Mon-Thurs 9am-7pm; Fri and Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 1pm-5pm.
The Harold Washington Library Center is the world's largest public library building. Its 756,640 square feet house nearly nine million books, microforms, serials, and government documents on over 70 miles of shelving. The library also houses special collections, including the Chicago Blues Archive, the Chicago Theater Collection, the Civil War Collection, and the Harold Washington Archive. It also has major collections in business, science, technology, general information services, literature and language, social services, special collections & preservation, visual and performing arts; a video/film center; government publications department; Teacher Resource Center; a Talking Book Center for people with visual or physical disabilities; a computer-assisted reference center; and the Thomas Hughes Children's Library.
The children's library, designed for children from pre-school age through the eighth grade, was named for Thomas Hughes, a member of the British Parliament, who waged a campaign in England after much of Chicago was destroyed by the great Chicago fire to gather donations of books for the city. More than 8,000 volumes made their way to Chicago, which formed the basis for the Chicago Public Library.
The library center also offers free public programs and events, including dance and music performances, author talks, children's programs, and computer workshops.
In addition to the library facilities, the center has a restaurant, coffee shop, library store, and second-hand bookstore. The library store sells a wide selection of unusual gifts, many with a literary theme such as bookends, stationery and greeting cards, as well as hand-crafted jewelry by Chicago artisans, and child-oriented items.
Beyond Words Cafe, located on the ninth floor, offers breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, all set to the backdrop of Chicago's south Loop skyline.
The library center, which opened on October 7, 1991, was named for the man who determined that Chicago should construct an entirely new building for its central library. Harold Washington, the city's first African American mayor, also was a great lover of books. Since the library center's 1991 opening, it has averaged 6,000 visitors a day.
Free public tours of the library center are conducted daily at noon and 2 pm. For information, call 312-747-4136.
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