last fall a man walked into the Near North branch of the Chicago Public Library and told Marj Monaghan he wanted to search the Internet for products for left-handers. She led him to a computer and found him an on-line catalog. A few months later he returned to give her a paper copy of the catalog.

"I put it in the vertical file in case someone else comes in," says Monaghan, the adult services librarian--and a left-hander. "So far no one has."

Monaghan, 51, is ready to field other information requests as well. During the 13 months the branch has been open, she has helped patrons learn how to care for their pets, compose letters, start small businesses and copyright songs. She also has helped 8th graders study for their required U.S. Constitution exams.

At her disposal is not only the Internet but also the vast holdings of the city's library system and others throughout the country.

"When patrons come in, there is something important they need to know," she says. "It's very satisfying for me to be able to have the materials available for them."

The branch, 310 W. Division St., opened in August 1997. It is among the newest of the 76 branches, two regional libraries and flagship Harold Washington Library Center that comprise the Chicago Public Library. Prior to its existence, the library operated a reading room with a small collection of books in the fieldhouse at Seward Park.

"This area has never had a full-service library before," branch head Craig Davis says. "It is very exciting that we can share our books and resources."

The branch has about 50,000 items in its collections, and that number is growing, he says. It also has a computer center with Internet access, an auditorium and a community meeting room.

The branch is proving to be a popular place, he adds. Between 5,000 and 6,000 items are being checked out monthly, and during the school year the building is abuzz with children.

"Most are reading and studying," Davis says. "They're happy to be here, and we're happy to have them. It is so exciting to show them books and resources they've never seen before."

For the fall, staffers are organizing a volunteer contingent to help children with their homework, he adds.

Monaghan, who is one of four full-time librarians at the branch, also helps process new books so they can be placed on the shelves and leads the new adult book discussion group that meets monthly.

Davis praises Monaghan as being both caring about the patrons and diligent about her job.

"The patrons love her," he says. "She suggests books they might like to read and takes time to call people back and let them know their books have come in.

"She is very efficient and puts in a lot of extra time."

The branch is allocated funds with which to purchase books of interest to the specific community, he says. He leaves much of that responsibility to Monaghan. "I rely on her judgment a lot," he says.

Ordering books is one of her favorite parts of the job, Monaghan says. She is working on building up the branch's collection on African-American heritage and on collecting more educational materials that might help residents of the nearby Cabrini-Green public housing development prepare for their general equivalency exams and job readiness.

"I find it particularly interesting to stay ahead of what I think patrons might be looking for," she says. "I'm also open to getting what people ask for if we don't have it."

To help her select books to buy and make recommendations to patrons, Monaghan reads reviews in professional journals and also publications such as The New Yorker and Time.

"I like to stay current with what everybody else is reading," says Monaghan, who is an avid reader with a preference for fiction that deals with relationships.

Before taking her current position, she worked at the Skokie Public Library, where she was in charge of special programs and exhibits. She likes the intimacy of the Near North branch because her responsibilities are more diverse, she says.

"Skokie is such a large library; it's very departmentalized," she says. "Coming to the branch is very different in that you have your hand in everything. That's pretty neat."

Monaghan, who was born and raised in Zion, graduated from Zion-Benton Township High School in 1965. She earned her bachelor's degree in English and a teaching certificate from Illinois College in Jacksonville four years later.

She taught various elementary grades in the Chicago public schools for five years and at the same time attended Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest. She earned her master's degree in library science in 1975.

She spent a year as a school librarian in the south suburbs, then went to the Skokie job,, where she worked for seven years. She and her husband, Brian, a sculptor, married in 1981. She left the library two years later when their son, Cole, was born. Although primarily an at-home mom, she helped her husband in his business and worked part time indexing periodicals for an Evanston publisher.
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