Crown Library Donates Withdrawn Books to Infant Welfare Society of Oak Park

Roughly 500 books will end up in the hands of area children thanks to a donation from Dominican University’s Rebecca Crown Library. 

Fifteen boxes of books, which were withdrawn from the library’s children and young adult collections to make room for new titles, were donated on Dec. 11 to Oak Park-based Infant Welfare Society. The organization provides medical, dental and behavioral health to families that cannot afford the cost of care. 

While the books no longer fit the university’s needs, they can still be enjoyed by readers, which is why the Infant Welfare Society is a perfect match to receive them, said Mary Pat Fallon, interim university librarian, who initiated the donation. 

“We all appreciate the value of books, and knowing they will go to serve children from one month old to 18 years old is very gratifying,” she said. 

Children who visit the Infant Welfare Society’s Children’s Clinic in Oak Park receive a book from the society’s Giving Library after each appointment. The Giving Library provides more than 15,000 books to children of all ages annually, said Rowena Abrahams, spokeswoman for the IWS.

“We look forward to enhancing our current library with this generous gift from Dominican,” Abrahams said.