A+ storytime. I had some time off and wanted to get out with my baby girl so with my handy dandy…read moreCPL app I started looking up events for the day. I have an informal goal of visiting each Chicago Public Library branch (20 down, 61 to go) and since Dunning had story time (at 11, which is atypical for the CPL branches we've been to before) we headed over. This branch is a relatively new one, having opened in 2011 on land donated by the Chicago Board of Education. It's one of the smaller branches, with one large room and then a meeting room, but there is a fairly large park-like area next to the branch (not an official city of Chicago park, but it is a well-kept green space with paths and lots of benches). The story time was fantastic, truly. I'm not sure if there were two librarians or one plus a volunteer mom, because there was a woman who played a couple songs on her guitar. (My kiddo may want a ukulele for Christmas because she was super into the guitar.) The place was packed, too--about two dozen children, plus their adults. They need to get this branch a bigger room! There was a full 30 minutes of songs, stories, and games. All that was followed by another 30 minutes of playtime, where the librarians brought out different toys for the kids to play with. My little one is just starting to walk, so I think she enjoyed the extra space to wander and jump and crawl, kids to play with, and lots of toys she's never seen. The librarian(s?) were enthusiastic and friendly. The one who is definitely a librarian since she was running most of it introduced herself to us during the play time, which was really nice and made me feel super welcome. I haven't felt that way at all library story times, and I very much appreciated it. There's a dedicated parking lot, though it's not too big; maybe a dozen spaces or fewer. Luckily there seemed to be plenty of street parking and then some folks seemed to be from the neighborhood because they walked to the library. (Public transportation is probably nonexistent this far west--definitely for trains, but could be busses too.) I wish that some of the library branches had email lists you could join or something for their specific events, because with 81 branches it's easy to miss things. This is a branch I will be keeping my eye on and though unfortunately I'm not usually home on the days they host story time, I will look forward to bringing the wee one again for stories or another event.

Friendly helpful knowledgeable staff. Great location. Great selections. Small but ample parking…read morelot. Many programs for adults and children. Collection box for homeless veterans collected by the brownies

Staff is very friendly to me. Mrs. Tamara the branch manager is a very kind, considerate,…read moreprofessional lady! We have been coming to this location for over 20+ years! Thanks to you and all the staff members at our local Hanover Park, IL. branch location, for providing us outstanding customer friendly service. Sincerely Jaya Raj, and mom from Hanover Park, IL.

Wonderful library! Excellent dvd/blu-ray selection! The librarians are super friendly and…read morewelcoming. My favorite part? There is a castle with a dragon!!! Kids can play inside and sit on the throne. It's an amazing piece of art with sculped figures in the windows. I love this little library! Definitely coming back. :)

How can you say anything bad about a library "It's Free". Returned some books from Harold…read moreWashington library there with no problem . Librarians have to be the most calming, mellow and friendly people, well at least at this library. The lady I dealt with would make a good yoga instructor.

Another great public library, located in the circle of Elmwood Park. Wonderful decor, great helpful…read morestaff. Plenty of parking and easy to get to. Photos show display honoring the military. Great Field House too.

I love this library! I have a 7 year old sister and they are…read morealways REALLY kind to her. There's always fun activities for kids and adults. They are free to join. I'm a college student so often they have text books that I need. They also always offer to order me books I need from other libraries which is supper helpful.

Cool programs here and there, good CD section, and just a small homely vibe in this library. Fun…read moretimes

I love this library. There are no kids in the adult study area and the internet connection is…read moresuperfast. They also have a super-quiet study room but I never use it. Nevertheless, I can't checkout books because I'm not a resident here. Only issue is the funky old-people smell and lack of sunlight inside.

They were so helpful to me and it is a beautiful library. All of the visits I have made there and I…read morehave never

Oh my. I would LOVE to work in a library that looks like this. Original amazing art work, fabulous…read moreshelving, real wood tables, and awesome displays.This is the library for the Art Institute of Chicago so I should have expected greatness. The staff was lovely to chat with and my touring companion (who had been to the museum beacoup times but never thought to enter the library) was amused by my insistence and impressed by the library...or he was humoring me, either way. I did find out that the art is considered part of the library so is not changed out, but is occasionally loaned. Visitors to the museum are welcome to view the library during specific hours (http://www.artic.edu/research); we entered the library when we weren't supposed to but since they were open for appointment hours, so we were allowed to wander. I may have poked my head in the back to see what the technical services area looked like...and as I suspected, utilitarian. I loved walking through hear and since it will only take you a moment, I suggest you do the same.

A wonderful library in North Riverside. A very pleasant and warm decor. For a medium size library…read morethough, it has all the amenities. Including nice views of a small golf course, and a section of library activities. Whoever thought you could borrow cake mold pans, golf clubs, fishing poles, and lots more. Very pleasant, helpful staff. Look them up for all they offer.

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my…read moreship... Louisa May Alcott lovely library... Thank You All.

This is a review of the Civic Center at the address listed here, not for the actual entire city of…read moreDes Plaines. That should be obvious, but I just wanted to make it clear! I've had mixed results here. When I have to come in to ask a question or pay some fee or another, the line always moves quickly, and the staff is always friendly. When I have questions about where to find the date on the receipt for my city sticker or what the zoning rules are if I want to put a new mailbox up, my questions are always answered properly. I haven't had to come here for anything big or major, like a renovation permit, but I did come here to ask if I needed one for a small issue with my basement and had the circumstances around when one is or is not required explained to my satisfaction. The people on the administrative side know their stuff and don't talk to you like a moron if you don't know it yourself. Across the way, on the other side of the civic center, you will find the police. I cannot say that they are as with it as the other city employees I've dealt with, in my experience. I was recently issued a parking ticket that was not filled out all the way and had "display of expired sticker" written as the reason it was issued. (I did have an expired sticker displayed in addition to my current one.) When I went down to the police side of the civic center, however, I was told it was because I did not have a valid sticker at all. Well, I do have one, and I provided a copy of the receipt. The woman I was speaking with got a bit testy and said she'd send the paperwork to the proper department, but could not or would not explain to me why I was being told two different reasons for my ticket. Then, in the mail, I received a piece of paper informing me that my ticket was ACTUALLY for a third, different thing--improper display of my current sticker. I needed to provide a photograph of my sticker on my car, displayed correctly. It did not say whether I should mail it, email it, or what, so I just brought the photo in myself. Again, the person I saw on the police side couldn't or wouldn't tell me why there was a discrepancy when I brought in the photo. She also couldn't tell me what would happen next, only saying, "We'll contact you." It has been almost three weeks now since I presented the photo, and I still have not heard from them. I called to try to talk to somebody, but I was told I would be contacted through the mail. Here I am, still waiting, hoping that if I do have to pay a fine, the notification didn't get lost in the mail, leaving me to get pulled over randomly some time because my license plate shows up on a list with the state police. I've certainly experienced worse service from city or village administration and police departments and realize that this is not that bad of an experience. In fact, I was once waiting for a form at Wood Dale PD for an entire afternoon. Still, I would really like to see the service on the PD side rise to the level of the other Civic Center staff. Also, it is annoying as hell to be parking your car in front of this place to pay for what appears to be a BS ticket, only to see numerous police walking past a vehicle parked in a totally illegal fashion right in front of their station and not writing a single ticket. I seriously thought my head might explode when I saw that. Of course, it would probably be one of the super nice ladies from the administrative side who ended up on brain detail if it actually happened.