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March 20, 2020:
Important News Regarding the Barrington Area Library’s Response to COVID-19 (coronavirus)
The Barrington Area Library places the highest value on providing a safe and healthy environment for all customers and staff. We care deeply about the residents of the communities we serve, especially seniors, people with underlying conditions, and others who are at greater risk. Keeping those priorities in mind, we ask you to please note the following service changes:
➠ Friday, March 13 - 31, 2020: all Library programs will be cancelled.
➠ Friday, March 13, 2020: all toys and high-touch interactives, including the iPads and blue blocks, will be removed from the Youth Services department until further notice. The Youth Services and Young Adult Game Rooms will be open as work/study space but no gaming equipment will be available.
These precautionary changes are based on guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which cite social distancing and event cancellations as effective means for preventing the spread of disease.
We advise all customers who are not feeling well to stay home and focus on their well-being. The BALibrary.org website is open 24/7, with tens of thousands of e-books, e-audiobooks, digital magazines, streaming movies and shows, and online research databases available with just a few clicks and a Barrington Area Library card. Now is an ideal time to explore our very popular digital resources.
Concerned about returning your Library materials while you’re at home? No worries. Just give us a call at 847-382-1300 or chat with us online – we’re here to help.
We will continue our rigorous and increased schedule of cleaning and disinfecting throughout the building. Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are available to all customers.
We will continue to closely monitor information on COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state/county health departments. Our response will undoubtedly continue to evolve based on that information, and we will keep you informed via our website (balibrary.org), social media channels (Facebook and Twitter), and e-mail newsletters.
We encourage all community members to seek out reliable, factual information about coronavirus disease. The following websites are helpful resources for staying informed.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Share Facts About COVID-19”
Illinois Department of Public Health, “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)”
Lake County, IL, Health Department, “COVID-19”
Cook County Department of Public Health, “Novel coronavirus”
Village of Barrington, “Information about the Coronavirus (COVID-19)”
World Health Organization, “Novel Coronavirus 2019” website
About Our Teaching Garden and Teaching Prairie
Begun in 2021 as a partnership between the Library, the Barrington Breakfast Rotary Club, and the University of Illinois Extension Cook County North Master Gardeners, our Teaching Garden is an outdoor classroom for hands-on, multi-generational learning, as well as a quiet place to relax and read. Located in the southeast corner of the Library’s upper parking lot, the Garden is fully accessible, and offers comfortable seating in a beautiful setting.
Teaching Garden Workshops
Tuesdays, 9:30-11 AM
Local gardeners provide hands-on instruction in seasonal gardening tasks. From 9:30-10 we’ll focus on basic garden maintenance. From 10-11, we’ll focus on a specific gardening topic. Meets weekly starting Tuesday, May 28, weather permitting. Registration suggested.
July 23: Growing and harvesting herbs
July 30: Tomato troubleshooting
August 6: Gardening with kids
August 13: Controlling spreading perennials
August 20: Flower harvesting and preserving
August 27: Garden mosaic craft
September 10: Gardening with kids
September 17: Seed collecting
September 24: Seed collecting
October 1: Harvesting
October 8: Goodnight Garden Storytime; harvesting
October 15: Chop and drop; putting a garden to bed
2024 Seed Library Now Closed
The Seed Library is closed for the season. Please visit the links below for care instructions for your seeds. If you'd like us to consider adding a particular seed to the Seed Library next season, please email your suggestions to lkirchhoff@balibrary.org. Happy growing!
Seed Library FAQ
Q. What’s in the Seed Library?
A. We stock a variety of native and common garden seeds. Produce seeds are non-GMO and organic, and we try to offer both very common seeds (like basil and cosmos) as well as seeds you may not commonly see in stores.
Q. What do the seeds cost?
A. Seeds are free!
Q. Do I need to have a library card to use the Seed Library?
A. The Seed Library is available for all to use, with or without a library card.
Q. I have questions about seeds that you’re offering. Who can I ask?
A. The Illinois Master Gardener Help Desk is an excellent resource if you have questions about your garden or particular plants. If you have questions about our program or particular seeds we’re offering, you can contact librarian Liz Kirchhoff at lkirchhoff@balibrary.org.
Q. Do you take seed donations?
A. Yes! You can drop seeds off at the Customer Service desk at the front of the Library. Please include the name of the seed and a way for us to contact you in case we have questions.
Q. How long is the Seed Library available?
A. The Seed Library is available until we run out of seed stocks for the year. Last year we gave our last seeds in April, so we encourage you to visit early!
Seed Library Resources
Seed Sources:
Helpful Info
ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants for Pets
Local Gardening News
2024 Seed Library Suggestion Form
BALibrary Garden & Environment Webinars
The Barrington Area Library is proud to announce that it has received a coveted four star ranking in the annual Star Libraries report, published by Library Journal. We are one of only 17 libraries in Illinois to receive a star ranking this year.
For the 2019 report, Library Journal surveyed 6,333 public libraries in the United States, and 261 received star rankings. This places the Barrington Area Library in the top 4% of libraries nationwide, based on six major service measures – physical material circulation, electronic circulation, number of visits, program attendance, public computer users, and wifi sessions, all per capita - from the 2016-2017 fiscal year. As in past years, BALibrary performed exceptionally well in overall circulation (top 2% nationwide) and e-circulation (top 1% nationwide), which comes as no surprise to our staff: we are proud to serve a community of engaged and curious readers of all ages.
The top 30 libraries in each of Library Journal's nine expenditure categories receive three, four, or five star rankings. See the full Star Libraries report online. The Barrington Area Library received three star rankings in 2010, 2017, and 2018.
We are pleased to share our latest annual report, covering the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
This year's report highlights the many ways in which the Library's programs and services support our mission statement and goals.
Explore how the Library stimulates imagination, creates (young) readers, develops information fluency, and fosters lifelong learning, all in comfortable physical and virtual settings.
Discover a group of young makers changing lives around the world, then discover how great stories and screen-free time change lives right here in the Barrington area.
Learn about Library technology, like the BALibrary app, Creativebug software, and genealogy services, and learn about improvements made to the Library building and campus this past year.
Take note of the many ways in which the Library collaborates with both nonprofit and business organizations, building relationships that inspire innovation and real world problem-solving.
We share this annual report with our thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement.
Read the report online below, or download a printable PDF.
Once again, our top-notch Youth Services librarians have compiled a list of their favorite books, published in 2019, for young readers. We hope you and your family find some new favorites here, too!