On Monday, April 5th we reopened the Kirkland Public Library to the public and it’s been wonderful to see so many of our patrons back. We have restrictions for the safety of both our patrons and our staff. All staff will wear masks and make sure the library is sanitized. We will have one patron in the library at a time — they must also wear a mask and use hand sanitizer when entering.

For those who would still like us to pick out books for you and/or fill your requests, we will continue to offer curbside service.

At this time, there will be no computer use in the library or reading. After looking at what other libraries are offering, we are hoping to limit each patron to fifteen minutes to select their books.

On the front door there will be a red “stop sign” if another patron is in the library. Please wait until our staff changes the sign to “welcome” before coming in.

We are excited to see our patrons again! We have returned to our normal business hours:

Monday and Thursday — 10 am to 7 pm

Tuesday and Wednesday — 1 pm to 7 pm

Saturday – 9 am to 3 pm

We’d like to start book club again on the third Thursday in June — June 17th at 6:00 p.m.

At this time we are still concerned about social distancing and the spread of COVID-19. I know many of us have been vaccinated, but there possibly are a few members who have not.

We’ve been trying to come up with alternatives to keep everyone safe and one of those is to ask Franklin Township Park Board for permission to use the shelter house so we could spread out. Of course if the weather was nice, we could sit outside.

Please contact us at 815-522-6260 or kirklandlib@hotmail.com to let us know if you’d like to be part of this fun group!

Although we post on Facebook and our webpage, many patrons have asked to receive email notices regarding Kirkland Public Library. These will certainly not be daily updates, but if you would like to receive these notices, please send your email to kirklandlib@hotmail.com — make sure to put the words “Patron Notification” in the subject line.

The Kirkland Public Library Board of Trustees will now meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.

Please do not drop books that you no longer want in our Book Drop. Our space is very limited and we do not have room for these books. Please consider contacting another library to see if they would be interested in them or donating them to a woman’s shelter, assisted living facility, or to a church for their rummage sale. I would love to have every book on our shelves, but it’s just not possible.

DROP BOX WILL BE LOCKED OUT OVER ALL HOLIDAYS —

Drop box will be locked over holidays.   During holidays we have had damage done to the books by garbage being thrown in. To avoid this, we lock the box. Please do not leave anything between the doors. 

Looking to honor a friend, remember a loved one or celebrate a special occasion? Supporting the Kirkland Public Library through a monetary donation furthers the library’s mission to share the joy of reading, discovery and creativity with the community. Your gift also allows us to honor or memorialize someone special to you.

Monetary donations may be dropped off at the library during regular business hours or mailed to us at PO Box 189, Kirkland, IL 60146.

Please remember that family pets are not allowed in the library. Yes, you’re right – we did have Banjo with us and now have Darby; however, their job includes being trained to become a leader dog. As with any other public place, a service dog is certainly welcome to be in the library with the person they are assisting.