This place is amazing!! I wish I lived here, because I would be borrowing books and hanging out…read more It's huge, and clean and there seems to be a lot offered, outside of regular book rentals. They have a little snack shop and it looks like they employ special needs people, which is always a plus. The bathrooms are extremely clean. It is a bright and clean building, and the employees seem kind.

I had two bad experiences in this library. I was intimidated by another patron. The staff was slow…read moreto respond and never apologized. I had to pay full price for a book with a small stain on the edge. The book was otherwise in perfect condition.They said it could not be circulated. I sent an email to the director and didn't get a response. I will never set foot in the place again.

Small library but we don't mind because there's very limited people here anyway. We try to come…read morehere pretty often as we live 2 seconds away. There are some pros and cons though. The pros include: There is a wide variety of books for kids to check out. It's enough for them to pick out what they like and be happy with. There are 4 tablets at the tablet station. They have learning, educational games for them to keep busy. The kids space has wooden puzzles too if you don't want your kid to play on the tablets. Not a lot of kids during the evening hours. Bathrooms nearby kids section. Kids programs available monthly. Especially in the summer. The cons include: Small selection for adults. I have some trouble finding the books I need. No crafting area to make cool crafts. Not too many toys for kids, so my kids usually come for the tablets. And not too many computers to come and print things out.

Sad excuse for a library. Have never seen such a poor selection of books, magazines etc. If you…read moreneed something you always have to have the staff order it from another library. I get Winfield is a small town with a low budget but it's still disappointing the Wheaton library has plenty of computers, study space and of course a thousand times bigger selection of literature.

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!

What a wonderful, clean, friendly library! Came in to get a library card and the staff was…read moreextremely helpful and friendly. With a wide variety of book, ample study rooms, a cafe, and even a flight simulator, it's the perfect place to come and relax and find a good book to read.

My daughter and her tutor used the Hemingway study room on 5/20 at approximately 5:45 p.m…read more Unfortunately, the experience was extremely unpleasant and concerning. The group using the room prior to them left half-eaten sushi in the trash can, causing the room to smell strongly of fish. To help with the odor, my daughter's tutor, who is also a Glen Ellyn resident, placed the trash can partially in the doorway to keep the door slightly open for ventilation. An employee described as taller with dark hair approached them and stated that it was "policy" that the trash cans had to remain inside the room with the door closed. When the tutor explained the odor issue, the employee returned with a bottle of Febreze and sprayed it directly in their direction inside the enclosed study room, then placed the sushi-filled trash can back inside the room and shut the door again while reiterating that the door had to remain closed. My daughter became physically ill after the session and vomited when she got home. Regardless of intent, spraying a scented chemical irritant into a small enclosed space without asking the occupants was inappropriate and unprofessional. More concerning is that the obvious solution -- simply removing or emptying the trash containing rotting food -- was ignored in favor of masking the smell with spray fragrance. This situation demonstrated poor judgment, lack of customer care, and an unnecessary escalation of a simple sanitation issue.

I am not a cardholder (library hop to change my scenery), so my review is only on ambiance. I…read moreabsolutely adore the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor; the sunlight while studying keeps me sane. The 'cafe' downstairs is a bit tinier than I would like. And I was a bit disappointed that a majority of the library is the second floor, with the first being the cafe, front desk, a little lounging corner, and a kid's space in an entirely different room. So, a majority of noise and people were upstairs, making it a little difficult to concentrate but with some nice headphones you're all good!

Adorable library in a quaint, historic town. I love the architecture of the building from the…read moreoutside. The inside is also very tidy with a nice selection of items.

This place is located in a nice neighborhood. Great place to just hang out. It is quiet so that you…read morecan do what you need to do.

I thought this library was great UNTIL I visited Palatine's (see my review there to see what's so…read moregreat). CS library is laid out like a traditional library and it's not that easy to find things unless you look up the location. It's a smaller library, but it's clean and quiet. They do have a decent collection of DVDs.

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.

This is a Christain college and I am Hindu…read more My husband and I love this library and campus. I had to pay to join the library, and it was worth every cent. The grounds are beautiful to run, and at no cost. Not one negative thing to say about Wheaton College.

I attended Wheaton College as a student, but after graduating I still come here to study & check…read moreout books. The college library is open later than the public libraries so it's a good place if you're studying for a professional certification or have a work project. They are open until midnight week nights and have shortened hours on the weekends. My one complaint would be they are not open on Sundays due to the Sabbath. I understand school policy regarding these hours, but it leaves limited other public options for study spaces. Besides the hours, there are just enough study spaces for the amount of traffic that comes in and out of the library. During midterms and exam weeks I would not recommend trying to find a study spot, it will be too full. As a student or a paying community member, you will have access to the interlibrary loan system where you can check out books from any of the partner colleges in the IL area. It makes for cheap rental of books rather than buying a textbook online. I would definitely recommend paying to be a member if you need access to the library system for renting books or if you need resources on biblical topics. They have one of the most expensive collections of resources as far as reference material for biblical texts, archeological books or peer reviewed journals available online.

Came here for story time for the young one - cute space, well organized and staff are quite…read morefriendly. This review mostly pertains to stuff probably for younger kids however we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We went to the play area in the back before story time where they have Legos, a play area that includes cooking and fake food, lots of word books and cushy stools for kids to lay around and jump on. There's also electronic interactive tablet type things against the walls that I saw kids playing with which looked cool as well. We did the story time and it was quite interactive, the leader was super engaged, kind to the kids, really tried to get all the kids involved. Story time seems to be open for any age but it is recommended that you register online as there is a wait list before the event. When you register online, it asks for how many people in your party, just count the kids do not count the adults. That's the pro tip we were given once we arrived by the staff lol. I loved our experience and will be back for more story time (for my daughter not for me hahaha although I did enjoy the story and dances as well).

Good solution for virus control, all visitors have to wear mask and free mask available if you do…read morenot have. and limit time inside. feel safe

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.