news

April 28, 2015

On Sunday, May 3, 2015, the Barrington Area Library will honor long-time Trustee Richard J. Ryan, who has served on the Library's Board of Trustees for a total of almost 36 years.  A reception will be held at the Library from 2-4 PM. All are invited to enjoy light refreshments, celebrate Dick Ryan's legacy, and thank him for his many years of service, dedication, vision, and community engagement.

Ryan served as Board Treasurer from 1974 to 1980, and as Board President for 25 years, from 1985 to 2010. He plans to step down in May of 2015, after fulfilling his current six-year term.

Even before he was elected to the Board in 1974, he served on the Barrington Area Development Council’s ad hoc library committee and acted as co-chair of the library coordinating committee for publicity. In 1991, the Library broke ground on a 31,000-square-foot addition and renovation project for the library he had help to build in 1978. Of course, he also served on the Board of Trustees that approved and oversaw the Barrington Area Library's complete renovation in 2013-2014.

In 2012, Ryan received the ALA Trustee Citation, established in 1941 to recognize public library Trustees for distinguished service to library development, honors the best contributions and efforts of the estimated 60,000 American citizens who serve on library boards. Ryan was one of only two recipients that year.

When asked to support Ryan's nomination for the ALA Trustee Citation, current Library Board President Don Minner praised Ryan for his persistence in seeing projects through to completion, his tirelessness in advocating for the library within the community, and his openness to new ideas and services within the library. In 2011, Minner and the other trustees bestowed upon Ryan the honorary title of President Emeritus. Executive Director Detlev Pansch notes that Ryan is both an engaged board member and enthusiastic library user, checking out materials several times a week, greeting staff members by name and often attending monthly staff meetings to acknowledge service milestones of longtime employees. Board President Minner sums it up best: “Richard J. Ryan’s decades of work on behalf of the Barrington Area Library can be seen and felt in every part of the building and its grounds, and experienced in all of its collections and services.”

We would be honored if you would join us in in celebrating Mr. Richard J. Ryan.

April 22, 2015

Sunday, April 26, 2015, is going to be a community-wide celebration of Barrington's 150 years, with plenty of opportunities to make new memories to cherish for years to come.

First, experience an exciting day in Barrington, circa 1865! Please note that due to weather, this event has been rescheduled from Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, April 26. To celebrate 150 years, the Village will feature an 1865 Street Festival in downtown Barrington at Cook and Station Streets from 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. The event will transform the area into a historically themed extravaganza replete with old-time fanfare. There will be an extensive selection of small-plated fare, served by numerous local restaurants. This will include a pig roast, as well as other tasty treats of the era. In addition, Egg Harbor will be extending their hours for the day.

Music will be plentiful with performances by the Ragged Rascals, the BHS Jazz Band, and the Barrington Children’s Choir, as well as other groups. You can also enjoy an exciting array of street performers complete with a penny farthing cyclist, a juggler, barbershop quartets, and more. There will even be a chance to kick up your heels for the Virginia Reel.

Free pony rides, a photo booth, and a special Vintage Carnival planned by the Barrington Junior Women’s Club will provide fun for the whole family. In keeping with the era, special thematic souvenirs will also be available for purchase. In addition, the public can purchase the special Sesquicentennial Edition of Quintessential Barrington magazine, which includes dozens of never-before published photographs of Barrington area history, as well as numerous articles about Barrington’s storied past.

Into the evening, enjoy beer and wine bars and music by Pat McKillen and the Knapik Brothers. Share a memory or two with your neighbor as you sit around the fire and raise a cup of cheer as Barrington salutes the past, celebrates the present, and looks toward the future. Barrington’s 1865 Street Festival – it’s THE PLACE to be on April 25th!

Generous premier sponsors for all Sesquicentennial events are Charles Schwab, Wickstrom Auto Group, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, BMO Harris Bank, Barrington Area Community Foundation, Barrington Bank and Trust, Refined Construction Services, and Town & Country Painting of Barrington. More details and a schedule of events on the Village of Barrington website.

Also Sunday, April 26, the Barrington Area Library warmly welcomes you to Socialize, Share, and Celebrate Barrington History!
Stop in between 2-5 PM and enjoy a good, old-fashioned history fair, all about Barrington!

You'll meet and learn from Barrington architects, artists, authors, and organizations. Learn about Barrington's most historic churches, longtime businesses, well-known residents, and Barrington's role in the American Civil War. Enjoy artists' renderings and photographs of beautiful Barrington scenes, while sharing light refreshments and good conversation with your friends and neighbors. Check out the vintage 1928 Pirsch fire truck on our plaza, too!

At 2:30 PM, the Garden Club of Barrington will officially dedicate the Ruth and Robert Work Memorial Garden, on the east side of the library, next to the meeting rooms.

A special thank you to the Girl Scouts of Barrington and their leaders for assistance at this event.

Sesquicentennial Committee members (Jane Christino, Bonnie Gordon, Kay Griffith, Linda Kemper, Bev Kramer, Evie Stachura) wish to express their gratitude to Flo Bash, an early supporter of the arts and culture in Barrington.  Flo spearheaded the Barrington Area Arts Council and “nurtured excellence in every kind of cultural endeavor – artistic and intellectual.”

April 07, 2015

Barrington and the surrounding area are full of amazing authors and storytellers: meet them at the Barrington Area Library's first annual Local Author Fair on Saturday, April 18, from 2-4 PM.

More than 25 authors have signed up to participate in what we hope will become a Barrington Area Library tradition. Enjoy author readings, panel discussions, book signings, and keynote speaker Sonali Dev, whose debut novel, A Bollywood Affair, has won honors from NPR, ALA, and more! You'll meet and hear from poets, illustrators, and memoirists, chroniclers of Barrington history, and creators of fiction both historical and futuristic. It's the perfect afternoon for every book lover! Books available for purchase and signing (hint: signed books make wonderful gifts!). Light refreshments will be served. Free and open to the public, but please register in advance, if possible.

Other authors scheduled to appear:
Mike Bavier | Bani Bhattacharyya  | Dyllis Braithwaite | Orlando Ceaser | Toni Diol | Lance Erlick | Theodore Grippo | Buddy Gunn | Bev Halvorsen | JUST ADDED: Elizabeth Harmon | Frank Heiberger | Diane P. Kostick | Claudia Marie Lenart | Terry Loncaric | John Monek | Mitsuo "Duke" Ogata | Michael J. Pearson | Charles Peraino | Georgann Prochaska | Jim Proebstle | Laura Quinn | Shakuntala Rajagopal | Susan Marie Schulhof | David C. Smith | Eleanor Anne Sweet | Todd Tarbox | Donn Ziebell

 We regret that author Sharon Shea Bossard has had to cancel her appearance.

February 20, 2015

The TARDIS – legendary icon of the worldwide phenomenon known as Doctor Who – is landing at the Barrington Area Library on Sunday, March 8! Doctor Who debuted on British TV screens in 1963 and has been building a seemingly infinite fan base ever since. The Barrington Area Library is hosting an afternoon of celebration, the Dr. Who-Palooza, for Who fans young and old.

The TARDIS will be landing inside the newly-renovated library between 1:30-3:30 p.m., so bring your camera for a photo op alongside a life-size version of the Doctor’s very own TARDIS. Don’t know what a TARDIS is? It’s a large, blue, British police call box that allows the Doctor to travel through space and time. The library’s TARDIS won’t allow you to escape from your overdue library books, but it will make an amazing photo for your Facebook page!

The photo ops don't stop there.  Visit the library’s Studio 1 and the staff will help you add yourself to some Doctor Who images using green screen technology.  Visit the library’s own Lady Cassandra, who is always ready for her close up!

Along with photography fun, stay awhile and work on some family-friendly crafts.  Always wanted to make your own Siege Mode TARDIS?  Now you can!  Need a new coaster?  Create one with Doctor Who decals created in the library’s state-of-the-art MakerLab! Fancy a new bow tie? Library staff will demonstrate how to create a unique bow tie out of duct tape.

Cosplay is the theme of the day, so attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite Doctor Who characters.  All who come dressed in their Whovian finery will receive a fantastic souvenir made in the library MakerLab.  Light refreshments will be served to keep the party going. The library is open from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, and the Dr. Who-Palooza will begin at 1:30 p.m.

This event is free and open to everyone with a love for Doctor Who.  Registration via the library website – balibrary.org – is recommended, or register by phone at 847-382-1300. Tell ‘em the Doctor sent you! The Barrington Area Library is located at 505 N. Northwest Highway, Barrington, Il. 60010. See the library events calendar at balibrary.org – library events for more details, or call 847-382-1300.

February 01, 2015

February 1, 2015: The Barrington Area Library will be closed today due to severe winter weather. No deliveries will be made to the pick-up lockers and materials will not be picked up at the return boxes. If you have recently returned items to one of those boxes, you will not be charged for the extra day.