Gail Borden Public Library District: Main Library — Attraction in Elgin

An absolutely gorgeous building, seemingly built without a care in the world about cost, as if Andrew Carnegie were reincarnated and donated millions of dollars to this bastion of reading, just as he did at the turn-of-the-century when books were all the rage. A guilded-age beauty, bequeathed upon western Chicagoland by the generous taxpayers of Elgin.

An expansive--while not in the least bit utilitarian--foyer and open rotunda greets you, and serves no purpose other than to allow one to stand and marvel at the ability to heat and cool such a cavern. One might wish to fly a homing pigeon in such a space; were there a breeze, perhaps loft a colorful kite. But, as the pets are forbidden and there is no wind (or books or desks) in the sterile vaulted, entry expanses of the Borden library, one just views it with awe, followed rapidly by questions of "why?".

The hard digital media space on the first floor is like walking into a Borders bookstore, with racks and racks, aisles and aisles of old school media. When hard media discs were in vogue, twenty years ago, one could see similar racks at Tower Records or at the local Best Buy. It is that impressive, a true nostalgic memory-jogger for anyone born before 1998. Alas, as Borders Bookstores and Tower Records are now shuttered, and Best Buy's hard media section is no larger than one's own bedroom closet, it is wonderful that the Borden Library has erected a museum to largely-obsolete hard media. Thank you!

The second floor has a reading room, circular and glassed, that is quite beautiful. If one can stand the solarium heat in the summer, and the glare on their computer screens and mobile devices year-round, it certainly is a treat to look out onto the Fox River, a secluded space in which to ponder the meaning of life from your private, padded chair in a room similar to a mausoleum--Lincoln's tomb in Springfield holds not a candle to the quietest room at Borden Library. One can spend hours here, bothered only by a handful of people passing through to look out, momentarily, the glass panes, to perhaps consider the birds striking the giant windows, or maybe an upturned shopping cart in the river, before ducking back into the functional parts of the building.

The desks and study rooms are fabulous for the studying student, despite the absolute lack of feng shui. Your study desk will be in the middle of the floor, with patrons walking around you, no sense of coziness, no sense of quiet isolation; just a desk in the middle of an odd layout, as if one were in a coffee shop where the seating arrangement was intended to discourage loitering. The chairs add to this sense as they are contemporary-looking back-breakers, more fitting for an art museum than a public space. Any librarian should sit in these chairs for even two-hours before submitting the "chair request" under the next capital budget.

All-in-all, a lovely space that will welcome all comers from the area, and, most importantly, an absolute gift from the taxpayers of Elgin to all communities within 20 miles of the Borden Library. Why a gift? Those towns (Geneva, St Charles, S. Elgin, Algonquin, Dundee, etc.) may disband their "new library" special task forces--just keep the current libraries (or close them) and have townspeople saunter over to Elgin's library for a day of mirth in a large public space akin to the Chicago Field Museum--missing only is Sue the Dinosaur.

Find books you like? Want a DVD? Just order online on Borden's public wi-fi and, at your own library, and pick it up in a day or so. Elgin will ship it over to your local library in the library exchange borrowing program on a magic carpet of good intentions.

Borden Library is an absolute Godsend for the people within the Fox Valley, a true reason (the only reason?) to venture into downtown Elgin. Thank you, citizens of...

Gail Borden Library is truly one of the best locations in downtown Elgin. Not only do they host traveling exhibits, but they have a vast selection of books, movies, games, and music to borrow and enjoy. The staff is pleasant and very helpful. Not only do many speak multiple languages, but they are able to help with anything from signing up for a library card to finding the perfect book to help with that mid-term paper, school project, or crafting mission. This library is not just geared to adults, although most of the second floor houses the large collection of books, but it it geared to the family. The first floor houses not one, but two sections designed for children. Preschool children have the joy of playing in a rotunda filled with learning stations from color matching, Duplo building, imagination play, and a large fish tank where they can see many types of fish that swim in the river that runs past the windows. In the center there is even a well designed playground for them to romp around on. Elementary children have a large section that hosts all their books and audio books. Computer stations, craft stations, a large globe, and even an impressive graphic novel (aka bound comic books) give children many different ways to enjoy reading and deepen their love for learning. Teenagers have a special section on the top floor designed for them to do homework and have a safe environment for after school. The librarians are always helpful with homework. One of the features that I find most pleasant is the reading room in the rotunda that overlooks the river. Inside, it is quiet and separated from the rest of the library so that you can enjoy books as you sit beside a fireplace and watch the river flow past you. Just off the main entrance, the library has a 'In The Neighborhood' to satisfy any hunger you might have during a study session or research rampage. This library has plenty to entertain an entire family with. Any book, cd, movie, or game that you could imagine is under Gail Borden's roof; if it is not, a librarian will either help you find the item at another library and have it transported so you can pick it up in Elgin a few days later, or they will purchase the material to add the the...

The building itself is very nice and the staff is super helpful.

Just make sure that if you plan to come here for a nice quiet place to read, study, or work, that there are not many options. The issue I have encountered is that the “quiet” areas are not even remotely quiet. The river room states it is one of these quiet areas but every single time I have gone here there are people playing music from their phones, talking very loudly, or making other loud noises.

The noise mostly comes from the adjacent “study” rooms which have no real sound barrier into the quiet area, just a pane of glass. Today, for example, I was trying to study for a licensing exam, and there was some sort of music class going on in the adjacent study room. They were playing “wheels on the bus” very loudly and singing along to an infant. I’m not sure why they decided this had to happen in a study room and not at home or elsewhere with comparable sound levels. After that, there was a group of girls who were studying but were also blasting music from their phone and talking very loudly.

The staff is helpful when you let them know about the disturbance but I hate to have to bother them about it each time. Wish there was a good place to actually work/study without any noise distractions.

I wish the could somehow replace the glass with something more...