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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Kathy McSwain on the
4occasion of her retirement as Director of the Chicago Ridge
5Public Library on August 14, 2015; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Kathy McSwain grew up in the Village of Oak Lawn
7and began her library career as a page at the Oak Lawn Public
8Library; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Kathy McSwain earned a Master of Library Science
10from Rosary College in 1980, and building upon a love of
11children and an appreciation of children's literature, she
12began her professional career as Children's Librarian at the
13Bedford Park Public Library in 1981; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1987, Kathy McSwain became Head of Youth
15Services at the Chicago Ridge Public Library, providing
16creative programming - from leading story times to organizing
17successful community-wide summer reading programs; she was
18awarded the Rita A. Bert Librarianship Award in 1992 for
19providing exemplary library services to youth; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Kathy McSwain assumed directorship of the Chicago
21Ridge Public Library in 1999; under her leadership, the library

 

 

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1expanded programs and services for the community, resulting in
2increased awareness of the library and an upsurge of usage;
3many service organizations throughout Chicago Ridge have
4received donations from the library's successful Quilting
5Program, which was recognized with the Illinois Library
6Association Highsmith Innovative Library Award in 2004; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Kathy McSwain was the driving force behind the
8planning and design of the expansion project that modernized
9and added over 10,000 square feet to the library; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Kathy McSwain's deep commitment to library
11advocacy on a local, system, and statewide level included
12establishing the Illinois Library Day Legislative Breakfast at
13the Illinois State Library; she has earned the admiration and
14respect of her peers, and, in 2010, she received the Robert
15McClarren Legislative Development Award for Library Advocacy
16from the Illinois Library Association; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Kathy McSwain has served on the governing boards
18of professional organizations such as the Library
19Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois (LACONI), Area
20Training for Library Administrators and Staff (ATLAS), and
21numerous others; she has mentored countless librarians and has
22always been generous in sharing her expertise with those new to
23the profession; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Over her 28 years of dedicated service to the
2residents of Chicago Ridge, Kathy McSwain's proudest
3accomplishment is seeing patrons who visited the library as
4children now bringing their own children to the library;
5therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8offer our sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Kathy
9McSwain on her retirement as Director of the Chicago Ridge
10Public Library, and we wish her continued success and
11fulfillment in her life and with all her future plans; and be
12it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to Kathy McSwain as an expression of our esteem and
15respect.