Waukegan Public Library

I have always and will continue to love WPL! Their countless available resources at hand give it a huge rise in rating, as well as its professional staff, regardless of the clientele and the location. The renovations definitely did it justice in the end!
I was also pleansantly surprised when I found books during my browsing that I would have never thought I would find in the library. As a child, I remember my father bringing me here to help me with my studies, as well as a brief introduction to computing. They have expanded the kid’s section in the basement level.
All in all, good for Waukegan!

I want to like this library more than I do. After all, it’s a library. It’s filled with books, resources, and even helpful staff members.
But it’s insanely loud every time I visit and grossly under resourced in terms of staff. Books are shelved in correctly and while I understand mistakes happen, they seem to happen a lot here.
I don’t visit often; I use my card to get transferable library rights to another city’s library that’s closer to my home. But if they could improve, I would consider coming here more often.

My daughter and i try to go at least once a week. they spend a lot of time fixing the lower level (kids area). Theres always a different theme down there.
The only thing i dislike is that they sometimes loose books or dvds and try to blame us for it. I usually talk to some one and they admit that it was their mistake.
The ladies that work by the computer area are very helpful and nice. I can get chatty with them!!!

I love the WPL, and spend almost all of my time on the lower level (Children’s Department) which is also home to the Early Learning Center. This place is like a children’s museum geared towards children ages birth-​2^nd grade. It is awesome. There are computers with programs especially geared towards little ones, an art area, a play area that has a barn w/​slide, a huge bin of wooden blocks, a pretend cow that the children can milk (although I think she’s been milk less for a few months now)! They’ve got a play garden with tons of plastic fruit and wheelbarrows … There is even a mini fruit stand where the children can pretend to buy and sell fruit! It is soo cute. They also incubate/​hatch chicks there, and soo much more! i just learned today that you can check via webcam to see when the chicks have hatched… I always manage to miss em’. Most of the librarians there are really nice and story time is the best! The kids sing songs and read at least 3 books. Look on the website to see which particular age group the stories are geared towards. Lil’ man did awesome at the one for up to age 2, but not so great at the drop in story time (the book was a little longer than he was willing to sit for… and it was close to nap time)? Overall a hidden gem for lake county/​Waukegan parents! Check it out if u haven’t already
I totally almost forgot to tell u guys about the really cool services WPL also offers!!!
1. They have something called a «Museum Adventure Pass». You go to the library (adult reference desk) and they give you passes which either provide free or discounted museum admission for area museums!!! Please folks check this out!
2. The book sale area is aaaawesome! Especially for parents. There is an entire section on the main level with books, magazines and movies that you can buy for next to nothing. Of course my favorite section is the children’s section where they sell books 4 for 25cents!!! As a good library lover, i always pay more because the funds from the sales go to support this awesome library. The inventory fluctuates as more and more folks learn about this so if you go at one time and the pickins’ are slim, just try again at a later date.
3. Lastly the LibAnywhere app is awesome. Its pretty much a library on your phone! You download the app then select the wpl, enter your library card number and you’ve got thousands of books avail at your fingertips! They offer a selection of e-​books that can be checked out for a limited amount of time and once that time is up, it disappears and can be checked out by someone else! I love this app because i am the person who forgets to turn her library books in on time and ends up owing more in fees than what the book is actually worth?!
Thats it for now! Ill update u guys if i discover anything else!

I was actually surprised to see how well he Waukegan Library was kept. A lot more than I expected!

A decent selection of books, magazines, and movies. Kids selection is downstairs and quite big. Lots of space for programs.
The CD section is haphazard in its selection and organization.
No self check-​out which can be a pain depending on how many librarians are working.
Beware of the parking lot across the street as it is a «sticker lot» and if you dont have one you will get a ticket as the police patrol regularly.

I don’t know about anyone else, but how awesome is it that the librarians have been the same! They still recognize me and say hello. I have fond memories at his library and it is an indespensable landmark for the city of Waukegan. I hope they get more funding in the future! yay, bookmobile! (childhood flashbacks)

This library has improved so much in the last 10 years. It went through a major renovation, added tons of computers with internet access, expanded its video/​dvd selection. It created a children’s room with fun places for kids to learn, and in the summer they have great programs — both musical and others, like magic.