Library Board votes to adopt Twig, freeze taxes

According to attendees at the Sept. 19 Library Board meeting, the board voted to take over operation of The Twig facility on Chicago Avenue, north of Main, that has been run by Evanston Public Library Friends volunteers since the closing of the South Branch in February, 2011. The plan, approved unanimously, is for existing staff and volunteers to run the facility as the Chicago & Main branch of the Evanston Public Library. A large infusion of donated funds is relied on for the bulk of the first year's operating expenses.
 
The Twig has proven popular with residents and has been the subject of considerable sympathetic press since its opening. In the past year-and-a-half of volunteer operation, it has provided a vital outlet for books, Internet access, and childrens' learning activities in a neighborhood served by a local library for a century, and became a symbol of citizens' plucky refusal to surrender a beloved institution to the recession.
 
The Board also approved a budget that results in no property tax increase, although expenditures will increase slightly over the previous year as a result of the anticipated collected funds and some use of reserves. However, an ordinance was apparently not passed and will have to be in the future to make the budget official.