I have visited libraries all my 70 years, but this one offers so much more than any I have…read moreencountered. The items that can be borrowed are amazing - more than books, music and films. Need help in transferring your old films to digital- they can help! Their events for all ages are great: Lego gatherings, book clubs, workshops and classes. It's surprisingly high tech and impressive. The library is a real asset to this little town and everyone should visit it and see for themselves!

As mentioned, this is a branch location but possibly one of the nicest branch locations I have…read morevisited. The staff are great with directional support. Though the selections and services are distilled at this venue, you are still able to access all of AAPL materials via this location, since they are connected with one another. They do have a private lot and the facility is tidy.

We were in the middle of packing for a trip in southern Illinois to leave the next day! I wanted a…read morebook to read, but didn't have time to go to the library! In order to save some time I called our library, the Crystal Lake Public Library, to see if they had the book(s) I wanted to take on our trip! A lovely staff member named Katy was so helpful! She found the books and held them so I could pick them up before closing!! I wish all employees could be as patient, helpful and professional as she is!

Crystal Lake's library offers a nice selection of services. Of course they have books, and large…read moresection of both DVDs and CDs (really, I thought it was quite impressive for a small library). They have computers for patron use, lots of chairs scattered about and at least 10 tables in various areas. They also offer free WiFi (awesome), and they have charging station set up in several different areas of the library. They also have a selection of board games for folks to check out as well. I expect the aforementioned services require a library card; I live in the city and just happened to be in town and needed a place to hang out while a friend attended a funeral. But it was a comfortable, quiet place to get some work done and remain undisturbed for several hours.

I have been using this library since '09 and have never had an issue! Great staff! There is a…read morewonderful selection of programs as well. They do an amazing job engaging with the community.

Love going here with my kiddos to pick out a great book or activity kit! Great set up with a HUGE…read moreselection. We go every week to pick a book to read together and then we each select a personal book. Staff is always great very clean library!

Second time visiting the library, and the staff were extremely nice. Also, I love the self-checkout…read moreand return machines! They make the process quicker and smoother. I do wish there were more books, but I was so glad to see the diverse collection that they offer!

Such a cute, cozy little library. Plenty of parking out in front.read more

This is by far the best library that I have been to, it may be smaller than most libraries, but it…read moremore than makes up for it with a staff that is always friendly, helpful and professional, and while having the intangibles like warmth, character and familiarity, it also possesses a greater quantity and quality of books, that you do not see in the much larger, but somehow more empty libraries.

ALWAYS SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY! Over the past few years, I have utilized my library for their…read moreaudio books using the Libby App. Because I prefer physical books, and have not been traveling as much this year, I finally checked out my first physical book since moving to the area! They had in stock Laila Lalami's, The Other Americans. I checked out the beautiful hardcover and have three weeks to read. Lately, that hasn't been an issue, I've been tearing through books in less than a month. I also noticed that they have Susan Abulhawa's, Against A Loveless World: A Novel in the digital library. I asked if they planned on getting it physically and they ended up ordering it because I requested it! That is pretty amazing. I have had a number of questions about the library resources and they have always responded to me quickly. They are also taking precautions with COVID-19. Support your local library and return your books on-time! :)

The Marengo-Union library is Great! The staff is fantastic always willing to help! Always greet…read moreyou with a smile and welcome you to the library! Nice selection of Books and DVDs! So lucky to have this library and staff!

Staff is great, good selection, mobile app "PrarieCat" makes it easy to manage what you have…read morechecked out and request items from other libraries. Fineless library too. Decent programs for kids on a recurring basis too.

The library it's very nice and good resources. I wish they had more programs for multilingual…read morecommunity. It's one of the most underutilized places in town but they are trying. I wish they could get to the level of Vernon Area Public Library but well that's a higher standard to uphold. Staff seem nice and knowledgeable. Areas are clean and good parking.

this is worth the visit, great staff and you get to see the library cats, they have two...Newbie…read moreand Mimi, they are such loves. Last year I read a book about Dewey the library cat, did some research and found library cats still exist, so I now make sure I pass thru area that has one. I live in Kentucky, visit Wisconsin and have stopped in Litchfield, Ill. to see Stacks, Richmond, Ill to see Newbie and Mimi...it is fun to see them and gives a nice place for a rest stop. When traveling look for the gems that you did not know were out there, it is worth the trip. Roadsideamerica.com will show you things you never know were close by and worth the visit. I was very happy to visit the Nippersink Library, the ladies were very nice and showed me around and let me play with the cats. You will also enjoy driving thru the countryside and the town of Richmond, lots to see. Have a nice trip.

This review is for the virtual library services. With the pandemic in full swing, I have been…read moredoing more virtual events this year. With most of the places I love going to being in lockdown, there is plenty of time at home to take in these events. McHenry Library partnered with John Gowing, a teacher in England for 32 years, then a London Blue Badge tour guide for 11 years, to present a virtual tour of Westminster Abbey. While most definitely an Englishman, John reside in Huntley, IL, after marrying an American and presents talks on British history, culture and London tourist attractions for local groups. The hour long presentation consisted of John speaking on the history of the Abbey, along with showing photos of the architecture and various tombstones in the Abbey. John was very engaging and had a lot of great antidotes to the tour. Having toured the Abbey three times pre-covid, this was a nice trip down memory lane and definitely easier on the feet. He has his own Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AVeryBritishSubject/?ref=page_internal. Kudos to McHenry library for setting up this event. Tour itself went smoothly and there weren't any technical hiccups. One of my favorite parts of touring the Abbey are the different people buried there and the ten modern martyr statues above the west doorway. The lower part of the towers are 15th century and the tops of the towers were completed in 1745. There were never any statues in this space, although it was obviously intended that they should. The space was empty until 1998 when martyrs of the 20th century were added. The ten statues represent people who have died in circumstances of oppression and persecution: Kolbe from Poland, Manche Masemola from South Africa, Janani Luwum from Uganda, Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, Martin Luther King Jr from the USA, Oscar Romero from El Salvador, Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Germany, Esther John from Pakistan, Lucian Tapiedi from Papua New Guinea and Wang Zhiming from China. The Archbishop of Canterbury unveiled the statues in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II in July 1998. Four different sculptors carried out the statues which are carved from French Richemont limestone. After doing this virtual tour, I decided to check out the library to see what other events they had scheduled and ended up getting an e-card. I have not been to a library in years except to possibly vote. It was easy to set up the e-card and I had instant access to their online content. They have the usual e-books and magazines, but I was very happy to see that they also have some selections from Acorn TV. You can "check out" content for 7 days before it is pulled, but can sign up again for an additional 7 days. In addition to Acorn, there is The Great Courses, IndieFlix and Qello (concerts). I have to say that thanks to seeing this event on Yelp, it has connected me to new sources of online entertainment in John and the library. I would say check it out if you are looking for something to do from the comfort of your home that is both entertaining and educational.

Much money, not enough kindness to the homeless who are, according to the Board, not allowed to ask…read morefor money outside of the library. It is a far far better thing to quit acting like that because chapter by chapter Dickens was kind to his people. When they load the tumbril carts at the nursing homes with the dead, it's all absolutely Bubba Ho Tep up in this gear. Smoke Signals Newsletter, O and OUT