Famed author Ray Bradbury’s personal collection of books and artifacts will be preserved and showcased at what had been his childhood library and inspiration in his hometown of Waukegan.
About half his materials were donated upon his death in June 2012 to the Waukegan Public Library, but the bulk of the items have been in storage.
That will change when Bradbury’s books and other belongings are relocated to the long-vacant former Carnegie Library at Washington Street and Sheridan Road, which is undergoing a $13.5 million restoration and repurposing.
Plans involving the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie include the restoration of the children’s reading room, where Bradbury was a frequent visitor. There, his love of books and authors was nurtured and he was inspired to become a writer.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
