BARRINGTON AREA LIBRARY Annual Report 2021-2022

IN MEMORY OF JACK LAGESCHULTE

BALIBRARY CARDHOLDER FOR MORE THAN EIGHT DECADES

When we found out that Jack Lageschulte had been a proud member of the Barrington Area Library for more than 80 years, we invited him to sit down with Executive Director Vicki Rakowski for a freewheeling, fascinating conversation about growing up, raising a family, and establishing a career, all right here in Barrington. We were deeply saddened to learn that Jack passed away on November 27, 2022. With the permission of his wife Marilyn, we are pleased to share Jack’s reflections here, as a way to honor a man who was very proud of his BALibrary card, and who described himself as a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and “an indiscriminate reader.”

Jack received his first library card as a young boy, and he would walk to visit the Library (with its squeaky floors) on the second floor of the Village Hall. Titles like Navy Blue and Gold: A Story of the Naval Academy by George Bruce held his interest, but this voracious reader could also be found soaking up the information on a cereal box at the family breakfast table.

In the family home at Lincoln and Dundee Avenues, he convinced his younger brother that a dark house wasn’t safe – better to sleep with the hallway light on, enabling Jack to slip out and keep reading under that light until his parents came to check on the boys. Jack later bought that same home and raised his children there. A proud grandparent moment: asking for a list of potential Christmas gifts from a grandson, and receiving a list of classic book titles in return. He was happy to make that wish list a reality.

He had a gift for music, and by the sixth grade his oboe playing was strong enough to earn him a spot in the Barrington High School orchestra. With Hough Street School being the sole school building in Barrington at the time, he only had to walk upstairs to rehearse with the high school students! Other passions include skiing, golfing, and time with his extended family and cherished friends.

Jack’s family memories read like a “Who’s Who” of local history. His grandmother was May Whitney, a graduate of the first Barrington High School class, who became a teacher while still in her teens, and, much later, the namesake of an elementary school in Lake Zurich. Her father served in the Civil War, and his letters home have been gathered in a book entitled Kiss Clara For Me, by Robert J. Snetsinger. Wright Catlow, of Catlow Theater fame, was Jack’s mother’s cousin. Another family member played the organ for silent movies at The Catlow. Lageschulte Street is named for Jack’s grandfather Henry, and Lageschulte Park and Baseball Field are dedicated to his parents, V.H. “Hank” and Alice Lageschulte.

In his work as a home builder, Jack helped to shape the Barrington area, creating communities like Glen Acres, Eastwood, and Westwood, which have welcomed families home for generations. He has served on boards for organizations like Barrington School District 220, the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, and Parker Playhouse. He has seen District 220 grow from that one school building into a nationally recognized educational powerhouse. He calls Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital another wonderful addition to the community, and praises organizations like Citizens for Conservation for being good stewards of open land.

He appreciates the many improvements that have come to the Library over the years, too. Jack and his wife Marilyn regularly attend the Library's Second Fridays live music events. He uses the Library's digital studio equipment to convert VHS tapes, full of treasured family memories, into digital files. His children and grandchildren will be able to relive their baseball, cheerleading, and gymnastics triumphs for many years to come.

“I love living, I really do. I love life.” A happy family man, a successful businessman, an engaged community member: what guidance would he impart to the rest of our Barrington Area Library cardholders?

“If I could give you one bit of advice: read to your kids."

One more bit of advice: get a Barrington Area Library card, and make use of it as you live every chapter of your own extraordinary life story.

BUILDING A FAMILY OF READERS: MEET THE CHANGS

Dinosaurs, LEGOs, and three active boys: the Chang family (Criss, Valerie, Lincoln, Everett, and Harrison) dropped by the Library on a Friday night to talk about raising a family of readers.

Valerie Chang: "When we first started coming to the Library, our older sons were newly born, and toddler-aged. They are now 5 and 7. At first, our Library time was defined by creative play, social experiences, and parent-selected titles for the boys. As the boys have grown (and our family has, too), we are seeing a transition in how we enjoy the Library. The older boys now take on the role of book selection, excitedly finding titles and topics that interest them. Our youngest son (now 22 months) plays, as the older boys did, and joins in to pick out books alongside his brothers. The Library is set up in a way that makes it easy for children of all ages to find old favorites, and discover new titles, too! The Barrington Area Library has brought so much joy to our family, through books, experiences, and the people we have met during our time there."

Innovative Services For Busy Families:

"Parking Lot Pick-up was essential when the Library building was closed during COVID, as well as after my third son was born. The Library app makes it simple to order specific titles. There is a quick turnaround from the time you place a hold to the time the books are ready to be picked up. And the actual pick-up is a friendly, no-contact experience."

"The Browsing Bundle online form is thorough but easy to use, and turnaround is quick. The first time we used Browsing Bundles, we received two large bags filled with a collection of 15 or more fiction and non-fiction titles on the topics my boys were interested in (sharks and dinosaurs!). It was a novel experience because the titles were a surprise to them. These collections kept us reading for more than two weeks and introduced us to books we had not found in the Library before. We have continued to use this unique service."

FAMILY FAVORITES:

• Creative play opportunities (play food, Duplo Legos, large blue building blocks, light wall, puppets, etc.).
• The picture books by topic section, especially “Things That Go” and “Dinosaurs."
• The enormous and varied non-fiction selection for children.
• Readalong books, "The boys love following along while they also listen to a recording of the story."
• Unique programs, like story times, puppet shows, live music, and art workshops.
• The app and online search that make it easy to locate books and place them on hold.
• The librarians. :)

Valerie and Criss noted that their boys even love watching our automated self check-in machinery - we think it's pretty awesome, too!