Chicago area libraries bring 'Your City @ Home'

Forty-one public libraries have partnered with nine museums and cultural institutions to share diverse collections and programming in a safe and unique way. Starting Saturday, April 3 and running for nine weeks, the "Your City @ Home" series of virtual field trips gives community members a chance to explore some of what the Chicago area has to offer.

What can you explore?

The libraries are offering experiences with familiar favorites, such as the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Children's Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and the Field Museum, as well as some hidden gems.

Discover the Nuestras Historias exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art and join a docent-led tour of the Illinois Holocaust Museum. Hear Dr. Kim Dulany of Chicago State University lead a conversation on the history of Black people flying above their circumstances with the DuSable Museum of African American History, go behind the scenes at the Garfield Park Conservatory, and see Snoopy soar into space with the Elmhurst History Museum. This series offers entertainment and education for any age.

"It was very important to represent the different cultures in our communities," says lead coordinator of the series, Kate Cundiff of the Algonquin Area Public Library District. "Chicagoland has such a diverse and rich history. Our libraries continue to represent this in all of our programming."

Your libraries together

All events will be held virtually via Zoom. Registration is required and is available by calling any of the partnering libraries or visiting their websites.

"To be able to offer this series to so many people across so many communities is exciting," says Cundiff. "We hope these events help those who are feeling stuck at home to feel a bit of relief and visit some places they may not know about."

The 41 libraries partnering for this series are:

• Algonquin Area Public Library District

• Antioch Public Library District

• Arlington Heights Memorial Library

• Bellwood Public Library

• Cary Area Public Library

• Clarendon Hills Public Library

• Cook Memorial Public Library District

• Crystal Lake Public Library

• Deerfield Public Library

• Ela Area Public Library

• Fox River Valley Public Library District

• Fremont Public Library District

• Gail Borden Public Library District

• Glencoe Public Library

• Glenview Public Library

• Grayslake Area Public Library

• Highland Park Public Library

• Homer Township Public Library

• Huntley Area Public Library

• Indian Trails Public Library District

• Lake Bluff Public Library

• Lake Villa District Library

• Lincolnwood Public Library District

• Matteson Area Public Library District

• Morton Grove Public Library

• Mount Prospect Public Library

• Niles-Maine District Library

• Plainfield Public Library District

• Prospect Heights Public Library

• Round Lake Area Public Library District

• Schaumburg Township District Library

• Shorewood-Troy Public Library

• South Holland Public Library

• St. Charles Public Library

• Vernon Area Public Library District

• Warren-Newport Public Library

• Wauconda Area Library

• Westchester Public Library

• Wheaton Public Library

• Woodridge Public Library

• Woodstock Public Library