Mighty Twig Library Reports 18,000 Visitors in Six Months

The Evanston Public Library Friend’s experimental storefront library dubbed The Mighty Twig, 900 Chicago Ave., , on March 26.

In the Friend’s October newsletter, the group listed statistics that they say “tell The Mighty Twig’s story of success.”

According to the Friend’s, through six months the Twig has had 18,017 visitors, 3,481 computer users, 2,591 toddlers at story time, 241 Summer Reading Game players, 509 children check out 6,062 books and a total of 15,297 free books distributed across Evanston.

The storefront library was when the Evanston Public Library’s , and is located less than a block south of the previous branch location.

Though the Twig currently has no official affiliation with the Evanston Public Library system, at meeting, the group discussed the possibility of making the Twig an authorized book drop, making it easier for residents on Evanston’s south side to return library materials.

Friends member Marcia Mahoney said that the Twig currently acts as an unintentional, unofficial book drop, as Evanstonians often accidentally return Evanston Public Library books to the storefront, despite large signs inside the Twig stating that this should not be done.

Board members were split over whether the Twig should become an official book drop location. The motion will be voted on at the library board’s Nov. 9 meeting.