Now Open!
Buy Books to Build Home Libraries for Under-Resourced Chicago Children
While Chicago Public Schools is almost 90% children of color, less than 15% of kids books published in the past 20 years contain multicultural characters or story lines. Books that "mirror" a child's experience is a key factor in developing a love of reading. To that end, we have created the Gift of Books campaign that allows us to purchase new books to give away that overcome this disparity.
All proceeds benefit our Book Access program to get even more books into kids’ hands.
Help Transform This Space into YOUR Community Bookstore
We're bringing the best selection of books to Logan Square with the opening of our third store this summer! Located at 2068 North Milwaukee Avenue, our Logan store will carry tens of thousands of titles for every interest that follow Open Books’ nonprofit model – books donated from all over Chicagoland, the sales of which support literacy programs for thousands of children and families.
We are asking all our friends to help financially support the store buildout. We have a $100,000 goal to convert an old furniture store into the best mission-driven bookstore in Chicago. Every dollar you provide will help to meet this goal and realize our vision.
Our Stores Are Open!
Open Books West Loop is open for walk-in business
10am-6pm Monday thru Wednesday
10am-7pm Friday thru Sunday
Open Books Pilsen Free Kids Books/Pay What You Want Adult Books is fully open again!
10am-6pm Monday thru Friday
10am-4pm Saturday thru Sunday
Logan Square and West Side Locations Coming Soon!
We Want Your Books!
Each year, generous readers donate hundreds of thousands of books to support literacy. We sell those books in our stores and online to help fund our programs, use and give them away in our literacy and book grant programs.
Literacy For The West Side
In 2021, Open Books launched North Lawndale Reads (NL Reads), a multi-year, multi-strategy campaign designed to amplify in North Lawndale the importance of literacy and give the community’s families, parents, and children the resources critical for early reading, from pre-natal experiences to preschool, from Kindergarten through a child’s first elementary years in school.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Open Books is thrilled and honored to be bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to our city as their exclusive Chicago affiliate for children ages 0-5!
Financial Donation
The generosity of donors helps us engage more than 6,000 youth through our literacy programs and give way more than 180,000 books to children and families each year. Together, we can transform lives through reading, writing, and the giving power of used books.
Literacy Resources
Check out these great literacy resources while you shelter in place
For Parents, PreK, and Grades 1-12!
West Loop
Visit StoreMon-Thu 10am-6pm
Fri-Sun 10am-7pm
651 W. Lake St.
Chicago, IL 60661
312.475.1355 ext.2008
Pilsen
Visit StoreMon-Fri, 10am-6pm
Sat-Sun, 10am-4pm
905 W. 19th St.
Chicago, IL 60608
312.243.9776
Volunteer
To get started as a volunteer, please join us for a new volunteer information session!
Literacy Programs
Open Books transforms students’ reading and writing skills through experienced educators who deliver innovative instruction, passionate volunteers who serve as positive role models and provide enthusiastic support, safe learning environments for practice, exploration, and social-emotional growth, and access to high-quality books and tailored curricula.
We collect used books.
All books in good condition are welcome, and all donations are tax-deductible. Find out what we take and how to get them to us.
We sell and grant them.
We give books to students in our instructional programs, donate them to educators and students through our book programs, and sell them in our Chicago stores and online.
They fund our programs.
We provide transformational literacy experiences for more than 5,000 K-12 students every year, from reading help through novel-writing.
Volunteers = magic.
Volunteers work with our students, organize our books, staff our events, and make everything happen.
Help Build Home Libraries
Building home libraries is vital to children’s success, and Open Books can help — with a little help from you! Check out the many ways you can support our mission to get more books into the hands of Chicago kids.