White tours Naperville library

A few years ago when Naperville was building the 95th Street Library, the state contributed a little cash for the project through a "Live and Learn" grant.

This week, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White - who is also the state librarian - stopped in to see how the state's $250,000 was put to use in the high-tech building that cost $15.7 million to build.

White, accompanied by Naperville Public Library Executive Director Donna Dziedzic, on Tuesday dropped in on a storytime for 4- to 7-year-olds and watched as the children played Ring Around the Rosie and other games.

Mayor George Pradel joined White as he toured the 73,000-square-foot facility, offering praise for the library and talking with adults and children along the way.

Middle school volunteers Jimmy Jaraczewski and Deep Chatterjee were excited to talk to White when he and Pradel visited the summer reading program registration and prize desk they were staffing. The boys found they share interests with the state official, talking about reading and baseball. White played for a time with Chicago Cubs' minor league teams.

The library, at 3015 Cedar Glade Drive, opened Sept. 20, 2003, and is part of a public campus that includes Neuqua Valley High School and the Frontier Park Sports Complex.