Wilmette Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Wilmette Public Library serves the citizens of Kenilworth
and Wilmette
, Illinois
on Chicago
's North Shore.
. The current building includes an auditorium which is used for concerts, lectures, travelogues, workshops, plays, seminars and artist receptions.
The present building was constructed in 1951 on the site of the original 1901 Carnegie library. The new structure won an architectural award for design from the American Institute of Architects. It was expanded over the years to meet the needs of library patrons, with an expansion in 1988 essentially doubling the size of the building. The library has been an essential part of life in Wilmette, as shown by the fact that 94% of the residents have a library card, far above the national average, and per capita circulation is a high 23 items per capita.
The library's innovative creation of online book discussion groups received favorable notice from the American Library Association. The library was awarded the 2008 ALA Presidential Citation for the Game Maker Academy program established by librarian Brian Myers and offered at WPL as well as a number of other area libraries.
Kenilworth, Illinois
Kenilworth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, north of downtown Chicago. It is the newest of the nine suburban North Shore communities bordering Lake Michigan, and is the only one developed as a planned community...
and Wilmette
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's North Shore.
History
The library was founded in 1901, but traces its origins to private nonprofit lending libraries created as early as 1880. It has occupied several different buildings, including one opened in 1905 which was built with a grant from Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. The current building includes an auditorium which is used for concerts, lectures, travelogues, workshops, plays, seminars and artist receptions.
The present building was constructed in 1951 on the site of the original 1901 Carnegie library. The new structure won an architectural award for design from the American Institute of Architects. It was expanded over the years to meet the needs of library patrons, with an expansion in 1988 essentially doubling the size of the building. The library has been an essential part of life in Wilmette, as shown by the fact that 94% of the residents have a library card, far above the national average, and per capita circulation is a high 23 items per capita.
The library's innovative creation of online book discussion groups received favorable notice from the American Library Association. The library was awarded the 2008 ALA Presidential Citation for the Game Maker Academy program established by librarian Brian Myers and offered at WPL as well as a number of other area libraries.