Naperville library named tops in country for ninth straight time

There are, it seems, three certainties: death, taxes and Naperville Public Library winning honors as the nation's best facility of its size.

Library leaders are celebrating again this week after learning they were selected for the ninth straight time by American Libraries - the official magazine of the American Library Association - as the No. 1 library in the country serving a population between 100,000 and 249,999.

The rankings are based on Hennen's American Public Library Rating Index that considers 15 factors, including cost per circulation and circulation per staff hour, to identify the most efficient libraries.

This year's study looked at more than 9,000 libraries and how they use their money and resources.

Executive Director Donna Dziedzic said Wednesday there are many things that go into the library's success, including a community that makes good use of its facilities, the library board's fiscal prudence and the ability of everyone involved to create a "good balance for the tax dollar."

"We've had a serious program of quality control and quality management for many years," she said. "We've taken seriously the concept of doing more with less."

In the past, Dziedzic has celebrated the rating with a variety of hair styles and colors.

This time, she said, the library staff probably will settle for breaking out the Number One banners that have become a basic part of their decor over the past decade.

"I'm running out of colors for my hair," she said. "The only thing left is to shave my head bald and that's not a good look (for me). I've got guts, but not that many guts."

Dziedzic said Naperville is lucky to have excellent demographics for a successful library, including a sophisticated and educated community "and good funding over the years."

"This says a lot about our board, our staff and our community," she said.

The annual rankings are based on federal data that's usually a few years old. Naperville officials believe this year's ratings are based on numbers from 2004 or 2005.

The Naperville system has three facilities: the Nichols Library at 200 W. Jefferson Ave.; the 95th Street Library at 3015 Cedar Glade Drive; and the Naper Boulevard Library at 2035 S. Naper Blvd.

From May 2007 to April 2008, those libraries checked out 4,432,349 items and handled 1,774,755 visitors.

"I've already said this eight or nine times, but this streak really can't go on forever," Dziedzic said. "Even (top-rated tennis star) Roger Federer got knocked out."

For now, though, the library staff will be dusting off those banners and walking around with smiles on their faces.

"There is no other library in the United States in any category that has been Number One nine times in a row," Dziedzic said. "It's not a flash in the pan. We really are committed."