Bartlett Public Library District

800 S. Bartlett Rd, Bartlett, IL 60103 · Main line 630-837-2855 · Circulation desk 630-837-2958 · askus@bartlettlibrary.org

Inside, Adult Services and the Teen (Young Adult) area are on the first floor; Youth Services — storytimes, kids' computers and the Play & Learn Area — is on the second floor. Returning something after hours? There's a drive-up book drop at the back of the building, and the library never sets a due date on a day it's closed. For holiday weeks, check the library's own site or calendar before a special trip — holiday closings are posted there, not here.

If you live within the library district, your card is free — stop at the circulation desk with proof of residency. The library accepts:

• Illinois driver's license or state ID card
• Utility bill
• Mortgage papers
• Rental agreement
• Title to property

Cards are valid for three years; a lost or damaged replacement costs $0.50. Your online account password starts as your birth month and year (MMYY) — the library's FAQ walks through changing it. You can also start the application online from the library's "Get a Library Card" page and finish at the desk.

Already have another Illinois library card? You can register it at Bartlett and check out physical items as a reciprocal borrower (reciprocal accounts renew yearly, and Bartlett cardholders get first priority on holds). One catch: the digital collections below are for Bartlett district cardholders — reciprocal borrowers use their home library's eResources instead.

Live somewhere no library district serves? State law lets residents of unserved areas buy a card for a fee equal to what district residents pay in library taxes — the library calculates it from its current tax rate and your property's assessed value.

The library has five study rooms and two conference rooms, plus quieter corners like the Quiet Room, The Hub (a collaborative work space with outlets and tech classes), and a café area where food and drink are allowed.

• Individual study rooms — up to 2 people.
• Group study rooms — up to 6 people.
• West Conference Room — groups of 5–13, whiteboard and monitor.
• East Conference Room — groups of 5–16, whiteboard and monitor.
• The Meeting Room — for groups of 15 or more.

How to reserve: call Adult Services at 630-837-3560 or sign up in person at the Adult Services desk. Conference rooms and two of the study rooms can be booked ahead; the rest are first-come, first-served when open. The big Meeting Room plays by stricter rules — a valid Bartlett library card is required, a Meeting Room Contract must be submitted and approved by the Adult Services Manager and/or Library Director, and walk-in reservations aren't accepted. The library's published room policies list no reservation fee; if your group is quoted one, that's new — tell us and we'll update this page.

• How much: up to 99 items at once (with tighter caps inside some collections — 3 video games, 1 Library of Things item).
• How long: most items go out for three weeks; video games, DVDs and Library of Things items for one week.
• Late fees: most items have none. The exceptions are video games and Library of Things items at $1.00/day, and interlibrary loans at $0.10/day.
• Renewals: eligible items auto-renew up to two times if nobody has a hold on them.
• Holds: place them online, by phone or in person; you'll be notified when yours is ready and it's held for three days.
• Beyond books: DVDs, CDs, video games, audiobooks, magazines, youth puzzles and flashcards, ACT/SAT prep Launchpads, Playaways, family resource kits — and a Library of Things (tools, hobby gear and games you check out like a book; Bartlett cardholders only, desk checkout and return).
• Museum & zoo passes: cardholders can request free tickets or discounts to zoos, parks and botanical gardens — first-come, first-served, so ask early.

The calendar is the library's busiest asset. For kids: storytimes, sing-alongs and themed mornings (this week's is a Halloween sing-along), beginner chess for grades 2–6, and the second-floor Play & Learn Area. For teens: a dedicated teen space with a Nintendo Switch and board games, the VolunTEENs volunteer program, gaming and craft sessions, and ACT/SAT prep books, Launchpads and scheduled practice exams. For adults: book clubs (copies wait at the Adult Services desk), crafting and cooking programs, concerts, line dancing, technology classes, genealogy help, and dementia support kits.

Some programs require registration — each event's page in the library calendar says so. Many don't require a library card to register. Newspapers are covered too: a month of the Daily Herald and Chicago Sun-Times in-house, plus deep archives online (next section).

Your Bartlett card works from the couch. The library's eResources page is the front door; highlights:

• eBooks & eAudiobooks — through the Digital Library of Illinois on the Libby app (OverDrive lists Bartlett as a member library).
• Hoopla — streaming and downloads the library points cardholders to from its FAQ.
• LinkedIn Learning — online courses, named in the library's FAQ as a cardholder resource.
• Flipster — current magazines; Freegal Music — streaming and downloads; CreativeBug — art and craft classes; Consumer Reports — product testing.
• Newspaper archives (NewsBank) — the Daily Herald from 1995, Chicago Sun-Times from 1929, the historical Chicago Tribune (1849–1997), and the Bartlett Examiner (2011–2025).
• Genealogy — Ancestry and FamilySearch (in-library use), plus EBSCO research databases and Educate Station's pre-K–5 curriculum for families.

These are for Bartlett district cardholders — sign in with your card number and PIN. If you're a reciprocal borrower, your home library provides your digital access instead.

The Bartlett Public Library District is its own unit of government — separate from the Village of Bartlett, with its own elected Board of Trustees and its own tax levy. That's why its map doesn't match the village map: the library's own reciprocal-borrower page says it plainly — "The Library District boundaries don't match the boundaries of the Village of Bartlett."

Practically, that means some Bartlett addresses are taxed by — and get their home card from — a different library: the Gail Borden Public Library District toward Elgin, or the Poplar Creek Public Library District toward Streamwood. Your property tax bill names your library district, and the library will confirm yours over the phone. It also matters at election time — which brings us to the ballot.

Two separate bond propositions for this library are on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot, and each gets its own Yes/No: $22,200,000 to remodel the existing library and build an addition, or $45,000,000 to construct a new library on the north side of the existing site and demolish the current building. Approving either one authorizes the district to issue those bonds. Because the district covers only the DuPage and Cook County parts of Bartlett, the questions appear on those ballots — Bartlett's Kane County side, outside the district, won't see them. The official ballot wording carries no per-home tax estimate, and we won't invent one here.

Full wording and background: our Bartlett library referendum guide. Where and when to vote — early voting runs through November 2 and polls are open 6 a.m.–7 p.m. on Election Day: our Bartlett voter guide.

• Bartlett Public Library District — official site: hours, address, phone, program calendar.
• Library FAQ: cards, borrowing rules, printing/fax prices, computers, the no-notary answer.
• Study & conference rooms: room counts, capacities, how to reserve.
• Reciprocal borrower page: district boundaries, reciprocal cards, the unserved-area card formula, neighboring districts.
• Library eResources: Flipster, Freegal, CreativeBug, Consumer Reports, NewsBank archives and research databases; Libby access via the Digital Library of Illinois (OverDrive member listing).

Related Bartlett Guide pages: the library referendum, explained · Bartlett voter guide · Bartlett events · moving to Bartlett · resources for Bartlett seniors.

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