Richton Park Public Library

What Richton Park Public Library does

Richton Park Public Library District is an Illinois public library district serving the Village of Richton Park, founded in 1972 and operating from a single building at 22310 Latonia Lane. The library provides free access to physical and digital collections, technology services, and educational programming to district residents, funded primarily through local property tax revenue with supplementary income from printing fees, Friends of the Library fundraising, and competitive grants.

The core technology platform is the SWAN (Southwest Area Network) Libraries consortium catalog, which the library uses to manage circulation, patron accounts, and materials requests. The library also operates a digital collection for eBooks and eAudiobooks, a wireless printing service through ePrint It SaaS, public computer access, meeting and study rooms, a Library of Things lending program, museum and culture passes, curbside pickup, notary services, and a 24-hour drive-up book return. Standard calendar integrations with Google Calendar, iCalendar, and Outlook are exposed for events, and Zelle is accepted for Friends of the Library book sales.

The library segments its audience horizontally into Youth (birth through Grade 5), Teens (Grades 6-12), and Adults and Seniors, with a secondary Families segment. Programming spans storytimes, LEGO clubs, teen robotics and podcasting under Project Next Generation (funded by IMLS/LSTA), seated yoga, book clubs, computer classes, tax form distribution, and wildlife education through ACCO. Distribution is delivered through the physical location plus the online catalog and digital collections, with no pricing tiers for core services beyond small ancillary fees.

Name

Richton Park Public Library

Legal name

Richton Park Public Library District

Website

https://richtonparklibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Richton Park Public Library District is an Illinois public library serving the Village of Richton Park since 1972. It provides free access to physical and digital collections, educational programming for youth, teens, adults, and seniors, and community services funded primarily through local property tax revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community lending programs
• Digital book lending
• Youth education programs
• Senior wellness activities

Headquarters

HQ city

Richton Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Richton Park Public Library District provides free public access to physical and digital library collections, computer and printing services, and educational programs for all age groups (youth, teens, adults, and seniors). Core offerings include library card registration, SWAN consortium catalog access for borrowing books and media, digital collection lending (eBooks, audiobooks), meeting/study room reservations, Library of Things equipment lending, museum passes, and age-segmented programming including Project Next Generation maker education funded by IMLS/LSTA.

Product overview

Richton Park Public Library District operates as a traditional public library system providing community access to physical and digital collections, technology services, and educational programming. The core offerings include the SWAN library catalog for material circulation, a digital collection for eBook/eAudiobook lending, and library card services. The library provides technology amenities such as public computers, wireless printing via ePrint It SaaS, and meeting/study rooms. Programming is organized across three main audience segments: Youth (birth-Gr.5), Teens (Gr.6-12), and Adults/Seniors, with signature programs including Project Next Generation (teen maker education funded by IMLS/LSTA), seasonal reading challenges, fitness classes like Seated Yoga, and craft programs. Additional services include Library of Things (equipment lending), Museum & Culture Passes, curbside pickup, notary services, and an E-Newsletter for community outreach. The library integrates with third-party calendar platforms (Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook) for event scheduling and accepts Zelle payments for Friends of the Library book sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library Catalog (SWAN)

Quantifiable outcome

• Free Ravinia Festival lawn pass tickets distributed to library patrons
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AgeOptionsminorOthersAgeOptions sponsors the library's weekly Seated Yoga program for adults and seniors. AgeOptions is a local aging services organization providing program support to benefit senior community members through light exercise and wellness activities.
• Ravinia Festival (Words & Music Program)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe library participates in Ravinia Festival's Words & Music program, receiving free lawn pass tickets to distribute to patrons. This provides free entertainment access to the community through cultural programming.
• ACCO (Animal-care-Conservation-Outreach)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCO provides natural sciences education programs at the library, including wildlife presentations with live animal ambassadors. Mitchell Goodknecht serves as Founder-Director Educator, delivering museum-quality educational experiences.
• Cook County Sheriff's Office (Book Bus)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Cook County Sheriff's Book Bus mobile library visits the library location, bringing additional reading materials and literacy resources to the community.
• Friends of the LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization that actively supports the library through programs, outreach, events, and fundraising. Organizes book sales, Friends meetings (monthly), and provides supplementary funding for library initiatives.
• Starbucks (Sauk Trail location)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for special 'Starbucks & Stories' storytime events. The library partners with the local Starbucks to hold storytime programs at their location, with the library purchasing refreshments for child participants.
• SWAN Libraries ConsortiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe library participates in the SWAN (Southwest Area Network) Libraries consortium, sharing an integrated library management system with other area libraries for catalog access, interlibrary loan, and resource sharing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Park Forest Public Library: Adjacent suburban Cook County public library of similar size serving Park Forest, Illinois. Comparable operating model, single-location footprint, multi-age programming, and SWAN/non-SWAN consortium participation make it the closest geographic and operational peer.
• Chicago Heights Public Library: South suburban Cook County public library of similar scale serving Chicago Heights. Operates with comparable community programming breadth, public computer access, and meeting room services for a similar demographic catchment.
• Homewood Public Library: South suburban Cook County public library serving Homewood. Comparable size, programming structure across youth/adult segments, and public library district operating model make it a close operational peer in the same regional ecosystem.
• Flossmoor Public Library: Small suburban Cook County public library serving Flossmoor. Comparable single-site operating model, multi-segment programming, and reliance on local tax revenue make it a direct operational peer.
• Matteson Public Library: South suburban Cook County public library serving Matteson. Operates a similar multi-segment programming model and public library district structure for a comparable suburban demographic.
• Olympia Fields Public Library: Small suburban public library serving Olympia Fields, Illinois. Comparable single-building footprint and programming breadth for a similar suburban Cook County catchment area.
• University Park Public Library: Adjacent southern Cook County / Will County public library serving University Park. Comparable size, programming scope, and operating model make it a direct geographic and operational peer.

Regional players

• Tinley Park Public Library: Larger south suburban Cook County public library serving Tinley Park. Comparable public library district model and programming breadth but operates at a meaningfully larger scale and footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Cook County Library System: Regional library system coordinator and funding conduit that oversees interlibrary cooperation across suburban Cook County libraries. Sets standards, channels state and federal funding (including LSTA flows to libraries like Richton Park), and operates as the broader governing umbrella.
• Illinois Heartland Library System: Regional library system serving southern and central Illinois. Provides shared catalog, continuing education, and consulting services to member public libraries including small single-site operations comparable to Richton Park.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/richtonparklib
• Facebookfacebook.com/richtonparklibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richton-park-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Richton Park Public Library