The Northbrook Public Library, located at 1201 Cedar Lane, serves the 33,170 residents of the
Village of Northbrook,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
. The library received 470,700 visitors and circulated 856,000 items from its collection of 337,300 books, audio materials and videos in 2012. ''
Library Journal'' gave the Northbrook Public Library its highest rating of 5 stars in 2012 and 2013 based on circulation, visits, program attendance and public internet use per capita.
History
The Northbrook Public Library first opened on June 30, 1952, following a referendum spearheaded by Bertram Pollak, president of the Northbrook Civic Association, C. E. Barthel, Jr., who became the library board president, and Carolyn A. Landwehr, who became the library board secretary. The library was originally housed in meeting and office space at the village hall (now the Northbrook Civic Foundation building) with a capacity for 6,500 volumes. Freda Thorson was the first librarian.
[Downey, Doug. (September 1992; updated November 2002). ''History of the Northbrook Public Library.''] In 1953, the Northbrook Civic Association provided funds of $27,500 to build a new, one-story library at the corner of Shermer and Church Street that could accommodate 12,000 volumes. The new library was dedicated on March 21, 1954.
By 1967, the library had exceeded its capacity with a collection of 31,000 volumes, and voters approved a referendum for a new building at the library's current location at the corner of Cedar and Cherry, on the bank of the West Fork of the North Branch of the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...
. The library was designed by the architecture firm of Hammond and Roesch and cost $1 million. The new steel frame building had 28,000 square feet of floor space and room for 110,000 volumes. The main part of the library was on a single floor raised above ground level to provide views and to protect the collection from the river flooding. The design earned a Distinguished Building Award from the Chicago Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
.
Opening day was May 25, 1969.
The library building has undergone two major expansions. In 1999, a $10.5 million addition gave the library a new third floor—housing the fiction and multimedia collections—as well as an enlarged children's department, study rooms, classrooms, and banks of computer terminals on the second floor. In 2014, a $6.5 million construction project began to renovate the first floor meeting rooms and create a modern auditorium with tiered seating.
In 2021 the main lobby was remodeled with a new mural, new self checkout machines, a new automated sorting machines, and many more new upgrades.
References
External links
Northbrook Public LibraryVillage of Northbrook Website
{{Authority control
Public libraries in Illinois
Northbrook, Illinois
Libraries in Cook County, Illinois
Library buildings completed in 1954
Library buildings completed in 1969