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About the Library

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Mission, Vision, and Values

Our mission is cultivating community connections, inspiring learning, and enriching lives. Our vision is a connected community with opportunities for exploration and growth.

We Value:

  • Community Focus. Providing relevant services and fostering community connections
  • Adaptability. Being nimble and flexible to creatively meet changing needs.
  • Inclusivity. Supporting and valuing the diverse needs of all.
  • Welcoming Environment. Creating an inviting, safe, and easy to use environment.
  • Accessibility. Ensuring easy access to materials and services whenever and wherever needed.
  • Learning. Encouraging an ongoing pursuit of knowledge and discover that enriches lives.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

We at the Mount Prospect Public Library celebrate the diversity of identity, experience, and thought, and actively work to be inclusive. We aspire to move our community forward by supporting and educating patrons regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, race, sexual orientation, or any other dimension of diversity. We recognize that equity and inclusivity do not happen overnight, and that we are on a journey to listen, learn, and do better. We are committed to: Purchasing and promoting works created by diverse authors; Developing programs that include diverse voices and address social issues; Creating a diversity recruiting strategy; and Developing and nurturing relationships with the diverse voices in our community 

Our staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is dedicated to exploring, sharing, and implementing the key concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our library services. Through staff training, we strive to foster a culture of inclusiveness and acceptance. 

During our journey there are bound to be times when we can do better, and when that happens, we promise to address it directly, with humility and a desire to improve. We pledge to listen to our community, take their needs and interests seriously, and keep learning throughout our journey.

Equity removes barriers so that everyone has the tools to thrive and succeed.  We acknowledge that disadvantages for certain groups have led to an imbalance of opportunities. By being adaptable and meeting people where they are, the Mount Prospect Public Library works to ensure that everyone has access to collections, programming, and services.

Diversity celebrates the visible and invisible differences between people. Every member of our community contributes to diversity by bringing their whole selves into our space. Mount Prospect Public Library recognizes, values, and embraces  differences, and by extension, every individual. We strive to have people see themselves reflected in the library’s collections, programming, services, staff, and board.

Inclusion creates a space where all individuals feel welcome, respected, valued, and accommodated. We strive to anticipate and meet needs by being active partners in the community and working to make our spaces and services accessible to everyone.

Book Lists

Youth

Asian/Pacific American Award-Winning Books for Kids The goal of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit. Presented by the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association.
Pura Belpré Author & Illustrator Award Winners, 1996-Present This award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
Schneider Family Book Award Winners The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
Stonewall Book Award for Children Winners & Honors The Stonewall Book Awards are sponsored by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table. The Stonewall Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award are presented to English language works that show exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
Sydney Taylor Award for Jewish Childrens Books Winners, 1990-Present The Sydney Taylor Book Award is named in memory the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series author Sydney Taylor. The award recognizes titles for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

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