Naperville, Illinois
Library
### Library

The Naperville Public Library has three library branches within city limits. In 2020, there were 61,476 active cardholders, there were 728,147 total library visits, and there were 2,973,939 checkouts.

The Naperville Public Library was founded when James Nichols, a Naperville resident, bequeathed $10,000 to the City Of Naperville, to establish a library after his passing. On September 22, 1898, the Nichols Library formally opened. Its collection comprised over 700 books. With the population of Naperville growing, the original location was running out of space. In 1983 a referendum was passed to build a new library, and the new Nichols Library opened on March 11, 1986\. As the population increased, the need for a new branch was evident. Land was acquired, and the upper floor of the Naper Boulevard Library opened to the public on December 29, 1992\. South Naperville still had a gap in the Library's coverage, so the 95th Street Library was opened on September 21, 2003\.

The Nichols Library is in downtown Naperville, on Jefferson Street. It opened at this location in March 1986\. It is a  structure. The [previous library building](/wiki/Old_Nichols_Library "Old Nichols Library") still stands on Washington Street, just south of the YMCA building (razed in 2022\), at Washington and Van Buren.

The Naper Boulevard Library was dedicated in December 1992 and underwent internal renovations in 2015\. It is situated on Naper Boulevard, south of [Scott Elementary School](/wiki/Naperville_Community_Unit_School_District_203 "Naperville Community Unit School District 203"). It is the smallest of the three buildings at .

The 95th Street Library is near the intersection of [95th Street](/wiki/95th_Street_%28Chicago%29 "95th Street (Chicago)") and [Route 59](/wiki/Illinois_Route_59 "Illinois Route 59") (just west of Neuqua Valley High School). Opened in September 2003, it is the newest and largest of the three facilities at  and features a modern architectural style.

In 2022, *Library Journal* rated the Naperville Public Library the best in the nation in its expenditure range.


Is the Naperville Public Library's rating related to its architectural style?