What's New

Looking for information on Load periods or other FAQ's

We have moved them to a new section called FAQ to make room for our policies. Click here to find what your looking for.

DeKalb Public Library will Go Green!

We recently won a Go Green! grant to improve the library’s environmental practices and to educate the public. Come check out our rotating displays on environmentally-friendly gardening, cleaning, home building and more! And don’t forget our Go Green! presentations! For more information Click here

Raising the Endowment Fund

Our Endowment Fund-raiser is back and bigger than ever! This year we are featuring two major literary figures, Lucien Stryk (American Zen Poet, Professor Emeritus of NIU) presenting a reading of Zen Poetry, and a luncheon and lecture with Elizabeth Berg (author of The Art of Mending and the upcoming The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted). We are also bringing back our popular program Music In The Stacks which features local musical groups, including the Huntley Middle School Orchestra, Emily Palmer, and many more! Click here for more information.

DeKalb Public Library Upcoming Events E-Mail List
Get all your library news first! Sign up here to get email notices about DeKalb Public Library’s upcoming events, special programs, holiday closings, and much more! The DeKalb Public Library will never share your email address with any third party, nor will it send spam. You will be free to unsubscribe at any time.

Sign up here!

Book Club are Back

The DeKalb Public Library sponsors three book clubs. One is Crime Fiction, second is General Books, and third is Destination Wonder. The Crime Fiction Book Club Meets the Last Monday (7:00 p.m.) and Tuesday (10:00 a.m.) of each month. The General Book club will meet on the second Monday and Tuesday of every other month. While Destination Wonder will meet on the first Thursday(7:00 p.m.) of every month. Click here for a more information.

The Board of Trustees has passed the following Resolution: The DeKalb Public Library, as the cornerstone of a growing and dynamic community, provides easily accessible information and a welcoming environment to all its patrons. In order to extend this standard of service, the Library’s Board of Trustees has resolved unanimously to expand and improve the Library’s services and facilities. To this end, the Board has hired two consulting firms, both of which recommend that the Library’s physical space be increased from 19,000 to 60,000 square feet. The Board of Trustees will continue to explore all available options for increasing the Library’s holdings, programming initiatives, and physical space.

The Ben Gordon Self-Help Center

This area on the first floor will house substance abuse, mental health and relationship books. The Ben Gordon Foundation is generously supporting this new endeavor.

Youth and Children's Book Lists

"What should I read now?" Click here for a few suggestions. If there are other book lists you would like to see, let us know.

New Library Card Fees

The Board of Trustees has passed new fees for non-residents. If you live outside the city limits of DeKalb but are still within the DeKalb school district, the fee for a family is $65.00. If you rent outside the city limits of DeKalb but are still within the DeKalb school district, an individual renter’s fee for use of the library is $25.00.

To read more about this exciting news and see if you can get a library card click here.

Downloadable Recorded Books

There are currently over 500 best-selling and thought-provoking titles available with 30 new titles being added monthly. The audiobook department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be browsed online anytime you want or wherever you want. You will never have to wait for a book to come in with Downloadable books. The audiobooks can be downloaded to many portable devices (see below). For more information about NetLibrary's Downloadable Recorded Books or to set up a personal account please, visit the DeKalb Public Library Reference Desk.

NetLibrary's Downloadable Recorded Books are available through the link on the left hand side of the page for patrons who have already come into the library and set a personal account. These books can be checked out for 21 days and also can be renewed.

These audio titles use copyright protection technology from Microsoft Corporation. Unfortunately this means iPods (and Mac) can not be used with this services because they do not currently support copyright-protected Windows Media Audio (WMA) files.

For help with these new services and answers to frequently asked questions please visit NetLibrary's help section on their website.