Institutional Member Spotlight - Ela Area Public Library
August 4, 2025
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Our latest Institutional Member Spotlight is on the Ela Area Public Library located in Lake Zurich, IL.
Library's History
In 1972, the Ela Area Public Library opened its doors in the basement of Lake Zurich's St. Francis de Sales Church, occupying 3,000 square feet. The North Suburban Library System provided a field librarian, legal counsel, basic materials and expenses to launch a referendum, which passed in 1973. In 1980, a referendum to build a 10,000 square foot building on Buesching Road for $625,000 passed by 419 votes. The Library moved to its current 70,000 square foot location on Mohawk Trail in 2002.
Mission Statement
Share the Joy of Discovery.
Patrons Served Annually
In 2024, we had 21,748 active cardholders and 204,851 in-person visits to the Library.
Departments
Administration, Adult Reference, Children’s Dept., Circulation, Facilities, IT, Technical Services, Popular Materials, Programs & Publicity.
Staff Member Who’s Worked at the Library the Longest
We have an Associate in the Children’s Department who has worked at Ela Library for 32 years.
Newest Staff Member
A new Makerspace Assistant joined us in June.
Why did you become an ILA Institutional Member?
Advocacy – ILA supports the interests of Illinois libraries in Springfield and provides members with education and training on advocacy issues. The annual legislative meetup has been an important learning opportunity and tool for our Trustees.
The best thing about being an ILA Institutional Member?
Cost savings – Being an institutional member provides us with access to discounted rates for anyone in the organization to attend conferences and programs. Additionally, we take advantage of the downloadable iREAD resource guide and the ability to post once annually on the JobLine for free.
Fun Facts About the Library
The Library was named for George Ela, the area’s first postmaster.
Popular Events/Programs with Patrons
This summer, our most popular programs for kids included Squishy Lab (slime creation), a Duck Boat Challenge, and Stuffed Animal Summer Camp. For teens and adults, our inaugural Volunteer Fair was a tremendously well-attended event showing a strong desire for community involvement.
Our summer outdoor concert series is also much loved and offers fun-filled evenings for all ages. Each spring, our annual shred and electronics/textile recycling event draws hundreds of residents and has created partnerships with our local township, food pantry, police department, and several nonprofit recycling organizations. Newer year-long favorites include the Senior Scrabble Club, Neurodiverse Meetup Group, and Baby Sign Language classes.
Favorite Events
This past year, from November 16, 2024 to February 2, 2025, we hosted the exhibit, “Giants, Dragons, and Unicorns,” organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Visitors enjoyed learning about mythical creatures and seeing “life-sized” versions of them in several areas of the library.
Our opening festivities included mythic cosplay characters, crafts, a storyteller, a hurdy gurdy player, a birds of prey presentation, and an electric harp and drum concert featuring two sets of identical twins, The Harp Twins and Volfgang Twins. Throughout the winter months, continued programs and library displays encouraged patrons to explore mythology from a wide perspective and through different art forms.
iREAD Summer Reading Programs
Latest Library JobLine Listings
