News Flash

Monday, December 19, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Naperville, Ill. – Naperville Public Library has been named a 2022 five-star library by Library Journal, an award the library has earned 14 times since its inception in 2009. In addition, the library was ranked number one in the country in its expenditure range ($10-$29.9 million) for the year.

“Having the highest score in our category is a testament to our hard-working, knowledgeable and friendly staff as well as the support this community offers us every single day,” said Naperville Public Library Executive Director Dave Della Terza. “It’s clear that Naperville loves its library system, and the numbers reflect that."

Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service rates U.S. public libraries on eight per capita output measures: physical circulation, e-material circulation, library visits, program attendance, public computer users, wi-fi sessions, electronic retrievals (database usage) and website visits. A total of 5,359 public libraries were reviewed for the 2022 award.

“This year’s award is particularly meaningful because it is based off data from the 2020 calendar year,” said Della Terza. “During the struggles of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, library staff worked hard to ensure we were still able to safely provide services to the community.”

In March of 2020, the library took many of its services online, encouraging customers to utilize its digital resources, check out e-materials, and attend programs virtually. Staff also developed a curbside pickup service so customers could still enjoy the library’s large collection of physical materials. That service has now been added to the library’s regular list of offerings.

Two other libraries in Illinois were also named five-star libraries in the $10-$29.9 million category: Arlington Heights Memorial Library and Skokie Public Library.

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Naperville Public Library serves the fourth-largest city in Illinois and a community of nearly 150,000 people at its three locations: Nichols Library, Naper Blvd. Library and 95th Street Library. The library has received the prestigious five-star rating from the Library Journal almost every year since the inception of the award in 2009. The library hosts hundreds of in-person and virtual events each year for customers of all ages. It also offers collections in a wide variety of media including print, digital and audio books, movies, music, video games, and board games. For more information about Naperville Public Library, visit www.naperville-lib.org.