Do you have someone on your gift list, a very special someone, who is just impossible to shop for? Why not consider naming something in honor of him or her? If you like that idea, contact the Glen Ellyn Public Library where you can purchase a “naming opportunity.” Imagine a special corner of the reading room named for your loved one. Maybe the play area of the children’s room would be just the thing. For the right price you can name the entire building. That would cost you $5 million! But for a more modest $500, a bench outside the building can be dedicated to an individual. If you want to read about the whole program, here’s the examiner.com article that explains it.
I must add a personal comment here. Way back in 2003, when Chicagoans were trying to wrap their mouths around the idea of calling Comiskey Park (aka Sox Field) U. S. Cellular Field, I half seriously suggested to the then director of Evanston Public Library that we should jump on the naming bandwagon, too. We joked around about possible candidates (NU, Whole Foods, Hecky’s), and that was that. Now it’s really happening at Glen Ellyn Public Library. This just proves that one person’s crazy it’ll-never-really-fly idea is another’s fund raising tactic.
Barbara L.
evanstonpubliclibrary.wordpress.com 
Of course, they could name a space at EPL for a minimum donation of $25,000. From the Board Policies:
Evanston Public Library will provide physical donor recognition for contributions upon receipt of a gift or appropriate gift documentation. Gifts of the level required to name spaces, (a minimum of $25,000) may be recognized in appropriate site-specific locations in addition to a centralized benefactor recognition display. In addition, these gifts may be recognized on Library directional signage as appropriate.
I believe naming the book sale space in the lobby was considered at the last board meeting.
I’m involved with this every day at my day job. Always exciting!
Sally Barnum
Lincolnwood PL has names on individual tiles on the wall of the lobby. Shira
Here’s an even better article about the Glen Ellyn Public Library’s Naming Program: http://triblocal.com/glen-ellyn/2011/12/02/know-a-book-lover-whos-tough-to-buy-for-name-the-library-after-them/. More details about the program are available at gepl.org/naming.
-Heidi, GEPL’s Marketing Coordinator