Library Facts (location, hours, loans, fines, etc.)
Library Policies

The Morton Grove Public Library serves the informational, professional, educational and recreational needs of Morton Grove's diverse, multicultural community. Morton Grove Public Library's building of 31,000 square feet houses more than 136,000 items, ranging from current best-sellers to the latest in audiobooks and DVDs, popular computer, history and medicine titles, as well as more than 400 magazines and newsletters.

An extensive reference collection includes encyclopedias, indexes and current business services, such as Standard & Poor's, Morningstar Mutual Funds, Weiss Ratings' Guides, and Value Line. The Library subscribes to 50 online databases for business, health, test preparation, genealogy, encyclopedias, literature, and magazine/newspaper articles on general, business, and health topics. All of these databases are available at public access computers in the Library, and the majority are also available to Morton Grove cardholders through remote access at home if Internet access is available.

The Library recently became a WiFi Hotspot , offering free high speed access to the Internet for patrons who would rather use their own laptop or portable WiFi-enabled device. Digital eBooks and audiobooks are available for patrons to download via the Library's Web site from any Internet-connected computer. The Library's eBook collection includes bestsellers and classics, fiction and nonfiction from popular authors and leading publishers.

In addition to books, Library patrons also may borrow magazines, videos/DVDs, audiobooks, and compact discs. Special needs patrons have available large print books, audiobooks and a television-based vision-enhancement system. Homebound service is available for Morton Grove residents unable to come to the Library because of illness or physical disability. The Library also offers services and materials outside the scope of our current collection through our affiliation with the North Suburban Library System. Librarians use this interlibrary loan network to obtain a range of books, magazines, reference services, and other information not readily available at the Library.

The Library provides a variety of additional services including Internet access computers and use of Microsoft Office products in both the Adult and Youth Services Departments, as well as photocopying machines and listening stations for public use. The Youth Services Department has two Macintosh computers and two AWE Early Literacy computer stations, with educational software installed for use by children.

Many free programs are offered at the Library. On Tuesdays at 11:30 patrons may bring their lunch and enjoy the Movies, Munchies & More series. Shows feature travelogs, documentaries, feature films, lectures, interviews and artistic performances. Each month the library sponsors many informational and entertaining programs, from dramatic and musical performances to lectures on topical subjects to librarian-led book discussions.

The Morton Grove Public Library's Youth Services Department has a collection of approximately 55,000 items, which include books, compact discs, CD-ROMs, multi-media kits, and videos/DVDs for children to check out. Youth Services offers year-round reading programs, art contests and regularly scheduled preschool and infant story hours. Among the many special events offered by Youth Services staff are arts and crafts classes, Chess Club, special reading programs and contests, and drama groups.

You can check the status of your account, renew materials, and place holds on Library materials in the Library's automated catalog from your home if you have access to the Internet. The Library's iBistro catalog can also be accessed through the iBistro logo on our Web site (www.webrary.org).

To register for a Library card, simply bring into the Library a photo ID that verifies your current Morton Grove address. A parent's signature is required for children under 18, along with a parent's photo ID.

The Morton Grove Public Library's hours are:

Monday - Thursday : 9 AM to 9 PM
Friday : 9 AM to 6 PM
Saturday : 9 AM to 5 PM
Sundays : 1 PM to 5 PM

For additional information call (847) 965-4220; Fax 965-7903. For mobility and communications access assistance, please call the Library's Program Coordinator at the above numbers.

Updated June 2006

History

From Morton Grove, Illinois, 1895-1995: Centennial Anniversary., Morton Grove Centennial Commission, 1994.

The Morton Grove Public Library was established in 1938 with federal WPA financial assistance supplementing community action and in response to the educational and cultural needs of a growing community. Beginning with a volunteer staff and 300 books collected through donations placed in a barrel at Village Hall, the first Library was opened using floor space in a store at 6100 Lincoln Avenue. When that store needed its space, the Library was moved to 6244 Lincoln Avenue.

The Library made its third move to a temporary home in 1948 when it relocated to the second floor of the old Callie Avenue fire station. The Fire Department's need to reclaim that space spurred efforts to obtain a permanent library site. Village residents' 1949 approval of a $33,000 bond issue paved the way for the construction of Morton Grove's first permanent library building, in Monument Park, Georgiana and Lincoln Avenues. Monument Park had been purchased by the Women's War Working Circle as the site for their Doughboy statue, erected in 1921 to honor World War I Veterans.

The Morton Grove Public Library moved into its permanent facility on February 3, 1952. In June, 1956, the basement level of the new Library was remodeled for use as a Children's Room. In 1962 and 1969 referenda were passed for additions to the Library and remodeling of existing facilities. The most recent expansion of the Library's facility was opened in 1980 and included a 160-seat auditorium.

In 1965, the Library was one of twenty-two founding member libraries of the North Suburban Library System (NSLS). NSLS enabled member libraries to exchange information, share resources and establish a reciprocal borrowing program, which has led, through the years, to the practice of honoring library cards of residents throughout the state. NSLS also organized a Central Serials Service (CSS) to permit broad public access to articles from numerous periodicals. CSS was housed in the basement of the Library's facility until 1994, when loss of state funding led to its closing.

Myra Aggen was the Library's first full-time director, serving from 1955 to 1971. She was succeeded by Joan Stewart (1971 - 1985), Paul Feil (1985 - 1988), Sharron McCoy (1988 - August 2005), and Benjamin H. Schapiro (September 2005 - ).

www.webrary.org/inside/mgpldoc.html
First published on the Web: 1/26/1998
Last updated: 5/8/2008, 1:54 PM