La Grange Public Library

What La Grange Public Library does

La Grange Public Library is a municipal public library serving the residents of La Grange, Illinois, founded in 1904 with its current building opened in 2007 at 10 W Cossitt Ave. The library operates as a tax-funded public institution under a Board of Trustees with no private equity, corporate parent, or venture capital ownership, and it is a member of the SWAN Libraries consortium that provides shared catalog and digital lending infrastructure.

The library delivers a two-channel service model. The physical channel consists of a single building offering books, media, equipment lending, public computers, printing, meeting rooms equipped with Meeting Owl Pro 360-degree cameras, and dedicated spaces for children, teens, and adults. The digital channel aggregates third-party platforms through the library's website and catalog, including Libby/Overdrive (eBooks and audiobooks, 20 checkouts per card), Hoopla (movies, music, audiobooks, 10 titles per month), Kanopy (30,000+ films, 30 viewing tickets per month), PressReader (7,000+ publications), Freegal Music, Cloud Library, LinkedIn Learning, Creativebug, Mango Languages, and Niche Academy. Discovery is supported by Novelist and Novelist K-8 recommendation engines. The website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards.

The library's business model is non-commercial public service delivery: all services are provided free of charge to residents, funded through municipal tax revenues, grants, and donations from the Friends of the Library. Revenue is undisclosed. The institution serves all age segments with dedicated programming (storytimes, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, teen programs, adult book discussions) and community-wide initiatives including the annual Plant a Seed, Read Summer Reading Challenge (community goal of 500,000 minutes tracked via Beanstack), One Book, One Community, and a Seed Library program. A $390,000 Second Floor Rejuvenation Project is underway August–December 2026 to modernize facilities. FY2025 visit volume exceeded 157,000.

Name

La Grange Public Library

Legal name

La Grange Public Library

Website

https://lagrangelibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Grange Public Library is a municipal public library in La Grange, Illinois, providing free physical and digital lending, programs, and community services to residents of all ages, funded by municipal taxes and the SWAN Libraries consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community reading programs
• Digital lending platform
• Research databases
• Children's literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

La Grange, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Library Services: Tax-funded public library services provided free of charge to community residents. Funded through municipal/public library funding mechanisms with additional support from grants and donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

La Grange Public Library is a municipal public library offering free access to physical and digital materials, community programs, and public computing resources to La Grange, Illinois residents. Core offerings include a physical collection of books, media, and circulating equipment; an integrated eLibrary providing eBooks, eAudiobooks, movies, music, magazines, and newspapers through third-party platforms; meeting and study rooms with video conferencing technology; computers and wireless printing; genealogy and research databases; and community programs such as Summer Reading Challenge, One Book One Community, and Seed Library.

Product overview

La Grange Public Library operates as a public library system offering both physical and digital resources. The core offering includes physical material borrowing (books, media, equipment) alongside a comprehensive digital eLibrary platform that integrates multiple third-party streaming and learning services including Libby/Overdrive, Kanopy, Hoopla, PressReader, LinkedIn Learning, Creativebug, and Mango Languages. Additional services include meeting room facilities with video conferencing technology (Meeting Owl Pro), public computer and printing services, genealogy and research databases, and community programs such as the annual Summer Reading Challenge, One Book One Community reading initiative, and Seed Library. The library serves all ages through dedicated Kids and Teens sections, and is currently undergoing a Second Floor Rejuvenation Project (2026) to modernize facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physical Library Collection Physical books, media, and materials available for borrowing with a library card, including new materials, circulating equipment, and local author/artist works. Targeted at La Grange, Illinois residents.
• eLibrary Digital Services Comprehensive digital content platform offering eBooks, eAudiobooks, movies, TV, music, magazines, and newspapers through multiple integrated platforms (Libby/Overdrive, Hoopla, Kanopy, PressReader, Freegal Music, Cloud Library). Accessible with library card from any location.
• Plant a Seed, Read: Summer Reading Challenge Annual community reading challenge with milestone rewards, community reading goals (500,000 minutes), and prize drawings. Tracked via Beanstack platform. Open to all La Grange residents.
• Meeting & Study Rooms Meeting rooms equipped with technology including Meeting Owl Pro 360-degree video conferencing cameras, available for reservation by community members.
• Computers & Printers Public computer access and printing services including wireless printing through ePRINTit integration. Available to library visitors.
• Research Services Online research resources including information literacy tools, genealogy databases, and access to online databases for library cardholders.
• Genealogy Resources Specialized research resources for genealogical research and family history exploration. Available with a library card.
• Museum Passes & More Library program providing passes and access to local museums and cultural institutions for community members.
• Kids Programs Age-appropriate programming for children including storytimes, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, and resources for teachers and caregivers.
• Teen Services Programs and resources specifically designed for teenage patrons, including study spaces and dedicated collections.
• Seed Library Program allowing patrons to borrow seeds for gardening, promoting community growing.
• One Book, One Community Community-wide reading initiative inviting all patrons to read and discuss the same book, featuring events, discussions, and free copies. Supported by Freedom to Read Foundation grant and co-sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of the LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit support organization providing funding and advocacy for library programs and services. Co-sponsor of One Book, One Community initiative.
• First United Methodist ChurchminorOthersCommunity partner for school supply drive collection site. Accepting donations alongside other local churches.
• First Congregational Church of Western SpringsminorOthersCommunity partner for school supply drive collection site.
• First Congregational Church of La GrangeminorOthersCommunity partner for school supply drive collection site.
• SWAN LibrariescoreTechnology or IntegrationLibrary consortium network providing integrated catalog system, shared digital lending platform, and collaborative collection management across member libraries.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brookfield Public Library: Suburban Chicago public library serving Brookfield, Illinois. Direct peer as a similarly sized municipal library serving a comparable Chicago-suburban community with the same SWAN consortium membership and equivalent physical/digital service mix.
• Western Springs Public Library: Suburban Chicago public library immediately adjacent to La Grange. Direct peer operating in the same SWAN consortium and serving a demographically similar small village with overlapping community programming and digital lending offerings.
• Lyons Township Public Library: Nearby Chicago-suburban public library in the SWAN consortium. Direct peer serving a comparable township footprint with a similar scale of staffing, programming, and physical/digital collection management.
• Indian Prairie Public Library: SWAN-member suburban Chicago public library serving a comparable-sized community. Direct peer offering analogous physical collections, digital lending, and community programming under a similar municipal funding model.
• Fountaindale Public Library District: Suburban Chicago public library district in the SWAN consortium. Comparable peer at similar size with the same Overdrive/Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy integrations and analogous community programming.
• Woodridge Public Library: SWAN-member suburban Chicago public library of comparable size and footprint. Direct peer with similar digital lending stack, study/meeting room services, and family programming orientation.
• Downers Grove Public Library: Suburban Chicago public library in the SWAN consortium serving a similarly affluent DuPage-area community. Comparable peer with overlapping digital lending partnerships (Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy) and community program mix.
• Glen Ellyn Public Library: Suburban Chicago public library serving a similarly sized affluent village. Comparable peer in scale, programming breadth, and digital service integrations including Libby and Kanopy.

Regional players

• Naperville Public Library: Larger suburban Chicago public library also operating in the SWAN consortium. Regional peer at greater scale, useful as an upper-bound benchmark for programming breadth and digital service depth that La Grange could grow toward.

Others

• SWAN Libraries: Library consortium that La Grange belongs to, providing shared catalog, digital lending, and consortium-level procurement. Ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but materially shapes La Grange's cost structure and service capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-grange-public-library

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 La Grange Public Library