Lake Villa District Library - part 1

This one's going to be tough for me. I had, previously, stayed away from reviewing libraries I was actively applying for work at, but I was really confident about Lake Villa when I toured it...

So, this space age-y building isn't the Jetson's house, but the Lake Villa District Library.  I was very impressed with the building, and was surprised to learn that they plan to abandon this building entirely for a new one soon instead of just expanding this one.

This is also one of two rare occurrences of me getting the Mrs. in my shot...

There's so much vertical space in this building, that's it's shocking that there is no second floor. In exchange, though, you get lovely ceiling areas like this.

Keurig Coffee bars are starting to become such a common feature I'm seeing at libraries that I may stop taking pictures of them soon. This one is a bit on the plain side, but it's very much public and accessible.

25 cent CDs? Yes, please! I find the pricing very generous, the sign itself is aesthetically pleasing, and the honor system for book sales is probably the best way to go if you're not going to just give them away

for free.

Now here's where things start to pick up in my review, because when it comes to collections, Lake Villa does not let you down. This is just one corner of the graphic novel collection -- and you can't possibly miss that it is with the colorful posters all over.

And the graphic novel doesn't just wrap around the corner a little -- it goes all the way down past the Mrs. there! They cover a wide range of titles and interests in that section, with a fantastic assortment of Batman in particular.

I find the layout, with its subtle, yet decorative columns quite charming and Old School, contrasting the Expressionist-style architecture outside.

There are hidden collections in the library, like this local documents collection in an unmarked cabinet drawer.

 And out in the open is a wonderful reference collection. Here's just one example of government documents prominently featured in their reference section, inspiring my series of posts where I look at which gov docs libraries own.