The library is beautiful. It was established as a Carnegie library back in the day. They have a…read moreHUGE children's section--honestly, the children's services department puts most of the CPL libraries to shame. When I was here I saw some advertisements for some really cool programs. Children, teens, adults can all find something interesting. There are in person programs as well as hybrid ones, and some of their book clubs meet both in person and virtually, which is pretty great. Interestingly, they don't seem to have a checkout desk--from what I can tell, it's all self checkout. There's a patron services desk when you enter, but that's more for help and information. To the right of patron services is a self checkout and there's also one in the children's services department. There's a large meeting room on the first floor, where various events are held. The children's services section is one we haven't fully explored but they have an all-gender toilet with baby changing station, as well as a calming room. The calming room requires access from one of the librarians. There is a portable baby changing station here (be sure to bring your diaper changing pad since it's fabric, and you know there's a baby who pottied as their diaper was being changed). There's also a sink, which is helpful. And there are some toys and materials that help children to be calm, breathe deep, sit and decompress. It's a great idea. Outside there's a little courtyard with a sculpture and they (sometimes, at least) have some Adirondack-style chairs out to kick back and relax. There's also an area that has some chess tables outside of the library. There doesn't seem to be dedicated parking for the library. Instead, you'll find parking on the street or in the public lot to the west of the library. It's public, free, three hour parking but it's shared with any businesses in the Uptown district. The Park Ridge Metra Station is also directly to the west of the library. In the outside as well as inside there's a sensor where you can wave your hand to hehe the door open, rather than one of the push-button ones. Although it's in general accessible, there are detectors when you enter the library so I'm not sure if someone with a wheelchair or other mobility device would be able to easily enter.

We returned here after a long ~5 year hiatus with my oldest grand-darling. She had another school…read moreday off and we dropped in to putz around a bit in the children's department. It was a perfect place to visit, and she did a little art project that was posted on the wall with contributions from other kids, she played an educational video game, and she picked up a complimentary DIY make a kite kit, which was this month's library promotion for kids. The children's department is still top notch and there is plenty to do here with some free time, and we'll visit again sometime. Along the way, we were very pleased to have a reunion with Mrs. Mary Mason who was manning the children's department desk. I remembered her from her wonderful toddler story-time sessions with this same grand-daughter, and she is now an 18 year veteran. It was a delight to see excellent staff like her stay with this also excellent library and that there was mutual loyalty in this day and age of jumping around. My grand-daughter honestly didn't remember a thing about this place or Mrs. Mary, but who does when they are only 2 years old. Oh well, c'est la vie, but we shall return.

I am LOVING this library. A friend mentioned a while back that they do a story time in the evening,…read moreand I have been meaning to look at their schedule to see if it was still something they offer. So happy to find it is still on their schedule! We've been a couple times now and will continue to go whenever we can. Most libraries have a story time in the morning, which is not something I can ever get to as a working parent. But family story time starts at 7, and I'm willing to let my kiddo go to bed a little later in order to attend this particular event. It's really well attended; there have been 5-8 kids there when we've gone. The librarians set it up with little rug tiles, individual ones for the kids to sit on. Most adorable of all the librarians have a variety of stuffed animals placed at each place for the kiddos to hug and play with during the story time. Great idea and great way to stick with the theme! This story time lasts around 30 minutes (though the first time we were there, Ms. Mary went 45-60 minutes) and includes stories and songs. I don't have a library card for this branch, so I haven't explored any of its books or other offerings. However, I believe that they offer passport appointments, which is a nice alternative to having to go to the post office to do it, though I'm not sure if they only do that for residents or not.

Such an inviting and organized library. The workers are so inviting and helpful and usually…read moresmiling. The activities hosting here for kids are amazing. The organization of the books in the library works well for book searching.

There are a few reasons why we don't go to this library anymore…read more First and foremost, we're not as proud of the people they're proudest of in Hoffman Estates. If you're not proud of or for them, we've noticed that kids have been ostracized to the point of crying. This affects them in school, and they "get into trouble". Or worse, people tell others "trouble follows them around".

Schaumburg library has the complete collection of videos that are educational and audio books…read morethat I have seen. The staff is great, very knowledgeable. I love to work at this place.

This is a wonderful library that includes study areas you can book as well as the standard fiction,…read morenonfiction, AV, and new books areas. There's also a quiet reading room on the main floor if you're interested in a more immersive reading experience separate from the cozy chairs and tables in the various aisles. The main star of the show is the children's area downstairs: it's the entire floor, and the librarians do an excellent job of putting out award-winning books, different themed collections, and maintaining the various game stations. Recently, my partner visited, and I asked him to surprise me with a new mystery read. The librarians at the front desk were really helpful in his search, and offered him a selection of nine suspense, thriller, and mystery books to choose from. They really knocked this request out of the park. The ease of self-checkout is also coupled with the vast interlibrary loan program. I'm able to request any book within the system of regional libraries, which makes it so easy to get any book I'm curious about. Great parking lot out back with some street parking out front.

This little library is very cute. I stopped in with my child because they were having an…read moreinteractive story in the library, which sounded interesting. It is a cool concept, as they put different stations up throughout the library that tell the story. It's too advanced for my toddler but their publicity for this made it sound like this isn't a one-time sort of event, so I'll look forward to a future interactive story. Whilst we were here we stopped by the children's section. It's located in the library's basement. They have areas for kids of different ages though of course kids can hang out in the different areas regardless of age. In the section for littles, there's a pipe that spans a portion of the room and kids can talk to one another through it, which was kinda cool and fun. MGPL has some good programmatic offerings, and I'd like to take them to my kiddo when we can make it. They recently had a magician in their auditorium, and I believe they have an evening story time as well. The only thing I am unsure about is the parking and its relationship to the doors. I parked in the back since all the street parking out front was taken, but it doesn't seem like there was any door from that back parking lot and I'm not sure I was super comfortable with that when it was so dark and we were ack there alone. The side entrance may be open during all hours, though, so that may be the option.

The Glenview Public Library is an incredible resource for the community. It's bright, clean, and…read morehas an excellent selection of books, movies, and other materials for all ages. The children's area is especially wonderful, with plenty of books, interactive spaces, and engaging programs that our kids always enjoy. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to help. We also appreciate the variety of events and activities offered throughout the year for both children and adults. It's one of our favorite places to spend a quiet afternoon, and we're so grateful to have such an outstanding library in the community.

I really enjoyed visiting Glenview Public Library. It's a beautiful, clean, modern, and welcoming…read moreplace. The children's area is thoughtfully designed with plenty of space for kids to explore, read, play, and learn. I especially like that it's not too crowded, creating a calm environment where children can focus and use their imagination. The staff are always kind, friendly, and happy to help. Whether you're looking for a quiet place to read, study, or spend time with your family, this library is a wonderful choice. I look forward to visiting again.

It's a lot smaller than the main branch but it's a nice place to go when you don't want to deal…read morewith the sheer size of the main branch. This branch is often underutilized but carries the most popular materials and therefore can sometimes be more convenient and faster than going to the main branch. Alike the main branch they too have funding en route to expand the collections and update the building which is much needed. My main qualm with this branch is how outdated it looks next to the main branch. They offer many of the same services that the main branch offers and it is disappointing that it is so underutilized. So if you are a Palatine library cardholder, go and use it! Pro Tip:This location can take back books & materials from any other Palatine branch so if you are in the area of it but don't have the main branch on your route that day you can dump your books off here!

this building is M.O.D. like 60's mod. but simultaneously futuristic…read more i was completely taken aback as i entered. i have never seen a library quite like this one. kinda made my mouth hang open. i got lost trying to find the ladies room because the black & white circle patterns were making me dizzy. no joke. (so while i was totally awe-inspired and impressed overall, of course i have to nitpick. that's what happens when you're "in the industry." meet me in the next paragraph if you're not interested in this little rant.) i did not like the youth desk; i felt like the staff were hiding behind this weird green panel. kids would have to go to either side to see them. and when standing in front of the desk, all you see is the green panel, oddly positioned, and noticeably NOT covering the many, many wires protruding under the desk from the computers. i really do not understand this design. some things i loved about this library: --the storytime room looks like the bottom of a rocket from the outside. totally cute. (nitpick: is there a way to get in without taking the stairs?) --they have a sort of enclosed outdoor space right near the storytime room. jealous! --wide, open spaces, likely with lots of little nooks and crannies to get yourself cozy in. --wonderful, helpful, knowledgeable, talented staff.

The library is enormous and well kept! The staff is knowledgable and friendly. It is nice and…read morequiet and has a vast selection of books and movies. My kids and I love it!

I'd like to visit this branch again sometime to give it another chance. We came here for story…read moretime... but it wasn't actually story time. We were indeed late by about 10 minutes, but when we went into their community room there were a bunch of kids/families doing some crafts or something, but no story taking place. I'm not sure there was a librarian in the room--if there was, I couldn't easily identify them and they didn't bring attention to themselves. We left because we didn't know what the craft or whatever was and there wasn't really space, and I'm not really sure when the story time is actually story time because this was called story time... I'm definitely not opposed to a craft activity, but if there are not stories and it's a craft event I just want to be prepared and be there extra early. The branch is one of the smaller of the branch libraries, though not unusually small--many of the branch libraries are about this size, especially those from around the same era (I think this one was built in the 1960's). It has a nice kids/children's section which takes up a significant portion of the library, and the children's section is located in a great spot since there's a huge, unobstructed window that provides tons of light. A cool piece of branch trivia is that it was named for Carl Roden, a CPL librarian who lived in Norwood Park and started his career at the library as a page in the 19th century! Interestingly given its location, parking at this library is almost nonexistent. There is a lot behind the library, which may have an accessible space since there's a ramp to the entrance from this lot, but there's only about five spaces and two were taken up by library/city vehicles. Your better bet is to use the free parking along Northwest Highway in front of the branch. It's also directly across from the Norwood Park Metra stop, so that's another option.

This is definitely one of the smaller CPL branches. People here have been very nice and helpful. Im…read moreglad I'm able to reserve books I want online and pick them up here. One day I will take advantage of some of their programs.