The Children's Services staff is here to serve you!
We serve children from birth through 6th grade, parents, teachers, and other adults who work with children.
Our department has a collection of over 80,000+ books, cassettes, compact discs, video cassettes and DVDs, books on cassette or CD, puzzles, and magazines. The department provides access to a number of online reference products, as well as computers for word processing and learning games.
Love the library! We come here often when looking to just get out. My 2 1/2 year old loves to do the puzzles and play with the hand puppets. He also loves to play educational games on the computers. We always find lots of new books to check out. Great place for kids. With all of the new technology out there (Playstation, Nintendo, tv's, etc) it's easy to forget about your local library.
I have checked out several of the preschool activities at other libraries in the area. The offerings at the Park Ridge Public Library are our favorite. I regularly bring my son to the 2-year-old storytime and open playtime. The staff is very friendly, organized and professional. Miss Cindy and Miss Mary are wonderful! I also enjoy the location in the heart of downtown Park Ridge, which makes it easy to walk to one of the many kid-friendly places to get a bite to eat.
There is always something fun for the kids. From the Wii tournaments to story time, my kids can always find something to amuse them. My older son loves the fact that he has his own library and can check things out on his own. The staff is also usually helpful in helping pick out or find a book.
TONS of books. Very helpful librarians. We've also attended some of their activities and got great free stuff. They also have a great collection of children's cds and dvds. (at least 8 strawberry shortcake videos if you have a small girl!)
I love libraries and this one is wonderful. The selection for all ages is great and the staff is super helpful. You can also check out DVD's for the kids or adults and I espeically enjoy the "hold" system. I can take the kids to the library, but put my things on home from the computer so I don't have to search through the other areas with the kids. Plus from time to time, my kids want a book that is out, so we put a hold on that.
For anybody who has a five year old you know the energy that they can possess. Well it was one of those days for him. I swear no more sugary cereal. I was in downtown Park Ridge when he decided it was time to go to the restroom so we went into the library as we were there I decided to take him over to the children's service Dept. And it was amazing. The tranquility of the library and staff and the wonderful children's atmosphere just calmed him. He just went over grabbed a book and sat down and just relaxed. The staff was super nice too. Needless to say I got a library card and look forward to utilizing this wonderful community service :)
We love going to the library for storytime and participating in the summer and winter reading programs. My daugther loves to go to pick out a mermaid book and DVD. We are always waiting to see what activities they will have next. They have a summer night out at the library with live music and bingo with prizes. We went the last two years and had a ball. This year it was inside due to bad weather, but I thought they made the most of it inside. I agree the staff here is always very helpful.
I love the staff at the library. I have a three year old that really enjoys spending time there, and the free classes are great. I love the art classes as well as the story time. The librarians are always so helpful when I am looking for something new (NOT DORA) to interest my daughter.
I do wish that they had more spots in the classes offered, because if you forget to sign your kid up right away, you won't get in. It would also be nice if there was a designated area where the kids could enjoy snacks. I understand the 'no food' policy, but it is difficult to spend an afternoon there without providing snacks. I know you can go outside, but the weather does not always allow for that.
Really wonderful staff and services. I think the events have been especially fun lately. I took my 4-year old to a Fancy Nancy event that was very cute - the girls listened to a story about Fancy Nancy, made fancy tiaras as a craft, then received a goody bag with feather boas and big rings, and they got to parade through the library all dressed up. They were all thrilled! The dog show was also great.
I think the Park Ridge Library - Children's Department is great. The women there are always soooo helpful. They seem to be adding more and more great programs and events. Before my kids were in school we spent many mornings at the library.
