A Meeting Place

A few years ago, I tried to get involved with a global charity that was looking to become active in the Chicago suburbs. The biggest challenge? Finding a meeting place. It didn't help that potential members were scattered all over but it was difficult to find a free, convenient place to meet. If only I had been a public library patron! I didn't know that many libraries have public meeting rooms available to card holders.

The Des Plaines Public Library has many rooms available, from small private study rooms to large meeting spaces. As you can probably imagine, the rooms are very much in demand. For the large rooms on the first floor, you can get more details and request a room through our Web site. It is important to note that one member of a group requesting a room must be a DP resident with a currently valid Des Plaines Public Library card. If you look at our Events calendar, the events listed in green font are reservations made by public groups. From condo associations to square dancing, it's a diverse list. There's room for your group, too.

If you're just looking for a smaller study room on the 3rd or 4th floor, talk to the staff at the Info Desks on those floors or call: Readers' Services, 3rd floor, 847-376-2840; Reference, 4th floor, 847-376-2841. The small rooms can be reserved for two hour use - you may be able to stay a little longer if no one else is waiting for the room. The rooms really serve two purposes: if you need a very quiet, isolated place to read or study, or, if you have a group that needs to discuss and converse without disturbing other patrons.

I wrote this because of a comment posted here this morning, from a patron looking to start an Adult Chess Group at the Library on Monday evenings. Here is his comment, if you're interested: Just wondering if anyone is interested in an adult chess group to meet at the library on Monday nights. If so my name is Martin and you can contact me at 847 274-3821. Thanks and hope to hear from you. Martin, I would add this suggestion: you may want to schedule a meeting room for a Monday evening in the near future and get the event on our online calendar: "New - Des Plaines Adult Chess Group! All are welcome.". Our online calendar gets a lot of traffic every month and this would help publicize your potential new group.

Our lovely, clean, well-lit meeting rooms are a resource the entire community can share - and all you need is a library card. Remember, if you need one of the larger rooms, please read the information on our Web site carefully before planning.