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You're invited to the Barrington Area Library's 100th Birthday Party!
Where: Barrington Area Library
When: Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 10 AM to 2 PM
Who: Library lovers of all ages - this celebration is free and open to everyone!
Drop in or register for a reminder email
Want to learn more about the Library's history? Visit our interactive timeline!
Schedule of Activities
Photo Booth:
10 AM - 2 PM
Get a photo in our glitzy photo booth! Meeting Room.
Crafts (While Supplies Last):
10 AM - 2 PM
Color your very own birthday crown.
Make a birthday button.
Create a pretty paper flower.
Visit the MakerLab to create a sublimation magnetic bookmark with our 100th anniversary logo.
Fun and Games:
10 AM - 2 PM
Enjoy a variety of carnival games. Meeting Room.
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Dunk the Director: Step up to the dunk tank and take aim at the Library Director and other staff! Outside on the Plaza.
Airbrush Tattoos:
11 AM - 1 PM
Face Paint Pizzazz will be providing FREE airbrush tattoos in our Youth Services Game Room.
Free Seedlings
10 AM - 2 PM
Take home a free seedling, while supplies last. Courtesy of Bartlett Tree Experts. Swamp White Oaks will be available.
Live Music and Entertainment:
10-10:20 AM
Join with the Barrington Children's Choir in singing Happy Birthday to the Library! Atrium.
11:30 AM - 2 PM
Listen to the music of the Dixieland Jazz Cats roving throughout the Library and even outside, weather permitting.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Don't miss amazing roving juggler Andy Head throughout the Library (and outdoors, weather permitting).
Sweet Treats:
Enjoy a birthday cupcake, an ice pop, and a cold drink while supplies last.
We invite you to read our latest annual report, for fiscal year July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, and discover the many ways in which the Barrington Area Library creates community.
Explore our fruitful partnerships with local non-profit organizations like the Barrington Township Food Pantry, Bacoa, BStrong Together, and the Barrington Area Volunteer Connection.
Check out the results of our recent renovation projects, like the new MakerLab and improved Youth Services department.
Celebrate a year's worth of successful programming for all ages, and see which Library services are most popular amongst BALibrary customers.
Then get ready to celebrate our 100th anniversary with us on Saturday, June 21, 2025!
Read this year's annual report.
September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month! There is only one week left in the month, so we're going to stretch out our Library Card Sign-Up Month event just a little bit longer, to make sure everyone has a chance to sign up for a card, renew their card, or just get a raffle ticket!
Do you already have a Barrington Area Library card? Show it at the main Customer Service desk to receive a raffle ticket: you might win a t-shirt, tote bag, or notebook/pen set!
Need a Barrington Area Library card? Sign up or renew your card this month and you'll also get a raffle ticket and a special sign-up gift.
It's our way of saying "thank you" to our wonderful, supportive community, and encouraging everyone to sign up for the most valuable card you'll ever own: your BALibrary card!
Our full annual report will be published later this year, but as we wrap up fiscal year 2023-2024, we want to let you know how much we appreciate your support and enthusiasm for all that the Library has to offer. It was truly an extraordinary year here at BALibrary! Take a look at these numbers.
| FISCAL YEAR SERVICE | FY 22-23 | FY 23-24 | INCREASE |
| Library Visits | 208,915 | 268,722 | +29% |
| One-On-One Appointments | 496 | 891 | +80% |
| MakerLab Visits | 8,676 | 12,907 | +49% |
| Study Room Usage | 9,199 | 11,091 | +21% |
| Meeting Room Usage | 667 | 724 | +9% |
| Circulation | 788,394 | 824,100 | +5% |
| Program Attendance | 78,249 | 79,980 | +2% |
And that's only part of the story. We're also meeting or exceeding pre-pandemic numbers in some instances.
Program attendance has more than doubled since FY 2018-2019 (33,864 ⇨ 79,980).
MakerLab visits have more than doubled since FY 2018-2019 (5,968 ⇨ 12,907).
Overall circulation of materials has increased by almost 7% since 2019.
On your recent visits to the Library, you've seen signs of renovation work taking place. New this year or coming soon:
- A brand new, much larger MakerSpace, to accommodate demand.
- Improvements to the Youth Services department, including a Baby Garden, train table, and storage cubbies, as a result of your feedback.
- Water bottle filling stations, also from your feedback.
- Adult computing on the second floor, also from your suggestions.
- Improvements to the audiovisual presentation equipment in the Zimmerman Room.
We're continuously striving to raise the standard and offer you the very best in library service, experiences, and stewardship. Thank you for putting your trust in us and for making the Library a vibrant and vital place in the heart of the community.
We're so excited to tell you about our new 24/7 outdoor pick-up lockers at the Main Library location!
You know how convenient it is to place holds on BALibrary items in our online catalog. Use your Library account to place hold requests, and when the items become available, we contact you to let you know they are ready for pick-up. For holds at the Main Library, you now have the option to choose indoor pick-up during regular Library hours, or 24/7 outdoor pick-up.
Why choose 24/7 outdoor pick-up? The Library is open seven days a week, but sometimes you might need access to your held items during the early morning or late evening hours when the building is closed. There may be times when walking into the Library building to get your items is difficult, whether due to physical challenges, severe weather, or your family's busy lifestyle.
How does 24/7 outdoor pick-up work?
- Search our online catalog for books, movies, and other items.
- When you find something great, click the "Place Request" button.
- Log in with your BALibrary card #/User Name and Password.
- When you are prompted to select a Pickup Location, choose "Barrington Library Lockers" for 24/7 outdoor pick-up. (Prefer indoor pick-up during Library hours? Just select "Barrington Library," as always.)
- When you receive notification that your items are ready for pick-up, head to the lockers in our parking lot. You'll find them near the drive-up book return. After dark, motion-activated LED lighting will light your way!
- Scan your BALibrary card with the scanner, lift the protective cover from the touchscreen, follow the prompts, grab your items, and enjoy your Library materials!
Barcode Scanner
Locker Touchscreen
Questions about our new outdoor pick-up lockers? Stop by, give us a call, email, text, chat - we're here to help!