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The Barrington Area Library is proud to announce that it has received a coveted four star ranking in the annual Star Libraries report, published by Library Journal. We are one of only 17 libraries in Illinois to receive a star ranking this year.

For the 2019 report, Library Journal surveyed 6,333 public libraries in the United States, and 261 received star rankings. This places the Barrington Area Library in the top 4% of libraries nationwide, based on six major service measures – physical material circulation, electronic circulation, number of visits, program attendance, public computer users, and wifi sessions, all per capita - from the 2016-2017 fiscal year. As in past years, BALibrary performed exceptionally well in overall circulation (top 2% nationwide) and e-circulation (top 1% nationwide), which comes as no surprise to our staff: we are proud to serve a community of engaged and curious readers of all ages.

The top 30 libraries in each of Library Journal's nine expenditure categories receive three, four, or five star rankings. See the full Star Libraries report online. The Barrington Area Library received three star rankings in 2010, 2017, and 2018.

We are pleased to share our latest annual report, covering the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

This year's report highlights the many ways in which the Library's programs and services support our mission statement and goals.

Explore how the Library stimulates imagination, creates (young) readers, develops information fluency, and fosters lifelong learning, all in comfortable physical and virtual settings.

Discover a group of young makers changing lives around the world, then discover how great stories and screen-free time change lives right here in the Barrington area.

Learn about Library technology, like the BALibrary app, Creativebug software, and genealogy services, and learn about improvements made to the Library building and campus this past year.

Take note of the many ways in which the Library collaborates with both nonprofit and business organizations, building relationships that inspire innovation and real world problem-solving.

We share this annual report with our thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement.

Read the report online below, or download a printable PDF.

 

Once again, our top-notch Youth Services librarians have compiled a list of their favorite books, published in 2019, for young readers. We hope you and your family find some new favorites here, too!


Our 2019 TEDxBarringtonAreaLibrary speakers: Leslie Ferris Yerger, Andy Milne, and *Star Cunningham.

We're thrilled to bring you our 2019 TEDxBarringtonAreaLibrary videos, from three great speakers with powerful ideas to share.

Listen to and learn from:

Star* Cunningham: One Dot At A Time

Leslie Ferris Yerger: Probably Benign

Andy Milne: This Is Not Your Parents' Health Class

We are excited to announce our new online Events Calendar and Room Reservation system, which is now live and ready for you!

We apologize that, due to technical issues, we were not able to roll out the new services on Monday, Nov 18, as planned.

Ready to browse and registration for Library events? Check out the new Calendar.

Need to book a meeting or study room? Check out the new Room Reservation system.

Q: Why is the Library getting a new Events Calendar and Room Reservation system?

A: The Library's current system is more than 10 years old. It is no longer supported by the company that provided it, it is difficult to customize, it does not integrate seamlessly with websites and apps, and it is difficult to use on mobile devices.

Q: What are the benefits of the new system?

A: The new system, from Library Market, is user friendly and mobile friendly, and will integrate smoothly with our website, app, and digital signage. It features an attractive user interface that is easy on the eyes and meets current Web standards. It also provides time-saving and security benefits to Library staff, and makes it easy to share Library events via social media.