Lake Barrington has no public library of its own; the nearest is Fox River Grove Public Library District in Fox River Grove, 2.8 miles away
Lake Barrington doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Fox River Grove Public Library District in Fox River Grove, 2.8 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
B−Civic lifeAhead of 47% of U.S. towns · #346 of 754 in Illinois. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Lake Barrington
Lake Barrington borrows from the libraries next door
Lake Barrington has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Fox River Grove Public Library District in Fox River Grove (2.8 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Lake Barrington isn’t the only town nearby without one
North Barrington, Tower Lakes and Port Barrington don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Fox River Grove (Fox River Grove Public Library District) and Wauconda (Wauconda Area Public Library District) do. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Fox River Grove Public Library District is nearest, open about 43 hours a week. Barrington Public Library District, 4.1 miles away, is open about 70 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
The nearby libraries are all fine-free
None of the four closest libraries charges late fines. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Lake Barrington’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Lake Barrington is ahead of 47% of U.S. towns, #346 of 754 in Illinois. Lake Barrington is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Lake Barrington’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
19 community nonprofits are registered in Lake Barrington
3.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
7.8%
7.8% of Lake Barrington’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.1% in the typical Illinois town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Lake Barrington’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 2.8 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Lake Barrington. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox River Grove | Fox River Grove Public Library District fine-free | 10.3 | 43 | A− |
| Wauconda | Wauconda Area Public Library District fine-free | — | 65 | B− |
| North Barrington | None of its own | — | — | B− |
| Tower Lakes | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Port Barrington | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Barrington Hills | None of its own | — | — | B |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Lake Barrington
Does Lake Barrington have a public library?
No. The closest is Fox River Grove Public Library District in Fox River Grove, 2.8 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Lake Barrington’s civic life grade?
B− Lake Barrington is ahead of 47% of U.S. towns on civic life, #346 of 754 in Illinois. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Lake Barrington.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.