Class after class of Washington Elementary School summer school students walked outside the gym Tuesday to see a table with books — in both English and Spanish — and a bin on the ground with toys in front of the Waukegan Public Library’s new van.
While summer school remains in session through Monday, Jennyfer Cordova, the library’s communications and community engagement manager, said the van is on a mission to bring books and toys to students who completed the program.The newly acquired and outfitted Waukegan library van began making appearances throughout the community on June 1 at the Waukegan Pride Festival, and will provide a variety of services around the city.
“We can set up anywhere,” she said. “We can do literacy workshops. It allows us to make deliveries. We started doing making deliveries during COVID, and we’ve kept it up. We can go to hospitals. People can check out books electronically.” A child selects a toy during a visit of the Waukegan Public Library van to Washington Elementary School.