As some of you may know, the John Speck Memorial Library has been open for just short of one year now! We have had a handful of CMC members checkout books, and several First Ascent climbers exploring the shelves. The library is located within First Ascent Arlington Heights in the community room and adjoining hallway.

First things first, if you’re interested in checking out the library, there are a few ways to do so:

• Come for our open hours, currently the last Sunday of every month from 4-7pm.
  • Additional hours may be staffed, but is dependent on volunteer availability. Check our website for up to date hours.
• Browse the online catalog to see what is available!

The primary topic of this post is to highlight a few books we have in our collection. First off, we recently hosted Adam Bielecki as the speaker for our 2025 annual dinner. Our Programs Chair, Zenon Kolacz (programs@chicagomountaineeringclub.org), had the foresight to order a few copies of Adam’s new book: Spod zamarznietych powiek (From Under Frozen Eyelids). Adam graciously signed the copies and one has been donated to the library to join a number of other books signed by their famous mountaineer authors.

In other news, the CMC Safety Chair, Patrick Deegan (safety@chicagomountaineeringclub.org), has developed and secured approval for a new Rope Leader Policy! In that policy, a few technical references are mentioned as good places to begin skill building, a few of which we have in the library! The ever-relevant The Freedom of the Hills is a great place to start learning a wide range of skills, and the library has many copies of a range of editions.

Lastly, The AMGA Single Pitch Manual was also acquired for the library. Last year Eric Barnard instructed a number of CMC members on at least two separate Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) courses. This course is a great way for experienced recreational outdoor/trad climbers to expand their skillset. If you are interested in taking a SPI course, check out the opportunities at Big River Climbing Guides and if you would like to checkout the manual rather than buying it, we have it available!

Lastly, we’ll have some Library housekeeping:

First, I, Jordan Brauer, will be stepping down as the CMC librarian this month. Ron Eberle has stepped up to take on the role. We’ll be working together for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition.

Second, if you or anyone you know would like to volunteer to help with the Library, please reach out to the librarian! We are always looking for people to help out with staffing open days, cataloging projects, and other important library duties.

If you would like to contact the librarian, please send an email to librarian@chicagomountaineeringclub.org. Thanks!