Chinanews.com, July 22. According to the US "World Journal" report, the Chicago Chinatown Library moved from the old site of Yonghuo Street to the current site of Quanxin Construction, which also recorded the growth history of the Chinatown community.
Chen Si, the director of the Chinatown Library, said that with the substantial increase in immigration and the urgent need for maintenance of the Chinatown Library, she reported to the relevant department of the city government about the lack of space in the old library for the first time in 2009. Initially agreed with the possibility of finding a new museum. In the next few years, Chen Si cooperated with non-profit organizations such as the Chinatown Better Unity Alliance and the Chinese Advisory Service Office. Pavilion.
"The establishment of Chinese rights protection organizations has effectively promoted the growth of awareness of rights and interests." Chen Si said that in the past two to three decades, with the gradual decline of Chinatown in the United States, Chicago Chinatown has grown against the trend and has even become more and more prosperous. Chinatown is inseparable from the active participation of Chinese people and the creation of non-profit rights protection groups.
With the full mobilization of the community in 2013, the Chicago City Government finally launched the Chinatown Library construction plan, which was completed in August 2015 and opened to the public. The new Chicago Chinatown Library, which cost 19.1 million yuan, was designed by Chinese architect Kuang Chaohui , The library was awarded the Best Library Designed in North America by the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association in 2016.
In addition, it has also received international ratings as the best library in the United States and third in the world.
“When we moved from the old library to the new library, we donated all the old Chinese books or invalidated them, and then re-purchased more than 80,000 Chinese books and periodicals.” Chen Si said, the abundant Chinese library has made the Chinatown Library a Among all the central and western public libraries, the library has the largest number of Chinese books, so it attracts many Chinese and tourists to visit and borrow.
"A complete library must be fully integrated with the community." After the activation of the new library, Chen Si actively planned and promoted the diverse functions of the community, including strengthening services and activities for different age groups and ethnic groups, such as weekdays. From 3 to 6 pm on weekdays, there are full-time teachers to provide children's homework counseling services; set up a youth information room, reading clubs, technology courses, financial management and vocational training, etc.
For adults, the Chinatown Library has launched ESL daily English courses. Chen Si herself is also an ESL English tutor. She also created Chinese courses for other ethnicities, "to give other people the opportunity to learn and interact. Chinese culture".
In addition, Chinatown, like other communities, faces the problem of an aging population. How to help the increasing number of Chinese seniors spend their twilight years overseas is the direction that Chen Si has led the Chinatown Library to improve in the past few years. Under this consideration, the library has launched one-to-one computer courses for the elderly. Volunteers of college students teach grandparents how to use computers and mobile phones, so that they can also increase their living abilities. The middle-aged chess club is one of the most popular projects in the library. Many elders achieve the goal of entertaining and making friends through this activity. Immigrants live in the elderly, and they will no longer be trapped in the sad city because of language and cultural barriers. (Huang Huiling)