Edgebrook Public Library

I use to go to this library back in the day to study for midterms and finals because they have a nice and quiet second floor, and if you went to UIC like I did (and half the Chicagoland Asian community) you know the library there is louder than a cafeteria.
They have a nice little area on the first floor for kids, containing giant Lego bricks, building blocks, hand puppets (bring some hand sanitizer!) and good selection of kids books. They also had a good number of computers to surf the web. I need to get a library card so I can check out some books sometime, and you need one to get on the computers, although they do allow temporary guest passes. The library staff was nice and friendly and explained this suburban dude how to obtain one, even without a current ID.
BATHROOM REVIEW: Decently clean, without the smell of bums, like other Chicago Public Libraries have. There was one stall and urinal for all your urination needs. The soap dispenser was missing its cover, but still worked. Sit or squat? Squat

Love this library. They offer so many wonderful free classes, wi-​fi, meetings/​gatherings, friendly staff and a beautiful building. Sign up for their classes in person or on the phone. They offer the calendar of events online. Support our libraries!

I only come here to study and/​or get work done. Upstairs is just the right place for me. Plenty of seating, and other adults there reading, working, studying etc.
Downstairs is nice for family and kids. I want to bring my nephew because the kids’ section looks cool.
This is one of the better and cleaner (and no shady people) chicago public libraries!

Of the Chicago library branches I’ve sometimes spent time in before catching a Metra train (or after getting off my train, though it seems more often getting to Edgebrook to hop onto a Metra train vs. after getting off one is more common), this is one of their better ones. Reasons:
1) There almost never is a wait for the computers, even for the full length ones that don’t limit you to just 15 minute ones. Way too often at some of the branches (especially Rogers Park), so many people try to use the regular computers, that you have no choice but to use a 15 minute one. Never mind I often opt not to go online for a regular session (or to limit my use to 15 minutes), so that if I’m trying to catch a train from here, that I don’t miss it.
2) Staff is pretty nice, for the most part.
3) Bathrooms don’t smell, unlike at some of the library branches I’ve been to.
4) There aren’t a lot of noisy and undisciplined children that run around everywhere, to the point where you can hear them even in the adult areas (occasionally I’ve had that prob at Budlong Woods).
5) And I entirely agree with David that my hit rate for actually finding books, DVDs, etc. on the shelf after doing a CPL online catalog search tend to be better here, vs. at other branches and regional ones. Hate to say it, but I’ve sometimes had bad luck at Sulzer (of all places) trying to find items on the shelf.
Hope this branch continues to stay as nice as I’ve found it to traditionally be. And yep it is also nice that’s it’s across the street from Chocolate Shoppe, infamous for doing their great seasonal decorations (inside and outside) a few times a year. You’d be stupid not to do a quick look there, if you have time and by some chance had never been there.

I have mixed feelings about this place. A front desk lady who always seems to be there, is very incompetent and can make pickup here a pain. I do like that I can place holds and pick up but dealing with her is just annoying. I don’t know how to explain it, but you can be talking to her and it’s like she’s not even listening. They need some serious customer service training here. The nicest person I encountered was a Spanish dude who was very friendly and helpful. Everyone else here seems to be «bothered» when spoken to. I am glad I have started using the library’s website so I can put things on old and just pick them up and be done with the place. SMH. I remember libraries being more friendly and having better vibes.

I remember when it was down the street by the railroad tracks when I was a kid. Sigh.
Now its bigger! Spacier. Roomy and two floors! And next to the ice cream shop!
I like the layout, and I like the décor in the interior. One of the staff seemed dry in talking and annoucing the library was closing, like she was whicsking thru to finish fast. But still… I relax here and I can write here and I can feel a little easier here.
I should probably read more here.

Come on, folks. Of the small-​sized CPL branches on the north side, this is one of the better ones.
1. It is newish, of similar vintage and architecture to the Rogers Park branch.
2. It is open until 8pm on Wednesdays.
3. It has a surprisingly large selection of audiobooks, including nearly a full collection of BBC Shakespeare.
4. It is not swarmed with children in the evening like some other branches that I could mention.
5. It is always clean.
6. It always has the vast majority of museum passes available.
7. There are carts near the stairway labelled «Recently Returned» so that your book quest can be comprehensive. Other libraries would just let you search the stacks in vain for a book which was listed as present but was actually behind the counter waiting to be reshelved. Speaking of which…
8. …It has a far better hit rate for finding books truly on the shelf which the catalogue states are on the shelf. Much better than, say, Sulzer, which is terrible at this most basic aspect of library cataloguing. If your book isn’t where it should be, check the «New» shelves on the ground floor and the «Recently Returned» carts, and I bet that you will find it. If not, ask one of the helpful attendants, because despite being a small library…
9. …The staff are courteous and happy to assist – and actually have the time to do so.
10. It is across the street from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream – the best ice cream west of the Ohio!
Of course it is a small library (with annoyingly narrow parking spaces to match) so you cannot expect an enormous selection. Use your online catalogue and check in advance, people. If you’re looking for ten books, you will find three or four of them here, without the hassle or odors of the busier branches.

I took the toddler I nanny for to this branch for a couple books about soccer & animals. I expected this branch to be small as I live nearest to the Fullerton branch. I was able to find the book I went for pretty easily. The issue I had was with the woman working behind the counter. I don’t know if she is generally unpleasant or doesn’t like kids but I was pretty offended by her attitude. I had to pay a late fee (no cc accepted) and as I was digging thru my change for $ 2.40 (she was helpful enough to tell me the amount 3 times) and watching the kid (which she reminded me to keep an eye on– as if I wasn’t aware of my job) she managed to exhale/​sigh loudly about 5 times. I’m shocked she didn’t pass out from the rush of oxygen flow. The security woman was very nice though. She at least waved to the tot while the woman checking-​out was too busy hyperventilating, playing repeater, and eye-​rolling to wave back to him.

Maybe it’s the newness of this library that makes it so appealing to me. It is one of the few Chicago Public Libraries that doesn’t smell funny. It also seems to have the proper number of staff working there, unlike some of the other ones. Bathrooms are always clean which is nice when you’re bringing kids in.
The guard that walks around shushing the toddlers in the children’s section needs to go. Seriously, guy? There’s an upstairs work room if the kids are bothering you and really… how do you make a toddler understand that anything more than a whisper is clearly breaking guardman’s rules?
It is small… but it’s a neighborhood library… not Sulzer or Harold Washington. This is actually one of the bigger neighborhood libraries around. When I was a kid, the Edgebrook library was the store front next to the Post Office on Devon by the tracks. Talk about SMALL. I remember trying to find my favorite Sweet Valley High and Babysitters Club books in that shoebox (sigh… memories). This is easily 10 times bigger. So, no complaints here.

They’re so nice here! The layout is nice and simple, too. Nonfiction and children’s downstairs and adult fiction and movies upstairs. Since it’s rather new, the books are all in great condition and well organized.
I agree, though, it’s much too small for it’s own good. The bottom line is that it’s a neighborhood library where it’s best to just browse the shelves for books.

This place is too small for my literary needs. I really want to like you, I do! You do have the location going for you. You have most of Robert Cormier’s and Francesca Lia Block’s books. You almost always have museum passes when I want them. You do have an unusually large collection of cheesy vintage horror movies. But that’s about it.

My son and I are always trying to make trips to the library but always have a hard time finding parking… so today, we finally went to the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Parlor and on the way back to the car just along side the building, as we were walking to the car I noticed the library across the street!
So we stuck the shake in the car and got a card… and borrowed some books and a movie… I even bought my husband his favorite book off the sale rack for 50 cents… cool… god it was so funny cause it’s been so long since i’ve been to the library that the first thing that popped into my head was, «where’s the dewey decimal system thingy?» … oh my…