As fundraising for the Library’s expansion continues, the Library has announced a major gift of $100,000 from Rob and Terri Olian toward the Reimagine Your Library Capital Campaign. In recognition of the Olians’ generosity, a new space will be named the Rob and Terri Olian Youth Activity Room.
When construction is complete, the new Rob and Terri Olian Youth Activity Room will be part of the expanded Youth Services Department, home to some of the Library’s longstanding and beloved programs. From summer reading, where hundreds of children read books and earn prizes, to storytimes, with activities designed to foster pre-reading skills for the youngest of the Library’s patrons, the Youth Services Department is a hub of activity. A variety of other programs take place in the Youth Services Department, too. Whether it’s a program focused on building STEM skills, or special performances, fun crafts, or book clubs designed to encourage a love of reading, these programs keep children engaged, entertained, and learning.
It’s fitting that the Olians have designated their gift to the Youth Services Department. They were active users of the Library with their children, attending programs, and checking out lots of books. As Terri Olian explained, “All three of our children loved the Library’s Summer Reading program. They’d share bits of what they had read with the Library staff and — of course — proudly claim their prizes! It was definitely a meaningful and memorable part of their childhoods in Highland Park.”
“Our love for public libraries began when we were children and has continued to this day,” said Rob and Terri. “It’s been a joy for us to see how that love has been passed down to our children and now to our grandchildren. With this gift to support a new cutting-edge Youth Activity Room, we hope families throughout the community will come to love the Highland Park Library as much as ours does.”
The Olians are longtime Highland Park residents. They’ve lived in Highland Park for more than 40 years and it’s where they raised their children. Their commitment to the community is noteworthy. Terri is the executive director of the Highland Park Community Foundation and previously served on the Highland Park City Council and the District 112 School Board. Rob has served for close to 15 years on the Library’s Board of Trustees including two terms as president.
“The Library is one leg of the three-legged stool that I think makes Highland Park so wonderful, with the parks and schools being the other two,” Rob notes. “The Library has always stood out among its peers for the way it combines breadth of services with the cozy feel of a much smaller library.”
“As a Board,” Rob explains, “we are cognizant of the need to spend the community’s tax dollars prudently and carefully. Financial gifts to the expansion project enable us to provide those extra ‘nice-to-haves’ that mark a truly excellent library, but that we don’t feel we ought to fund through tax dollars.” According to Olian, this will likely be the last physical expansion of the Library. “Public support will enable us to provide the best foundation we can for what will surely be necessary future adaptations within the new space,” he says.
The Library’s Reimagine Your Library Capital Campaign is supporting a major building expansion of7,850 sq. ft. that will include the expanded Youth Services Department, the launch of the Innovation Studio, a makerspace, a new Community Meeting Room, improved accessibility with ADA-compliant restrooms and an elevator, and enhanced spaces for the Highland Park Archives. Donations such as the Olians’ and the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund’s kicked off the capital campaign in a big way. Every gift towards the Reimagine Your Library Capital Campaign supports the Library’s transformation and will make a difference in reimagining the Library for generations to come.
