| Chicago Public Library | |
|---|---|
 The library seal contains the Y-shaped Chicago municipal device[1][2] | |
 Harold Washington Library – Chicago's Central Public Library | |
 | |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Established | 1873 |
| Branches | 81 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 5,721,334 volumes (July 2010, ALA data) |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 10 million |
| Population served | 2.8 million |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $106 million |
| Director | Chris Brown[3] |
| Employees | 958[4] |
| Website | chipublib.org |
The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city's 77 Community Areas.[5] CPL was founded in 1872, in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire.
The American Library Association reports that the library holds 5,721,334 volumes, making it the ninth largest public library in the United States by volumes held, and the 30th largest academic or public library in the United States by volumes held. The Chicago Public Library is the second largest library system in Chicago by volumes held (the largest is the University of Chicago Library). The library is the second largest public library system in the Midwest, after the Detroit Public Library.[6] Unlike many public libraries, CPL uses the Library of Congress cataloging classification system rather than Dewey Decimal.
- ^ "The Chicago Municipal Device (Y-Shaped Figure)". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- ^ Kaplan, Jacob (December 10, 2008). "The Municipal Device". Forgotten Chicago. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Meet the Chief Librarian: Chris Brown", Chicago Public Library Foundation, May 17, 2021, retrieved 2021-10-11
- ^ "Facts and Figures", Chicago Public Library, September 27, 2021, retrieved 2021-10-11
- ^ "Annual Report for 2010 Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine," Chicago Public Library.
- ^ "The Nation's Largest Libraries: A Listing By Volumes Held" (July 2012), American Library Association.