Sent in poster order to photo-duplication department, money was "lost" and no poster.

We had our wedding at the Newberry on 5/24/14 and could not have been happier. Karen and Shaila were phenomenal. Everything went off without a hitch and if we had to do it again we wouldn't change a thing! read more

i studied here for a semester and this place is a gold mine for those obsessed with american history. the collections include extensive documents on american musical traditions, native american history (from their perspective), abolitionist tales, and much much more. the genealogy collection and staff can help you trace your roots from here to 18th century virginia. for reals. the staff is the most knowledgeable and unpretentious i've ever encountered. the maps collection is world-class and the special collections boasts rare specimens ranging from a book made of human skin to civil war pamphlets about miscegenation. you might have to wear white gloves. i also worked for the special events department when i was there. yeah, it's a great place for weddings (yahda yahda) but please, please don't ignore the rich intellectual treasures that lay in store upstairs! read more

We just hosted our wedding here this weekend and there is nothing I can say badly about the whole process. I worked with Adam in the planning process and Karen the day of and both are seasoned wedding coordinators. There were a few hiccups in seating but I really think the Newberry in conjunction with the caterer did everything that they could to make it work out in the end. Karen had decorated the lobby with candles and it was magical. We had a private room upstairs to get away in and it was excellent. Parking was ample and it is in the heart of the Gold Coast. If you have many out of town guests like we do, it is a show stopping location. We have heard nothing but glowing reviews from our guests. There is no reason to have a wedding in the suburbs with a treasure like the Newberry Library right downtown. read more

The Newberry Library proved to be a wonderful location for our wedding. Jessica and Chayla made it easy to say yes to this location. When we went to Chicago to look for venues, we visited a few options, but none stood out except the Newberry. My husband and I met in grad school, so we appreciated having our wedding at a library to symbolize the environment in which we met, and the decor and facilities of the Newberry matched the kind of wedding that we wanted (elegant, but not overly ornate). The weather cooperated so we were able to do the ceremony in Washington Square Park across the street - dealing with the Chicago Park District to get the required permit was a bit of a process, but the Newberry has no control over this. We then hosted cocktail hour in the lobby, which had beautiful modern marble floors and a spectacular staircase leading up to the stacks (pictures here were amazing). The reception was held in Ruggles Hall, which had beautiful natural wood and lighting that made it really stand out. We will never forget our first walkthrough after the decor was set up. Our only headache was related to renovations that were supposed to be completed about a month before our wedding date. Our vendors were able to view the indoor space we had as a backup for the ceremony in case of bad weather 2 weeks prior to the event. However, 3 days before the event we learned that there was a problem and this space would be unavailable -- thus we needed to rework with a number of vendors to establish a new indoor ceremony option. Thankfully we were able to do the ceremony outside as desired. All-in-all, we highly recommend the Newberry to all couples. read more

We got married at the Newberry Library in August of 2011. I loved it because we were able to have our ceremony outside in Washington Square, then come back through the back entrance and make our grand entrance down the marble stairs and join our guests for cocktails in the lobby and then have dinner at Ruggles Hall. I really appreciated that you could bring your own vendors and even your own alcohol if you decided to. Newberry Library was perfect for the wedding of our size (around 100 people). It was also close to places for pictures (State street bridge, Chicago theater, Art Institute). I enjoyed working with both Karens from the event planning department and they were very helpful and easy to get in touch with. And also they have parking for guests which is a big plus downtown. read more

there are books here . . . like pages with words spilling into lines into paragraphs and thoughts, fragments like precipices spilling into blank spaces in the human experience, sharp like spice have finished in the midnight hour . . . and they have a book fair every year and people debating in the square . . . did I mention the books ? Perfection for bibliophiles, seekers of knowledge read more

Just had my wedding at the Newberry and it was amazing. The Karens were easy to work with and the space was amazing. We had 140 people and it was the perfect size. What a grand location! I definitely recommend it as a wedding venue. Unique, elegant and beautiful. We had tons of candlelight and it was beyond romantic! read more

We had our wedding ceremony in Ruggles Hall. It was a beautiful venue, and Chayla and Jessica were so helpful with planning and coordination (especially making sure my groom and I didn't see each other before the ceremony). Thank you! read more

Great place to explore their current exhibit for free while gathering up a little culture. Shakespeare exhibit closing end of December but I would bet the Hamilton exhibit in January will also be worth a peek. Only easily accessible spontaneous place to visit is the exhibit area. There are no books to browse or area to just spontaneously sit and read, but a more serious scholar can register with security and request a specific book or map be brought to them for review. I have not gone to any scheduled lectures yet but I bet this is another wonderful way to experience the library. read more

Our family chose the Newberry Library for our daughter's recent wedding reception. We simply cannot recommend it more highly. The venue lends itself to a sophisticated, high class, yet warm and welcoming atmosphere. From the first visit to the last, Karen (Events Mgr) was pleasant, cordial, flexible and accommodating. For families looking for a reception site for much beyond 200 guests it may not be adequate. Free library parking lot availability off of Oak Street and close distances to several hotels made this choice for us just perfect. We were given a large reception area for baby sitting. The lobby's grand piano was a magnificent touch. It was a great value for our important investment. We cannot recommend it more highly. read more

We had our wedding reception in the Newberry's lobby (during book fair weekend). Chayla did an incredible job walking us through all the logistics and working closely with our vendors to approach challenges creatively. She gave me great advice throughout the process and her professionalism and cheerful attitude made everything perfect and memorable. Thank you Chayla! read more

My daughter and son-in-law had their wedding at the Newberry in July 2014. I was the main wedding planner for this event. The venue offered everything my daughter was looking for. The ceremony was outside in the park and we had picture perfect weather! Cocktails in the lobby provided a a unique atmosphere for our guests. The reception in Ruggles Hall was elegant. It is a beautiful room and you don't need to go overboard with decor as it can stand on its own. We ended up with 150 guests and had a huge dance floor. We set up the room in a U shape and it was perfect. Finally I can't say enough about Karen and Chayla from the Newberry. They promptly responded to all my questions during the planning process, offered suggestions and were on site the day of to help out as needed. I highly recommend the Newberry if you are looking for a unique and elegant venue. Thank you again Karen and Chayla read more

My husband and I love the annual book sale for its wonderful selection and very helpful staff. We also look forward to the Bughouse Square debates during the book sale weekend. read more

Currently reading, 'The Time Traveler's Wife' and much of the story takes place at this library..looking forward to seeing it for myself!

We held our wedding here, and it was a wonderful experience. Karen and her team made everything run smoothly. They were extremely helpful, and really made our day perfect. read more

Settled right in the midst of the beautiful Near North Side of Chicago, close to many attractions, restaurants and hotels, this was the perfect location for our Annual IT Conference. Even though it is right downtown, you would have no idea as it is nestled in a quiet neighborhood next to a picturesque park. I coordinated my event with the Event Sales team who were one of the best teams I have ever dealt with, and I have been doing this for quite a while. Resourceful, efficient, friendly, accommodating and quick are an understatement of the service I was provided when working with them; they were PHENOMENAL! The space was new and usually the two problems we usually have are AV/Microphone issues, however with their IT team and newer equipment, everything went smoothly and experienced no complications. We used the Ruggles Hall which worked perfect for our main forum and the smaller conference rooms downstairs. They will also be placing in even more spaces which we are highly excited to see come this fall! They were also very helpful with organizing top vendors in the area and had some great deals with them which was very helpful for us. I would have never imagined using a library for a conference venue but can't tell you how glad I was that we did! The conference was a huge success and to those fellow Meeting planners I highly HIGHLY recommend it! read more

I was an intern at the Newberry last summer and it was a lovely place to work. A couple of events that everyone should be aware of are the annual book sale and the 'Bughouse Square Debates'. The book sale is the largest in the city and is great for picking up some affordable reading. I helped organize the Bughouse Square Debates, which is an event that takes place every July in the park across the street from the Newberry. There are foodtruck vendors, orators, and a funny little band that plays during breaks. The event is meant to commemorate the gatherings of soap box speakers that took place in the park during the 1900's. It's a very historic area and represents a landmark movement for unionizing in Chicago. Four soapboxes are set up, and on each they have a few speakers who have been pre selected to speak on their topic of choice. There are people from many lines of work and walks of life who are chosen to get up on the soapbox and engage the audience. Audience interaction is encouraged, in a respectful manner of course. At the end of it all the judges vote on the best speaker and they are presented with the dill pickle award. It's a fun event that takes place at the same time as the bookfair happening within the library, and it's FREE!!! Check it out! read more