Chicago Public Library 2010: Making the Best Better

Under the direction of Library Commissioner Mary A. Dempsey, the Chicago Public Library Board, and Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Chicago Public Library (CPL) has become what is today—a foundation of knowledge, and a safe community meeting place offering free information and resources. Consisting of the Harold Washington Library Center, two regional libraries and 76 neighborhood branches—the CPL is a library system envied by every other city in the US. Mayors and librarians have flocked to Chicago to study CPL's best practices, and run their library systems the way Chicago does. This wasn't always the case.

In the early 1990s, the library system was in bad shape—the budget was a mess, libraries were missing in the neighborhoods that needed them the most, and the facilities in existence were decrepit and in need of repair. It was clear something had to be done.

In 1996, in a show of support unprecedented in any major American city today, the Chicago City Council approved Mayor Daley's and the CPL Board's request for a three year, $50 million capital improvement plan. Under this plan, Commissioner Dempsey directed the construction, expansion and renovation of 20 additional CPL capital projects. This capital improvement plan ensured that all areas of Chicago were served by modern, fully equipped and inviting neighborhood branch and regional libraries.

Now, twelve years later, the CPL is planning again. The recently unveiled strategic plan—Chicago Public Library 2010—is a practical, flexible vision for the future. To ensure library services continue to remain relevant in the everyday lives of Chicagoans, CPL 2010 will build on the Library's strengths while also addressing new opportunities that have emerged as a result of extensive interviews, analysis and discussion with library patrons, personnel and stakeholders.

"Building and sustaining a vibrant Chicago Public Library system takes commitment and a holistic approach involving many stakeholders. Chicago Public Library 2010 is a call to action for all Chicagoans who appreciate the essential role of their public library in the educational, economic and cultural fabric of the City of Chicago and an invitation to Chicagoans to take advantage of the Library's vast resources," said Library Commissioner Mary A. Dempsey.

CPL 2010 identifies the Library's four Areas of Strength: Physical Infrastructure, Collections, Personnel, and Innovative Programs; and three areas of New Strategic Opportunity: Programs and Partnerships, Information Access, and Awareness Building. This comprehensive plan establishes clear goals for these priorities and places additional emphasis on evaluating and measuring the impact of the Library's programs and services.

Chicago Public Library 2010 is available on the Chicago Public Library's website. CPL 2010 was developed by the Library's Board, Jayne Carr Thompson president, and staff in partnership with the Chicago Public Library Foundation with significant pro bono support from The Boston Consulting Group.

As Mayor Daley dedicates Chicago's 50th new library since he took office in 1989, think about what your Chicago library card is worth: foreign-language materials; music & DVDs; programs for children, teens and adults; computer instruction, internet access, and Wi-Fi at every branch; access to medical and business journals, Hoovers.com and over 80 online resources; free tickets to Ravinia concerts and Chicago museums; and audio books, downloadable online. All you need is a library card. It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up for one, giving you immediate access to all the Chicago Public Library's resources.

For more information on the Chicago Public Library, visit www.chipublib.org.

'Hometown' HQ Lands Downtown—"It's time to fly"

Declaring "it's time to fly," United Airlines chairman, president and CEO Glenn Tilton ended months of uncertainty by announcing downtown Chicago as the future world headquarters for our "hometown airline."

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Mayor Richard M. Daley joined Mr. Tilton—World Business Chicago's newest Board member—in a press conference outside of architectural landmark 77 W. Wacker Dr. on the city's downtown river front.

The Governor said downtown had everything a corporate headquarters needed to be successful, and the Mayor noted that United was an important part of a powerful trend—Chicago's in-city talent pool attracting numerous leading companies back into downtown.

Mayor Daley cited Motorola's Michigan Ave. Moto City, Wrigley's Global Innovation Center on Goose Island, Mittal Steel USA headquarters at 1 S. Dearborn, and he could have named dozens more. In fact, he could have named more than 50 companies that either moved into the central business district or expanded there—adding more than 34,000 jobs since 2002.

Glenn Tilton could have been referring to downtown Chicago when he trumpeted the airline's current advertising tagline "it's time to fly."

The two government economic development leaders who ensured that United Airlines would not be enticed by Denver or San Francisco to relocate its headquarters were Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director (DCEO) Jack Lavin and Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development (DPD) Commissioner Lori Healey, both of whom attended the announcement ceremony. Moderate State and City incentives were offered and accepted.

United has been headquartered in Elk Grove Township since it moved its executive headquarters from Chicago's South Side in December, 1961.

A target and a victim of the terrorist assaults of Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines was forced into Chapter 11 reorganization in 2002, successfully emerging last February. This month, United Airlines posted a profit.

It's time to fly, United, welcome home.

Chicago Top Destination Booked on Orbitz Over Past Five Years

Celebrating its 5th anniversary, leading online travel provider Orbitz calculated its consumers' most popular destinations in the last five years. At the top of the Chicago-based travel company's list was the city of Chicago.

"We've been proud that Orbitz has helped support the tourism industry in so many great destinations across America over the last five years," said Heather Leisman, director of merchandizing, Orbitz.com. "Given how strong Las Vegas business was recently, I was surprised [Chicago] was number one," she added in Crain's Chicago Business.

The standing, published in The Orbitz Insider Index, reviews historic air bookings and is based on ticket sales between June 2001 and June 2006. Runners up include: Las Vegas, Orlando, New York and Los Angeles (in order). The top five international destinations are: London, Cancun, Toronto, Paris and Vancouver.

"It's truly wonderful news for Chicago," Dorothy Coyle, director of Chicago Office of Tourism told Crain's. "Chicago is the place to be. It's a great city."

Formed in Chicago by leading U.S. airlines, Orbitz has become the third largest online travel site based on gross travel bookings. Currently, nearly 25 million users are registered to book their travel on Orbitz.com.

Orbitz (ORBZ) became publicly traded in 2003 and was acquired by Cendant's (NYSE: CD) Travel Distribution Services division in 2004. Despite being acquired by one of the world's largest and most geographically diverse collections of travel brands and distribution businesses, Orbitz continued to operate independently in Chicago. Cendant also moved subsidiaries Travelport, CheapTickets and Neat Group to Chicago from Seattle and Denver.

Since its acquisition, Cendant TDS increased its Chicago-based employees from 400 to 800. In 2005 Orbitz moved its headquarters from 200 S. Wacker in Chicago to the Citigroup Center at 500 W. Madison to accommodate its growth and the relocation of employees to Chicago.

Chicago's vast talent pool is one reason for Orbitz's success in the city.

"We continue to recruit and seek out local information technology talent to support our organization," said Mitch Truwit, president and CEO, Orbitz. "By building out the physical space in the Citigroup Center to meet our specific needs, we can further position our organization as an attractive employer who appreciates technologists."

Chicago's top ranking comes on the heels of Orbitz competitor, Priceline.com's, study of the top 50 destinations for Summer 2006, which also proved Chicago to be popular among travelers. Chicago's Millennium Park area rose from the 35th most popular destination in summer 2005 to the #1 spot this year, replacing the Las Vegas Strip. In addition, Chicago's N. Michigan Ave. area was #2 on the list, rising three places. The study is based on a sampling of more than 100,000 hotel room booking requests.

Chicago by the Numbers

World Business Chicago
177 N. State Street, Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60601

To be removed from the mailing list, click here.
To be added to mailing list, click here.