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Top Libraries in Chicago, IL
Libraries in Chicago
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Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
Military Museums • Libraries
Downtown / The Loop
Libraries • Educational sites
Near North Side
Visitor Centres • Libraries
Near North Side
Libraries
Near North Side
Speciality Museums • Libraries
West Town
Libraries
West Lawn
Libraries
Near North Side
What travellers are saying
- Trisch VMoberly8 contributionsWalked past this amazing building numerous times during our visit to Chicago. Finally stopped in our last day and glad we did. Even though we had minimal time, the security officer recommended taking the elevator to the 9th floor to see the winter garden. Beautiful venue and view. Hope to visit again to peruse the book shelves.Written 17 April 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Mark L21 contributionsFeatures single exhibits rather than museum approach
Exhibit “Drawn To War” a comprehensive review of the career of famed WW 2 and later political cartoonist Bill Maudlin
Good displays in pleasant bright airy space overlooking Michigan Ave and Grant Park
In a stunning architectural gem, take time to check out lobby especially ceilingWritten 30 June 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - MKMapmanMilton Keynes, UK1,563 contributionsFor casual visitors, the Newberry offer a range of temporary exhibitions (free admission), as well as a small selection of items on show from their permanent collection. There's also a good bookstore as part of the souvenir store.
I was primarily at the Newberry to undertake some academic research and found the staff consistently helpful and engaged - but you do need to arrange with them in advance if you want to use the library facilities and register (there's no charge). Rules are strictly enforced, so you can't take bags or food in (though there are free lockers) and there's a small coffee station on the ground floor, so you don't have to leave the building for refreshment. My only disappointment is that the catalog is a little patchy, and it's not always easy to determine what to get from the stack.Written 27 February 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - IAN DWigan, UK18,886 contributionsThis is home to the historic pumping station. Also acts as a small information centre and little library. Seems odd this survivor from the 1800'S amidst massive skyscrapers.Written 9 September 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Veronica GChicago, IL53 contributionsThis particular location is very fun and the location is accessible to the Chicago River Branch as well. The Red Line CTA train is nearby. In addition, there are plenty of shopping markets to buy anything that you might need.Written 9 July 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- northernkPhoenix, AZ10,134 contributionsif you are in the vicinity and have a moment please make sure you check this place out, always stuff going on, and fascinating structure to visit and admire the construction.Written 10 August 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- AnnalinePark Ridge, IL7,031 contributionsI recently signed up for French classes here. So far so good. I’m not disappointed. I am just confused by the class schedule- system-numbering... and this location doesn’t have its own parking but they validate parking tickets ( for $9)Written 4 February 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- ericziegChicago, IL10 contributionsRead/Write Library features one-of-a-kind self-published books and materials -- a kind of underground history of Chicago. Also worth checking on events and classes there.Written 12 November 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- messrochicago82 contributionsGenealogy programs are offered several times a year from censuses and land records to online databases. This is my go to place for naturalization records, though more are becoming available online.Written 12 May 2015This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Taylor BChicago, IL7,535 contributionsMy wife and I live on Chicago's Gold Coast and for years we visited the Barnes & Noble bookstore at 1130 North State Street for our literary needs. Then, like so many other bookstores, it closed. Fortunately, another Barnes & Noble is located conveniently at 1441 West Webster, at Clybourn, in the Webster Place shopping mall. With lots of parking. Open from 10 to 7 Monday through Saturday and from 11 to 7 on Sunday, it is an all-encompassing store that includes a cafe and offers magazines, textbooks, toys, games, stationery, gifts, DVDs, vinyl records, music, Blu-rays and kids' books. Service is swift and friendly. On our most recent visit, I was able to purchase an early copy of Twilight of the Gods, Ian W. Toll's final volume of his well documented and fascinating study of his War in the Pacific trilogy. This book covers 1944-1945, from the Battle of the Philippine Sea to the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, I love history, especially the Civil War and World War II, and I never cease to marvel at how much new material is uncovered by such gifted writers as Toll.Written 13 January 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Taylor BChicago, IL7,535 contributionsThe T.B. Blackstone Memorial Library on Chicago's South Side, also known as Blackstone Library and Blackstone Branch and just plain Blackstone, has historical and architectural significance. Built in 1902-1904, it was the first dedicated branch in the Chicago Library System and the only branch in the 79-branch system that was constructed using private funding. It was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2010. Located at 4904 South Lake Park Avenue, in the Kenwood community, the library was dedicated to the memory of Timothy Beach Blackstone, president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad from 1864 to 1899 and founding president of the Chicago Stock Yards, who owned the property on which the Blackstone Library now stands. The building was designed by architect Solon S. Beman and modeled after Beman's Merchant Tailors Building, the domed temple facing the lagoon in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the Erechtheum at the Athenian Acropolis. The building features a Tiffany style dome, marble column and walls in the rotunda and foyer, four overhead rotunda murals painted by Oliver Dennett Grover, a mural painter for the World's Columbian Exposition, square Italian marble mosaic flooring, a glass-floor mezzanine, 2,800-pound bronze plate, solid copper core outer front doors, 2,150-pound bronze and glass inner doors, 12-inch-thick granite walls and ionic columns. The interior is just as lavish with bronze and mahogany furnishings, matching built-in shelving and custom-made bronze lamps. Like all branches, the Blackstone Library provides both free wi-fi access and free terminals with both internet access and printing facilties.Written 6 November 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chicago
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