DeKALB | In 2010, the DeKalb Public Library saw 332,639 people walk through its doors.

On average, each month 27,720 people entered the library at 309 Oak St. Public relations coordinator Katherine Keyes said public libraries are important to a community if an average of 1,000 people are coming in per day.

On April 13, DKPL will participate in “Snapshot: One day in the life of Illinois libraries,” a state-wide event to show lawmakers state and city-wide how important public libraries are to a community.

“Our main thing is to collect all the information to represent an average day [at DKPL],” Keyes said. “With that data, we want to prove to lawmakers how in demand our services are.”

Keyes said a person with a DKPL library card are able to access the library’s entire website at DKPL.org.

“People are always using our services,” Keyes said. “People come in to use our computers for research, job searches or even build resumes. It’s really important that we show these lawmakers how much our community relies on us.”

At 10:30 a.m., the library will host “Toddler Time” where toddlers and parents are welcome to join in on stories and songs. At 6:30 p.m., people of all ages are welcome to view a Mary Todd Lincoln-impersonating actress talking about the end of the Civil War.

“It’s a bittersweet performance,” Keyes said. “She talks about how happy she is that the war is over and how she finally gets to spend more time with her husband. But little does she know, he would be shot two days later on April 15, 1865. The performance will be stimulating for all ages and anyone who is looking to know more about Abraham Lincoln and that time period.”

DKPL will open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 13, and they’re welcoming all to come out.

“We’re encouraging everyone to fill out a short survey to tell why they came out or what they use the library for,” Keyes said. “We really want to show these lawmakers how important libraries are to our communities. This one in particular.”

Sycamore Public Library (SPL), 103 E. State St., is also participating in the Snapshot event.

“There are no special programs going on that day,” said SPL Director Sarah Tobias. “We’re taking photos to document a regular day at the library.”

SPL will still be holding story time in the morning and Sycamore Public Library Advisory Group in the afternoon.