Batavia Public Library

The Batavia library is the best in the Kane, hands down. I work out of my home and to dodge cabin fever I come over here from time to time to give myself some surroundings. They have plenty of areas to set up, plug in, and enjoy a quiet setting. They also have personal rooms where you can conduct a conference call. Aside from stopping in here to work, their catalog of books and media is second to none. Their dvd section is easily 2 – 3 times the size of North Aurora’s. Being that I’m from North Aurora they offer a reciprocal card here so I can check out materials. They also have a great children’s library in their lower level. Another cool thing about this library is their in-​house café. It’s nice to grab a sandwich and a drink while you’re here. Very few libraries have that feature.
Cheers

Even though I don’t live in Batavia, this is my favorite library. They have a great reading room (with working fireplace!) that is a peaceful, clean, well-​lighted place to while away a rainy autumn afternoon.
I’m particularly impressed by the ability of the shelvers to find any book based on the smallest clue («Hi, I’m looking for a book by this guy? I think it has a blue cover?»). I’ve witnessed this and it is amazing to behold.
Also, make sure to stop in at Chapters Coffee Shop and talk specialty coffees with Steve!

I am from Aurora, yet the Batavia Public Library is my favorite library. Everything from the café to tables with easy access outlets reel me in all the time. Staff welcoming and helpful. Copier and computers are readily available. They are open until 9pm during the week and 5pm on Saturdays. Quiet library, which ironically, is trait hard to find in a library these days.

While this library is not the closest library to my house, it opens one hour earlier and closes one hour later. Therefore, it is often my library choice when I’m up early and need to get to a library pronto for studying. I have never checked out a book from this library, but I have studied here several times. There are various places to study; group tables, comfy chairs, solo study tables, study rooms, etc. It is cozy and warm, but not stifling and hot. The library is quiet, which is surprisingly hard to find in libraries. No screaming kids at this time (granted, it’s 9 am on a school day). It’s not new or modern, but it has been maintained well and is kept clean. It is styled contemporary new.
I just have one problem with this library. There are homeless people often here at the library. But, that is not my problem. My problem is in other Unilocalers complaining about homeless people being at the library. The library is a public, free, and centrally located. It’s warm inside when it’s cold outside, or cool when it’s blazing hot outside. It’s a safe place, because they can’t become a victim of a crime in a public place with eyes watching. Public libraries are safe places, for all citizens, regardless of housing status.
To the staff at the public library: there are often homeless people at this library. Therefore, I believe it would be a great place to offer services for them; haircuts, food drives, meals, job/​interview counseling, etc. These are the types of services I would like to see the Batavia Public Library offer.

Batavia has a public library that bests the others in neighboring towns (Geneva, St. Charles, Aurora, etc.) in being a sunny, open space with helpful staff and plenty of desks for studying. Geneva is cramped; St. Charles and Aurora are old, loud, and unappealingly full of noisy people.
Batavia has a nice tidy parking lot, is walking distance from McDonalds and Panera and Daddy-​Os Diner for a quick bite to eat, it has it’s own coffee shop in the lobby with small sandwiches, and has a massive ground floor dedicated to children. The windows are huge in all parts of the library, and it is clean and new. The temperature is right, and the noise is minimal. There is a reading room for magazines that has a fireplace.
As far as resources, Batavia has many volumes itself, and it’s part of the system so that you can order anything your heart desires. There are CDs, DVDs, etc.
If one were to try and find fault, it would be that there are not as many study rooms as there are at some other libraries, especially for a library this new. For instance, the 95^th Street Library in Naperville has a few dozen different study rooms on various levels of the library, and they are frequently used. Batavia has fewer. However, Batavia Public Library is more comfortable, the layout and the chairs, than the open and sterile 95^th Street Library. The 95Th Street Library (Naperville) has as much charm as a tax office, while Batavia feels like a library — grand, and quiet, and comfortable and it even smells good.
Another fault is the spotty internet wi-​fi which, literally, gets overwhelmed when the school kids rendezvous at the library to play Minesweeper after school. The internet gets as boggy as a prehistoric tar pit.
A huge and growing problem: the homeless people in the library. Other local libraries absolutely forbid people from sleeping in the library. Common sense is used to know if someone is reading a book or doing research, fine. But Batavia Library is the only one that I know that permits obvious homeless bums, who populate not only the area directly outside the main doors (smoking cigarettes all day long), but actually camp out on the padded reading chairs, particularly by the front window, sleeping, all day long! Hours and hours and hours of sleeping. Sometimes in groups of four or more. Director, get a policy! Google gives over 50 places for these people in the Fox Valley, move them along. There’s a shelter two blocks away, for God’s sakes. The current situation is not appropriate for kids and adults (i.e. the taxpayers) enjoying the library services. This is a DAILY problem. When you use the bathroom, be ready: there is likely to be a homeless gentleman taking his daily constitutional and paper-​towel shower in the stall next to you. Half and hour or more at times. Yes, it’s that bad. It’s not seen at the other libraries in the Fox Valley. It’s a disgrace and it’s the fault of the library administration, tucked into their giant offices in the front of the building, never setting foot in the place where we all spend time.
Overall, despite those huge shortcomings, Batavia Library is the best library in the Fox Valley. It is open to all to use, but one can only check out material with a library card. As Batavia Library is lovely, and only modestly used at any point in time (25 people or so in a large building), I would advocate that local communities, such as Geneva and St. Charles and North Aurora, not build a new library at tax-​payer expense. Batavia, 3 miles down the road, has already accomplished what is necessary for the entire Fox Valley. If anyone needs to check out resource material from Batavia Library, it is part of the Geneva and St Charles system; one can order anything and pick it up at their local library even if it is «housed» in Batavia.

Love the study rooms! Very peaceful!

I recently took a class here and was very impressed!
Aside from all the Library norms, they have a HUGE meeting space, very friendly and informative staff, and a really cool Café Coffee shop going on!!!
I thought my hometown Library was cool and Architectural, but despite being it what looks to be an older building (might not be… it was kinda dark out) this is as modern and enjoyable as it gets!
Now I just need to move to Batavia to properly enjoy it!

Batavia Public Library is amazing. The entire familiy enjoys it. We currently have over 7 books checked out. One for mom, 2 for 11 year old son, and 5 for 13 year old daughter. Full service family library. We have participated in the summer reading program for over 10 years and have our reading logs on the fridge… mom’s included!

If I were to die and come back as anything, I would come back as this library. That’s how much I love it.
It has all the modern amenities a library should have — computers, coffee shop, and a self-​check out! The children’s section is fun and very entertaining for children of all ages. I personally love walking through their fiction section and getting a basket full of books to nerd out on.
Make sure you come here when they have their annual book sale! They have two rooms full of books (and dvds, and cds) — both new and collectible.

My daughter, a young woman with disabilities who utilizes a service dog, volunteers at Batavia Public Library for two hours every Friday and has done so for several years. She is treated with respect and dignity in the basement department in which she volunteers. There is excellent camaraderie and a good spirit of acceptance flowing in the sections of the library that regular patrons don’t have a chance to see. This library is the real deal.

It’s all been said by my fellow library go-​ers. I think the only three things they left out are: great café on the library footprint, bike racks, hang out space in the garden below and patio with connecting door to the café. Only negative loud and disrespectful children in the adult computer room. Not the libraries fault. New more open rules among libraries and less *shushing* by the staff. Can’t blame the staff. Who wants to teach courtesy when it isn’t taught at home.
So Come tutor in a large safe reservable room. Send your little ones down stairs to be surrounded by books in a safe environment. Sit by a large windows and read today’s Trib by sun light. Use the complementary wifi to research school papers then 1,2,3 print wirelessly to a well maintained 10¢ a page printer. Oh let’s not for get local artists displayed on the walls not forgetting to glance up to see two beautifully painted murals. The Batavia Public Library is that and a gathering place for our community. Like the Lyceum Lectures pursuit of knowledge in a hall of learning.

Absolutely love Batavia Public Library. It is new, clean, and spacious! Lots of parking spaces. Excellent staff and service. Free books to borrow. Bottom floor is a terrific place for kids. Top floor is good for adults. Tons of books if you have other LINC libraries ship them here.

I love the library. Even better, I love *this* library.
Batavia doesn’t have a lot of nice things, but we have this library. And it’s gorgeous and full of lots of books and DVDs and other nifty things to look through.
The periodicals room, however, is my absolute favorite. Especially in the winter when there’s snow on the ground. You can see a good portion of downtown Batavia and they usually have a fire going in the fireplace. That’s right, we have a fireplace.
There’s nothing I love more than curling up with the latest Utne in front of the fireplace and losing myself for awhile. It’s the perfect ending to several hours of studying or what-​have-​you. I even stop by specifically to hang out in there.
There’s a good number of places to study off to the right, as well as downstairs. You can group study or solo-​it pretty easily. Though during the school year it can get a bit crowded. That’s when you gotta go downstairs since people forget about those tables a lot. Pretty much every table has several electrical outlets, too. Score!
The librarians are very nice and helpful. Don’t be shy!

This library rocks! The staff is always helpful. The children’s programing is diverse and very family friendly. The library has a great collection of books, DVDs and CDs. If they don’t have what you are looking for they can always get it through interlibrary loan.