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The Barrington Area Library is working with Hitchcock Design Group to develop a five-year Outdoor Master Plan, and we want to hear from you!

The Library takes great pride in its park-like setting, gardens, and close connection to other areas of natural beauty, such as Citizens Park and Cuba Marsh. In recent years, the Library has expanded its outdoor offerings, including popular live music performances for children and families, and a Teaching Garden. Given the enthusiastic response to our outdoor programs and spaces, developing an Outdoor Landscape Master Plan is the next step in envisioning how the Library can best utilize our multi-acre property in years to come.

Receiving feedback from community members is an important part of this process. Hitchcock Design has created a simple online survey, where you can share your thoughts about how you've experienced our outdoor spaces in the past, and how you and your household members might use those spaces in the future. Take the survey.

We invite you to read our latest annual report, covering the fiscal year from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and discover the many ways in which BALibrary is better than ever!

From increased book circulation to off-the-charts program attendance and meeting room usage, we're proud that we continue to play a significant and meaningful role in our customer's lives. You'll meet some super-users in our annual report, along with our essential community partners.

"Of course, none of this would be possible without our wonderful community of supporters! If you're a new cardholder - welcome. We're so glad you're here. If you're a long-time cardholder, thank you for your continued support. Let's keep working together to make great things happen here at the Library."
Executive Director Jason Pinshower

Read the annual report.

Exciting improvements are coming to the Barrington Area Library in 2024. 

Construction work on a number of projects will begin early in the new year. Preparation for construction is already underway.

What will be included in these projects?

Use of our MakerLab continues to grow every year, and the existing space is not sufficient to meet customer demand. During an average month, the Lab sees more than 1,100 visitors, and staff provide 60-75 one-on-one sessions and 5-12 group programs. So we're building a brand new MakerLab, with all the great, state-of-the-art equipment we've always provided, in a comfortable workshop setting that can also be used as a classroom.

After listening to customer feedback, the Youth Services department will be renovated to include: a welcoming Baby Garden for our youngest visitors and their caregivers, new seating and interactive play and learning elements, and handy storage for coats and other personal items.

A second floor administrative area which has not been renovated since the 1990s will be remodeled to create additional offices and collaborative work space for Library staff

How will the renovation process effect BALibrary customers?

Construction is expected to last from January – June 2024. The Library intends to stay open during the entire process, unless unexpected emergencies, such as power outages, arise.

The Zimmerman Room will not be available during this time.

There may be times when construction work will generate noise and other disturbances. We will work closely with our project manager to keep these inconveniences to a minimum. We will keep you posted on the progress of the renovation.

At a reception held on Monday, April 10, and at its regular meeting on Monday, May 8, the Barrington Area Library Board of Trustees offered gratitude to Don Minner, Bill Pizzi, and Denise Tenyer, who are retiring from the Board.

The Board offered special recognition to Minner, who is retiring from the Board after 28 years. During his tenure, Minner served as Vice President for 12 years, and President for 10 years.


Don Minner, pictured with his family.

 

The Board presented a resolution of appreciation to Minner, commending him as a dedicated advocate for the Library, its programs, and services; a selfless volunteer who gave countless hours of his time on behalf of the Library’s customers; and a source of thoughtful counsel for Library leaders and Board of Trustees. Over almost three decades of service, Minner encouraged the Library’s mission of stimulating imagination, developing information fluency, fostering lifelong learning, and creating young readers. Minner served as Board President during a major Library redesign and revitalization project in 2013 and 2014, which transformed and reimagined the building in order to meet the changing needs of the surrounding community for many years to come.

Appreciation was also offered to Pizzi for his 12 years of service, and Tenyer for her eight years of service. All three retiring trustees received personalized gifts from the Library’s MakerLab.

On behalf of the Barrington Area Library community, we offer our admiration and appreciation to Don Minner, Bill Pizzi, and Denise Tenyer, for their example of leadership, commitment, and service to the Library District.


Jason Pinshower, new Executive Director of the Barrington Area Library

Jason Pinshower, current Head of Operations for the Barrington Area Library, will move into a new role as the Library’s Executive Director on January 12. Pinshower replaces Vicki Rakowski, who joined the Library staff in 2017 and has served as Executive Director since February 2021. Rakowski is leaving to take on a new opportunity at the helm of another suburban Chicago public library.

 

 

"While we are sorry to see Ms. Rakowski move on to another library, we are excited to name Mr. Pinshower as our new Executive Director," said Library Board of Trustees President Carrie Carr. "It speaks to the high caliber of our staff that such a well-qualified internal candidate can be promoted to the leadership role. We are confident that Jason is the right person at the right time to take the Barrington Area Library forward."

Pinshower began working at the Library in 2018 as Head of Adult Services, and stepped into the role of Head of Operations in June 2021. He earned a Masters of Library and Information Science from University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2013. He has worked in libraries for 20 years, and came to Barrington after four years at the Fox River Valley Public Library District in East Dundee, where he served as Librarian, Digital Services Manager, and Adult and Teen Services Manager.

“I am humbled and honored to be the next Executive Director of the Barrington Area Library. It has been a joy working with our amazing staff and community over the past four and a half years, and it is the greatest pleasure of my career to lead and serve the Library in my new position. I look forward to continuing the strong momentum our organization has built up, utilizing our values to lead our Library into the future.

Pinshower enjoys hiking, fishing, and the outdoors, along with music and, of course, reading. A lifelong resident of the northwest suburbs, he lives in Cary with his wife and three children.

The Library and its Board of Trustees extend their gratitude to Rakowski for her leadership and service. Carr stated, "Our Library has been very fortunate over the years to benefit from executive directors, such as Ms. Rakowski, who have continually improved and advanced upon our mission. She will be greatly missed by staff and patrons. We wish her much continued success in her new role and career."

“I have loved my time at BALibrary. It’s been an honor to work with our remarkable staff, and to serve this wonderful community,” Rakowski said. “Mr. Pinshower will do a fantastic job leading the organization, and I know he and the staff will continue to do great things.”