Northbrook Public Library
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The Northbrook Public Library is located at 1201 Cedar Lane in Northbrook, Illinois and serves both the 40,392 residents[1] of the Village of Northbrook and those of many surrounding communities.
[edit] History
Northbrook's first public library was established in 1919 by the Citizens' Club of Shermerville, a predecessor of the Northbrook Civic Foundation. It was located in a room above a store on Shermer, across from what is now the Village Green, and was staffed by members of the club and local teachers. The room was closed in 1920.
Shermerville changed its name to Northbrook in 1923. It remained a small community until after World War II when the building and population boom began. In 1951, Bertram Pollak, president of the Northbrook Civic Association, suggested that they establish a public library (the Civic Association became the Northbrook Civic Foundation in 1965)for the community. The association enlisted the help of many other local groups including the League of Women Voters, the Service Club, the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, the public school PTA, and the St. Norbert's PTA. The referendum was passed on May 29,1951 by a margin of six votes.
The library opened its doors June 28, 1952, in the old village hall (which later became the fire station and is now the Northbrook Civic Foundation building). Freda Thorson was the head librarian. The first collection consisted of several hundred gift books and a loan of 4,000 volumes from the Illinois State Library.
In the fall of 1953, the Civic Association voted to fund a new library building which would be located on the northeast corner of Shermer and Church streets. The building was dedicated March 21, 1954 with an addition was constructed Northbrook's first public library was a reading room established in 1919 by the Citizens' Club of Shermerville, a predecessor of the Northbrook Civic Foundation. It was located in a room above a store on Shermer, across from what is now the Village Green, and was staffed by members of the club and local teachers. The room was closed in 1920. Shermerville changed its name to Northbrook in 1923. It remained a small community until after World War II when the building boom began. In 1951, Bertram Pollak, president of the Northbrook Civic Association, suggested that the association investigate ways to establish a public library (the Civic Association became the Northbrook Civic Foundation in 1965). The association enlisted the help of other local groups--including the League of Women Voters, the Service Club, the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, the public school PTA, and the St. Norbert's PTA. The referendum was held May 29, 1951, and was passed by a margin of six votes.
The library opened its doors June 28, 1952, in the old village hall (which later became the fire station and is now the Northbrook Civic Foundation building). Freda Thorson was the head librarian. The collection consisted of several hundred gift books and a loan of 4,000 volumes from the Illinois State Library.
In 1953 the Civic Association voted to fund a new library building on the northeast corner of Shermer and Church streets. The building was dedicated March 21, 1954. By 1961, it was too small and additional space was added in 1963. Even with the new room the community was growing so rapidly that it needed a library with significantly more space than was available on Shermer. The Village donated to the library a portion of the skating rink immediately north of the village hall, at the corner of Cedar and Cherry.
The firm of Hammond & Roche designed the new building, in part because of James Hammond's previous work on the award-winning Skokie Public Library. To a large extent,the design of the building was shaped because the library was located on a flood plain: the main book collection was to be on the second floor, open to public view through large windows that, in the words of James Hammond, would 'serve as a beacon' to attract people to the building.
The new library, the northern half of the present building opened May 25, 1969[2]. The children's room was on the ground floor; next to it was a community meeting room. The second floor contained staff offices, the adult collection of books and periodicals, the Reference Department, and a new type of collection: phonograph records. While it was designed to serve the community for 20 years, by 1975 Northbrook had outstripped all growth predictions and the library needed expansion. Hammond & Beeby designed an addition of 20,500 square feet including an auditorium.
In 1991 the next expansion was started and new meeting rooms were added; staff areas were redesigned to achieve more efficient use of space; the automobile traffic pattern was improved and additional parking spaces were created.
Once again, within a few years, it became apparent that the library was running out of space. Some issues that needed to be resolve were that the mechanical systems were aging, the shelving units were too close together to allow wheelchair access, and there was very limited space for patrons to sit and read or to work together. The architectural firm of Frye Gillan and Molinaro was commissioned to resolve the problems.
Groundbreaking was Sunday, May 17 1998 and for the year-long construction period the collection was moved to a former Jewel food store two blocks east of the permanent site. The temporary site was crowded but workable, and won praise as “A Jewel of a Library.”
The expansion of approximately 35,000 square feet, brought the total building size to 85,341 square feet. The look of the building was significantly altered with an arched roof on the east side and new white exterior replacing the old black paint. The children's area space was doubled. Other improvements included a Friend’s Gift Shop, expanded Internet access and computer workstations in the Reference and Youth Services areas, an Interactive Classroom, a new Multimedia Department, five groups study rooms, and a commemorative brick plaza. Staff offices were kept to the interior of the building, providing patrons with light and views from the windows which surround the building.
The permanent building reopened its doors to the public on July 26, 1999; the official reopening ceremony was held September 25,1999. The Trustees at the time of the reopening were: Stephen Amberg (Board President), Marc Lonoff, Vera Mayer, Kathryn Plumb, Alan Auerbach, Robert Esbrook and Howard Peltz.
Shortly after the reopening, the library became one of the first in the nation to offer wireless access to patrons.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Ask a Question about the Northbrook Public Library (via the Northbrook Public Library)
- Village of Northbrook Website
- Northbrook Community Website
- Northbrook Public Library
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