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Welcome to the Waukesha Public Library!
The Waukesha Public Library is owned by the city of Waukesha and governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees. As the Resource Library for the Waukesha County Federated Library System, it serves over 96,800 area residents. Nearly 71,000 customers are registered for a Waukesha Public Library card.
The current 67,824 square foot building was completed in 2005. It houses just over 333,000 items, accessible in-house and from home through an online catalog. Located in Cutler Park, the library features a spectacular glass atrium which promotes a welcoming feel, and ample natural lighting. The warm and inviting children's room features a walk-in reading house, a large storytime area, and a mural featuring characters drawn from children's literature.The original 1904 Carnegie Library portion of the building is now a large newspaper reading room.
The Waukesha Public Library is one of the most heavily used libraries in the state, consistently circulating more than 1.4 million items annually. Usage analyses show that 67% of the library's usage comes from city of Waukesha residents, 21% from residents of Waukesha County who do not support a local library, and 11% from residents of other municipalities in Waukesha County who do support their own libraries. The library's 2008 budget is $3,858,495.
The Waukesha Public Library offers a range of print and non-print materials, as well as services for all ages. At the end of December, 2007, the collection consisted of 272,508 books, access to 7,446 electronic books, 6,531 audiocassettes, 3,339 books on compact disk, 9,289 videos, 10,000 DVDs, 9,452 compact discs, and 1,107 CD-ROMs. During the past few years, demand for materials in audiovisual formats has grown consistently.
The busy adult reference desk annually handles over 75,000 questions of all types. In addition, 667 e-mail reference requests and 184 "Ask Away" virtual reference questions were answered. Inquiries may be answered in person, by telephone, or by e-mail. Customers have the option of placing their own reserves on specific items. Special assistance is available for individuals with disabilities, including the delivery of library materials to home-bound Waukesha residents.
Children's Services offers a variety of programs for children: preschool storytimes, bedtime storytimes, a book club, a summer library program, group visits, and frequent special programs featuring performers or crafts.
Our Friends of the Library group actively supports the mission of the library. The Friends of the Library serve as a liaison between the library and the community. The Friends also provide funding to enhance the quality library services offered to residents of the City of Waukesha and surrounding communities. The Friends raise money for their projects from an ongoing used book sale, through the sale of book bags and mouse pads, through money generated by public photocopiers, and from membership dues.
Mission Statement Waukesha Public Library: the community's best source for inspiration, ideas, and information.
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If you have a comment, a suggestion, or a question about the website, please feel free to Contact the Webmaster
If you have a reference question, an interlibrary loan request, or would like to have an item held for you, please call the Reference Desk at 524-3682.
