The building itself is impressive, both inside and out. It's much more than just a library - the…read morearchitecture is beautiful and there are plenty of quiet spaces to read, study, or simply take a break from the city. The upper floors and atrium are especially worth checking out. One of my favorite parts was wandering through the different levels and seeing how much the library has to offer. It feels welcoming and well-maintained, and it's easy to spend more time there than you originally planned. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that some areas can get fairly busy, and unless you're specifically looking to read or work, there isn't a ton to do beyond admiring the space. Overall: 4 stars. A beautiful public library that's worth visiting for its architecture, peaceful atmosphere, and as a quiet escape in the middle of downtown Chicago.

What a beautiful library! We happened to catch the Filipino Exhibit on the first floor and it was…read moreamazing. The library has 9 floors! You could be there for HOURS! We loved it! I got my library card too so I'm ready to go back! The Harold Washington Exhibit was incredible, he was a great man for the city. Enjoyed the traveling exhibit from the Veterans Museum. I always wanted to see that so that was cool

Stunning architectural details at this library - transports you to Hogwarts but much brighter and…read moreless crowded. Went on a weekday, ample (free) street parking. The library is on the 3rd floor and you just have to go through a few doors and make a left turn. Added bonus? Books in this particular library are free! Left the place a happy camper.

If you want to be transported to Platform 9 and 3/4 and take an adventure to Hogwarts, then you…read morewant to visit Harper Library Reading Room. Ample amount of table space along with reading chairs if you don't need a table. It is generally very quiet. In other words, you will hear your water bottle echo loudly if you accidentally drop it (true story).

Was researching the first owner of the old brownstone I live in and they were so helpful. It's an…read moreamazing place recently saw a free program where an actor portrayed Queen Elizabeth the first. Incredible place.

I've been doing genealogy for years and recently hit some standstills. I know that Newberry not…read moreonly offered greater depth into images when you use their accounts online, but their resident genealogists are extremely helpful and quick to offer remedy option paths. Today, after several of research, I came across their bookstore as I was leaving. It's super cute and I thought I might find something interesting. I did!! In the back left nook area there is a Book Fair section. Used books which have been categorized and were all in super decent shape. Cooking section... I found 4 cookbooks. Each was over 1,000 pages except one, it had almost 800. Hardcovers and in incredibly good shape! I paid $5 each for 3 of them and $6 for another. They had their jacket sleeves too. So heavy to schlep home but totally worth it! They had some pretty fantastic historical books, as well. I encourage you to stop into this beautiful building, get a free library access card, and also checkout their bookstore on main level (directly to the right once you enter into the building).

One of Curbed's "20 most beautiful libraries in the U.S." (Megan Barber, Mar 2018), this holds the…read moreGuinness World Record for largest public library in the world. So impressive, David Mamet was quoting as saying, "The Chicago Public Library is my alma mater". An impressive layout with free a/c and wifi and a few tables for jigsaw puzzle completion. It's peaceful and peiceful. You can go floor to floor by escalator or elevator: First floor: Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Multi-Purpose Room, Exhibit Hall, two-story tall central lobby, Popular Library, and YouMedia Space for teens. Floor 2: Thomas Hughes Children's library. Floor 3: public computers, periodicals, and Maker Lab w printers (extra) Floor 4: Business, Science, Tech Floor 5: Govt publications, maps, and a center for people with physical needs. Floor 6: Social Science/History. Floor 7: Literature, Language resources, and some sculptures Floor 8: Visual/Perf Arts and the only free music practice rooms in the area Floor 9: the Winter Garden for events. Floor 10: Ladies Undergarments, Raincoats

Love it! Nice place to read ! Had a lot of choices and genres! Quiet and accessible. Love itread more

Why not continue my tradition of reviewing libraries? This time, it's an academic library. The…read moreRichardson library, located on DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus, is beautiful and a really great campus space. It was named after John Richardson, DePaul's president from 1981-1993 and chancellor 1993-2017. There are of course plaques honoring him at the entrance, but perhaps my favorite thing is that there's a framed copy of the title page and first page of manuscript of a mixed voice and instrumental piece that was written in his honor. I'd love to hear it played sometime! The library is very large and its four floors are dedicated to varying activity--the first and second are collaborative floors where you can speak regularly, with the third and fourth floor being quiet floors. Lots of windows let in a good deal of natural light, and there are clusters of comfy chairs scattered around the place. There are a few meeting rooms on the first floor, at least, and of course computer workstations available. There are also a few spaces where students can share their work on a larger screen to work from together. Also really cool is the artwork by the faculty of the department of art, media, and design is installed throughout the library. I'm glad that when I was most recently in the library it was spring break and I was the only one there, so I could look at the pieces without bothering others. Staff are very friendly--librarians love to help! During the pandemic (still, anyway, as of March 2022), you must use your ID card in order to swipe into the library.

This library has been a second home to me since I moved to Chicago. And to be honest, it has a…read morecharm that not a lot of universities offer in addition to its accessibility. The staff has done a great job maintaining this building constantly throughout the day. Although WiFi is not offered to the public, the space enables people to get studying or any sort of readings done in test-like conditions. The hours are very flexible and the lighting is stimulating. I think a lot of students and visitors would agree that this library is SUPER COLD during the summer. I bring a north face or a hoodie to cover my body and sensitive ears. It's understandable that's the case to maintain the books but at times, it is a bit unbearable to keep on working. I love the heat they put on during the cold winters!!

This branch has a very modern look. It's Miesian in style, given that it's black iron and glass,…read morebut it's also a curved structure so not a direct homage. This branch is a product of its neighborhood, and there's lots of information to be found about Chinatown and Chinese culture here. There's also materials available in Chinese. When you enter they had a little selfie station, which I thought was cute and something kids might find fun. The children's section is not exactly small, but I haven't been to story time here so I don't know how cramped it might be. We visited and there were toys out so my and my friend's kid played around a bit. They have two story time sessions, one on Thursday and one on Saturday morning, though I think they're geared toward children 3 years old and up so a bit older than our children. The staff we interacted with were nice and helpful. The security guard kind of pointed us to where we needed to be, and the children's librarian welcomed us and invited us to their story times. There's no dedicated parking at this branch. However, the Chinatown parking lot is across the street... no clue how much it costs to park there, and somehow I doubt that CPL has it in their budget to validate parking. There's lots of street parking in Chinatown, and of course the Chinatown/Cermak stop on the Red Line is across the street, too.

A beautiful building where the staff fail to meet basic courtesy. I should write some reviews of…read moreother locations later. Most of the Chicago Library locations are good. This one is an exception. When I was there, a staff member all day kept going back and forth through a door that had an alarm. I came here to get some studying done, and every 2-3 minutes the alarm started blaring for about 20 seconds. I understand he had to work, but if you're going to be going through that door for several times a day, at least disable the alarm first, as common courtesy to the taxpayers of Chicago who fund and use this location.

This is a beautiful building. You can visit the lobby without a tour but the tour we took from the…read moreFrank Lloyd Wright Trust was excellent. It was more than just seeing the beautiful Rookery Building. It was very interesting to learn about the historical significance of the building and the architects involved with its design. Our tour guide, Jennifer, was excellent and her passion about the topic was clear. The tour is well-worth the time, and you are taken to see the Oriel Staircase and the Burnham Library at the upper levels.

Stunning interior that should not be missed by architecture enthusiasts. Literally breath taken as…read moreI walked into the main lobby which basks in natural light. So much detail everywhere yet beautifully balanced. It's Chicago's oldest high rise, the lobby updated by Frank Lloyd Wright. A private tour will take you up the circular staircase and second lobby level. Hoping to tour on my next visit. There's a small Frank Lloyd Wright gift shop on the ground level. Space is available for private events. I hope those who work here in the businesses never lose appreciation of its beauty. If you're a tourist who visits the nearby Money Museum, stop by The Rookery and prepare to be amazed!

Completely beautiful Completely quiet…read moreYou have to get a guest pass before entering After a while the wifi cuts in and out frequently so you have to keep logging your guest pass code

VERY cool library with ginormous reading room. Even has piped in white music. I seriously wouldn't…read morehave as many excuses for my GPA had I spent more time in spaces like this.

I'd never been to this branch that's nestled in the middle of West Loop. It's one of the newer…read morebranches, as it opened in 2019. I brought my eight-week-old here today for story time with the children's librarian. I liked that this was story and sign time, because it was neat to learn some ASL with my little one. I think that ASL may have been incorporated into the story time because the librarian is hard of hearing or Deaf, and I'm really appreciative that she is teaching us a few signs. I had to leave a bit early because my daughter started to fuss, unfortunately. This story time is super popular (there are back to back sessions) and they actually check folks in when they arrive. This is the only CPL event I've attended (story time or otherwise) that is a weekly recurring series but only opens for registration a single week before the next one--for instance, the September 14 session didn't open for registration until the 7th, rather than folks being able to register for all of them at once. The librarian also provided name tags for everyone which is not something that anyone has done at the other five libraries where we've gone to story time, and I think it's a really nice touch. The one thing I didn't like about the story time was the aforementioned small room--it felt somewhat cramped to me. It was also kind of a bummer that there were few chairs; everyone was sitting on the floor and the only seats were right behind where folks were sitting so they were not available. I'm not the most limber so sitting on the floor for thirty minutes probably would have been difficult for me anyway. This branch is three stories-ish tall. There's the first floor, then a mezzanine-type floor where the children's section is. The entire mezzanine is children's. Then the second floor is where there's meeting room, study rooms, and a big open space in the middle of the floor. To be honest, I wondered if they ever have performances here because it seemed like it could be a nice recital space or something. Perhaps there were larger tables here pre-pandemic? (Regarding the "ish" of the floors, I took the elevator and the woman who checked us in for story time said it was the third floor, but corrected herself when I asked if it was actually the second since there was no third floor button.) There's no parking here. And when I say that I don't just mean they don't have a parking lot (which they don't). I mean there's truly almost no parking around here. I was glad that for once I left early enough that we were several minutes early (I'm terrible with time and it honestly was a miracle we were on time) because I circled the blocks three times to see if a spot would open up on Randolph, Aberdeen, or Washington. None did, so I took somewhat of a risk by parking in the 15 minute blinking light standing zone directly in front of the library, knowing I'd be there more than 15 minutes. I got lucky in that I didn't get a ticket. I didn't sign up for next week's story and sign time because I'm not sure that I"ll be able to go there. Parking aside, my daughter is not a fan of her carseat and the 30 minute drive to this branch is a bit of a chore if she doesn't fall asleep and for a 20-25 minute story session. I wish I lived closer to the West Loop or they had this program at one of the north side branches closer to me.

I am rating this library as 1 star because of how uncomfortable the staff made me here. It's a very…read moresmall library to begin with, however, I decided to visit here to checkout a book after work. I walked around the library and eventually found a book, upon turning around I noticed the entire staff including the security officer Tania, Taniya not sure how to spell hers either-- were eyeing me. Apparently, the security guard's charger was stolen, and because I walked that way-- upon checking my book out at the desk, Daryl the front desk guy asked if I seen a charger. Why would my intentions be on a charger if I am in a library looking for a book? Why do you have your phone and charger out anyways if you're supposed to be "securing the area". Anyways, the situation continued as the security officer Taniya and front desk guy Daryl continued to have the stolen charger conversation around me as if it was me. The security officer Taniya even had the nerve to come close to me and fake "read a book" just to look in my purse. I will be reporting this to the security company, as well as this branch's corporate office. Please do not visit this location.

Loved visiting this beautiful library on the University of Chicago campus…read more The open reading room is enclosed in a glass and metal elliptical dome. The closed book stacks are accessed and retrieved by robotic cranes. So interesting. Are you a fan of the Divergent films? The Mansueto was featured in that film. It housed the Erudite Headquarters in the Divergent series. Amazing. Such a beautiful library. A nice place to study and a nice place to visit.

There are other reviews of the Mansueto reading room at the listing for the Joseph Regenstein…read moreLibrary here on Yelp. But since the University of Chicago considers it a separate library, I'm adding the Mansueto as a new listing. Note however that the Mansueto has only one public entrance, which is by an enclosed corridor from the main lobby of the Regenstein Library. Originally conceived as just an expansion of the Regenstein (the main library of the university), the Mansueto proved to be more than that. Its outer manifestation is the shallow glass dome that rises from the ground to the west of the Regenstein, softening that brutal concrete structure. What no pedestrian or patron sees is the actual "stacks" of this library (with a potential storage space of 3.5 million volumes), that extend down 5 stories below ground level. Only about a third of the Mansueto's potential storage space is currently filled. Filing and retrieval of volumes is done robotically, using 5 massive cranes controlled by a computer system. The 50-ft. tall cranes operate at fierce speeds, bringing a metal bin containing the requested volume up to the reading room desk within 5 minutes. In that subterranean storage are stacks of 24,000 metal bins, whose books and journals are sorted according to size rather than any other classification (like all books at other libraries, each volume has an unique bar code label attached). There in the 60ºF bin racks, kept at 30% humidity, in addition to bound books and journals, are also odd-sized items (archival boxes of papers and dissertations, digitized material on optical discs, and over-sized "elephant" folios). Gaining access to the Mansueto is very restricted; You must register there as a student of the university, a visiting scholar, or a guest of the library. I visited as part of a limited tour group. Link to their site for more information and photos.