I dropped in on a weekday. I like in the children's area that they have a large sign with what is…read moregoing on for the day which included story time and a take home craft. The ladies at the reception desk were very helpful. They also had a large play area. I will definitely be taking my son here in the future!

This library may seem to profile certain patrons who may choose to study, use computer in the lower…read morelevel. I have come to this library several times & may sit on the upper/first level. The lower level has the vending machines so I may choose that area to sit with a window view-street view so to speak & if need to take a short break to stretch, can easily treat self to the vending area. Not to focus too much on this, I came to the library to connect my setup, computer, hotspot for a project. I had to use the lavatory, however the upper/first floor one was occupied so I took the elevator to the basement level to attend to whatever. After I was refreshed, I decided instead of going back upstairs to study, work, I would set up shop on the lower level with a window view. I managed to get some things accomplished for close to an hour after setup & was fairly comfortable to the point I would watch TV listening through my bluetooth headphones. I decided to get something from the vending machines, snack, soft drink & was delayed a bit there because of others who were there prior line at the vending machine. After I got the snack/drink, I proceeded to head back to my station/table mind you with my headphones still on as was listening to the TV broadcast so not too far from where I was working. Some librarian or lady approached me saying something so I had to remove my headphones to figure out what she was trying to communicate. She said something about I should not leave my items unattended & because kids are down in this section they may bother my stuff or something. That was the furthest from my mind as I have worked in this area in the past like on Sunday nights & no one has ever raised any concern to me about that. I was confused about the librarian's concern because if kids were down there, they should be monitored & supervised by their parent(s) or guardian(s). There should be no reason for anyone to bother my stuff if the place is honest. After this rude exchange with me, I figured the librarian did not want me there especially in that section as maybe adults should NOT be in the children's section. So I decided to just leave the library entirely as I felt unwelcomed & considering this has never happened to me in the several times I have studied on either floor level. I would not recommend perhaps adults to study or setup anything on the lower level, children's section as this librarian may have had concern that the kids would be unruly, out of control & unsupervised as to tamper with someone else's items in that section. Other problems with this library since I am on a roll: Well!, the bathrooms only have 1 stall so the reason I went to the lower level was to use the lavatory. I now regret having to go to the lower floor but it was out of my control & could not wait for the upper/first level lavatory was free. I also regret now perhaps remaining on the lower level to study though I thought & have asked in the past if it was fine to set up & study on the basement area though kids seem to be running around down there. The noise never bothered me because I have my listening phones on. And today, when I was rudely approached, there was really no activities down there so I really did not understand why this librarian approached me unless it was some type of profiling situation and did not want someone like me to be there. I clearly disagree with the librarian's assessment that my items were unattended as I had just left my set up area & remained on the same level just to go to the vending area. It was not like I went back to the bathroom or went upstairs or went outside for a moment. I could still receive the BT audio signal from the TV program I was watching and listening to and thus did not abandon my items & I did not feel any concern that my items would be tampered with by anyone. I assumed people are trustworthy perhaps more so than this librarian who approached me. Perhaps dishonest patrons here? Fine, I will not come to this library again. There are better ones. Another problem: Cramped or no adequate parking. In summary: They say adults can study and set up shop in the lower level area that may be for children but yet they really do not want adults down there and will blame the adult if they have their computer setup down there so clearly they do not want an adult down there other than those attempting to supervise their offspring. Adults should stay in the upstairs sections. Sometimes some parents did let their progeny run around out of control down there jumping on some thing on the floor with a balloon image. So it could be a safety issue if they have no control of things running into something that is pretty much stationary. --running the risks of injury. so adults or those studying probably would be best going to the upper level to study and let the lower floor remain for youngsters activities and the librarians should do a better job to not mislead adults saying they can study safely down there.

Shitty wifi and too many kids. Nowhere cozy to sit and study either. Love a good library, but this…read moreplace isn't one of them.

Wow. This is a big new shiny public library. The selection of materials seemed really good and…read morethere were lots of computers. I saw staff readily helping patrons throughout the library with multiple service points. I was here for training in there computer lab and the librarians extended us every courtesy. I'm jealous that their community invests so much in their libraries.

The Oesterle Library is the Library at North Central's campus. It is a really great library because…read morethey have everything you could possibly need and more. It is spacious and well organized. I love going here to work on homework because I can use their computers and they have A LOT of them so I never have to wait when I am in a rush to print something off before class. About a semester ago, I got a walk through of the Library with one of the employees that work there. She showed me a whole area the Library has sectioned off from the rest of the books, that is completely dedicated to the teaching field. It is AWESOME! You can find any book you need on lessons and activities. They also have a whole room where you can check out games and activities to bring to your classes with you when you teach. These kits include all the materials you need to do the activity and some of them are really neat like the giant mannequin whose organs you can remove in the stomach for a health class! I love it. The staff are extremely friendly here too and always looking to help you. The library itself is pretty easy to maneuver around but sometimes it becomes overwhelming because there are so many books and it can take awhile to find what you are looking for. Just ask! Some, if not most, of the employees that work there are students and they are very helpful. They will point you in the right direction.

This library is theee world's most nosiest library ever! I'd be better off at Starbucks. From…read morestudents boldly having phone conversations, phones vibrating, and workers loudly having conversations and laughing at the front desk; it's quite ridiculous. I should not have to get up every 5 mins to tell workers and students to please keep it down in a LIBRARY. They have to do better.

Good solid library. The people that work here are helpful and professional…read more The place is clean and orderly. Fountaindale has everything one needs in a public library. I will be back to study & think,

Super beautiful library with a unique array of items available for checkout. Libraries are always…read morehelpful and respectful. Personally, I love their collection of vinyl records.

This is one of our favorites because it has the whole and vast second floor dedicated to the…read morechildren's section with plenty of books, activities, coloring paper, puzzles, and toys for all ages. Some of the main highlights for us are the plentiful seating and huge sets of magnetic tiles and dominoes. Our girls can easily spend an hour "reading" - which for their age is more like them flipping through the pages and trying to pick up familiar words and objects, or having one of us read to them. A library with enough seating is vital so we wouldn't be occupying a space for too long while others wait. Some libraries have incomplete sets of toys but this one is well-organized and their set of magnetic tiles is very comparable to the ones that we have at home. Our girls cannot seem to get sick of them and would play with them at the Woodridge Library and at home!

I am usually a huge fan of this library but after today, not so much. I went there early today to…read moresee if they had any eclipse glasses. Yes, I waited to the last minute which clearly was my fault. As I stood at the checkout desk I watched two older ladies chatting away for quite awhile I was clearly standing there. When one of them deigned to wait on me and I asked about the glasses she said in a condescending tone that no, you had to be there at a certain time to share the glasses. Ok, I get it that I waited too long but do not talk down to me like I am an imbecile. You might want to teach these women how to treat people with common courtesy.

the website is simply pain in the neck . About time the web page is set right . no matter how…read morecorrectly one enters the bar code etc it does not accept that . please ask the website admin to remove glitches . working on line for lib matters is sheer waste of time

Hey all you complainers about kids: what do you expect? We take our children to the library to…read morecheck out books to bring home, enjoy, learn to read, study, do homework, spend quality time with themselves, others, and so many things. Some of my best memories are of my neighborhood library.

Very nice library! Wish they had a bigger selection, but I understand some libraries are smaller…read morethan others. Great place to work or study!

Knowledgeable staff, excellent selection of books and materials. There is even art to rent for your…read morehome. If the library doesn't have what you're looking for, they can get it through inter-library loan. Programs from pre-school through high school.

If you have a Wheaton address but live in "unincorporated Wheaton," this library is the worst…read moreexperience. It is a beautiful library, but unless you have a library card, you are treated with so much contempt. Want to purchase a library card? Get ready to spend a crazy amount of money. They claim the amount is based on the property taxes you would have paid, but I have always found the quote to be much higher. Also, if you rent but the building you rent from is in "incorporated" Wheaton, you don't pay property taxes, but you do get a library card. The librarians are generally irritated if you ask them simple questions, such as "how do I reserve a room" or "where can I print?" This week, I saw a woman ask to reserve a room and she didn't know that you need to leave an ID because the librarian didn't tell her, then the librarian got upset when the woman didn't hand over her drivers license right away. The library is supposed to be a community place. I just don't understand how it is full of unkind people.

I miss this wonderful library and its wonderful layout, selections, and hours. Especially being…read moreopen Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. I do not have anything as great near me in Florida and am even considering relocating to an area where the community values access to public libraries such as this one.

This library is really quite beautiful. It's large and grand, reminiscent of the Carnegie…read morelibraries, though this is not one of them--the building at their current location is actually only about 45 years old. When you walk in, one of the first things you'll see is the independently operated cafe. Really handy to have at the library, but just check their hours as they don't run concurrently with the library itself. We headed down to the children's section which is on the lower level. It is a really comfortable space for kids and parents; they a rather large toy section with a play flower shop, kitchen, and lots of bins full of toys. The tables had some other activities like little puzzle books or coloring stations. They had bins of books that weren't shelved with the rest of them, but rather organized in the bins by alphabet blocks for easy access to look at with the kids. And there was lots of seating for parents to relax and watch their children. I don't check on the Batavia library since I don't live in the area, but when we were at the cafe waiting I saw on their media screen some of the events they host flash by and they looked interesting. They have in person and virtual events, it seems, which I love for its convenience, accessibility, and inclusiveness. The outside of the library has over a dozen outdoor tables, so grab something at the cafe and enjoy!

I've been visiting this library since 2008 when my husband and I first met. We were living with a…read morefriend in Batavia for a short time, and we would come here to get some space. One of my favorite features of this library is the fireplace and the windows surrounding it. It's my favorite place to chill, read, crochet/knit, just feel like I'm in another place. Since I've been married and had kids, we've taken our kids here multiple times too. They really enjoy the downstairs children's area. There's a lot of activities to do down there and things to play with. They also have a good selection of children's books, DVDs, children's programs during the day, and lots of places to sit. Most of the people working here are very kind and helpful. There is one woman who works at the information desk in the back of the adult section between the main part of the library and the fireplace room I was talking about earlier. She has a strange attitude. I was sitting by the fireplace and it wasn't on and the room was very cold. I went and asked if they could turn it on. She says to me, "Well, we only turn it on when it's cold outside." But then she reluctantly got up and went to turn it on. It was blazing for a second, then went out. She was already back in her seat at her desk ignoring everyone. I didn't understand why she was working here because she seemed so bitter about helping the community at the info desk. ‍ other than that, it's a great place to hang out!

05/20/25 - Beautiful Library located in the middle of a residential area of Elmhurst. The library…read moreis beautifully/large spacious seating & lounge areas. They also have a snack & coffee bar which is a very nice amenity. The only issue is they have very limited parking. I had to drive around to try and find a space

They got cool FREE programs where you learn alot like Illinois hauntings, and as a library it's…read moremassive though it's new school meaning all the school kids running around yelling, talking, non library manners more like a city zoo .