And the winner is...

America loves a winner. A few weeks ago, we were caught up in the drama of the Super Bowl, which was quickly surpassed by the Grammy Awards, which are now forgotten thanks to last night's Oscar broadcast. We analyze the nominees, debate the winners, yawn at the boring "industry" stuff and gape at the expensive clothing and jewels.

Did you know you have a winner right here in your own neighborhood? All of us here at DPPL were excited to find ourselves amongst the top ten libraries in the state of Illinois, based on Library Journal's new ranking of more than 7,100 libraries across the country. DPPL received a three star rating, based on circulation of items per capita, attendance at programs, usage of in-library computers and other factors.

Many of the other Illinois libraries honored by the rating system have considerably higher budgets than DPPL - in fact, some of their budgets are twice the size of ours! - so we are especially proud that we provide state-of-the-art service and an enormous variety of materials while still offering good value to our community. Your support, your investment, in us makes it possible for us to bring you a good return: a library of which you can be proud. Have you ever wondered how much you save on an average trip to the library? Use the online "Return on Investment" calculator to find out.

Individual staff members here at DPPL continue to be singled out for their contributions to the library field as well. In September 2008, librarian Bob Blanchard was honored for his work in providing library services to the blind and physically disabled residents of Illinois. Bob also wrote two articles in a forthcoming book, Thinking Outside the Book: Essays for Innovative Librarians. More recently, in the February 2009 issue of Booklist magazine, in an article by Joyce Saricks, Head of Adult Services Roberta Johnson was praised as part of a "wealth of local talent" in the field of Readers' Advisory. Many of our staff members teach workshops, give lectures, chair committees and devote themselves to spreading a "gospel" of excellent customer service and innovation.

What does this mean to you, as a patron? You can count on us to keep giving you the best value for your tax dollars, in a friendly, helpful, inspiring atmosphere. Good ratings and "stars" make us proud, but not as proud as we are of serving the Des Plaines community for more than one hundred years.

Read Library Journal's "America's Star Libraries" article here.
Read an article about DPPL and other local winners, from the Daily Herald. (PDF)