Kids invited to display their collections at library

Young patrons attending story hour or checking out books from the Geneva Public Library can also check out the glass display cases in the children's department.

There they can find evidence of the ever-changing interests of local kids who get to display for one month their personal collections for the reading world to see.

In any month, it could be rocks or shells, action toys or dolls, baseball cards or Cubs memorabilia, trucks or matchbox cars.

It's popular, that's for sure. There are two cases to house collections, and in the past year or so the library has pressed the hallway display case into service as well, said Pat Bouvat, children's librarian.

"So the waiting list is shorter," she said.

Yes, now it's a mere two years or so.

"It used to be four years," Bouvat said. "So now it's much better."

Bouvat loves working with the children to display their collections to the best advantage. It's wonderful for the children to get publicity and let everyone know what they collect, she said.

She interviews the child, asking him or her to explain how they came to start their collection. Was it a trip, perhaps? Do the items reflect a personal interest? Does the child have a particular favorite within the collection?

Bouvat then writes a press release about the collection and posts the release with the collection, frequently accompanied by a photo.

"It's great fun," she said. "I love to find out how they started collecting, what caught their interest, whether there's a connection to something else.

"Sometimes mom or dad had the collection and handed it down. Or dad might travel across the country and bring something home from various cities. There are all kinds of ways these collections grow," she said.

And the kids love sharing their treasure troves.

Currently, Bella Birkhead is displaying her Barbie collection in one case, while Marliese Balek is sharing her bird collection (you can even hear their calls).

What was the most unusual collection Bouvat has seen?

"Bottle caps," she said.

Another unusual collection was locks and keys.

Coming up: key chains, John Deere trucks, creative buildings, ice hockey, music boxes, pugs, owls, pigs, lizards, monster trucks, more Cubs baseball -- which raises the question, doesn't anyone like the White Sox? -- Pokemon and the Wizard of Oz, to name just some.

(I wonder if anyone ever showed Beanie Babies or pogs, too former incredibly popular collectibles.)

"There's always a great variety," Bouvat said.

The Geneva Park District display cases are similarly popular, said Megan Johnson, the district's marketing and public relations supervisor. A few years ago, the waiting time was four to six months, she estimated.

"But it's really gained in popularity and the list is longer now," she said.

Because so many people spend time waiting, waiting, waiting at the park district center for toddler tumbling, or dance, or arts and crafts, the display cases generate a lot of interest.

"It's nice to have that distraction for the kids and parents," Johnson said. "The collections really do attract a great deal of attention."

Maggie Hendrian's pony collection was on display for the month of April. Ponies are center stage in the case as well this month, but Ava Atkins is showing off not ponies in general but her posse of "My Little Pony" items in particular.

Other displays have featured jets, cars, pirates, rocks, Littlest Pet Shop items, Playmobile toys and Pez dispensers. (Pez has been featured at the library, as well.)

"Legos and Star Wars items have been very popular, too," Johnson said.

And kids don't have to know what they'll display; they can sign up with their collection "to be announced," she said.

As with the library collections, park district officials also have the young collectors discuss the background of their collections, such as how and why they started, their first piece and their favorite pieces.

Call either agency to see about having a child's collection displayed. But be forewarned: it's nearly like getting tickets to "Bozo's Circus" when I was a kid. You might want to call when they're too young to actually have a collection yet.