Did You Know?
Did you know that Lake County, Indiana has seven independent public library districts?
Each library district is a separate governmental unit, with a dedicated Board of Trustees, administration, staff, collection, and services. This allows each library to focus on the unique interests and needs of the community it serves.
Take a look at the list of library systems below, then keep reading to learn more about our library system and how all the systems work together!
All Lake County Library Districts
Below is an alphabetical list of Lake County’s public library systems and their branches:
- Crown Point Community Library
- Crown Point (Main Location)
- Winfield Branch
- East Chicago Public Library
- East Chicago (Main Location)
- Robert A. Pastrick Branch
- Gary Public Library
- Gary Public Library and Cultural Center (Main Location)
- Kennedy Branch
- Woodson Branch
- Hammond Public Library
- Hammond (Main Location)
- Library Kiosk
- Lake County Public Library
- Cedar Lake Branch
- Dyer-Schererville Branch
- Griffith-Calumet Township Branch
- Highland Branch
- Hobart Branch
- Lake Station-New Chicago Branch
- Merrillville (Main Location)
- Munster Branch
- St. John Branch
- Lowell Public Library (Members of Evergreen Indiana)
- Lowell (Main Location)
- Schneider Branch
- Shelby Branch
- Whiting Public Library (Member of Evergreen Indiana)
Lowell Public Library System
The Lowell Public Library System serves the Tri-Creek area, which includes Lowell, Schneider, Shelby, and portions of Cedar Lake, Crown Point, and Hebron.
We are proud to be part of the Evergreen Indiana Library Consortium, a statewide network of over 130 public, school, and institutional libraries, giving our patrons access to about 8 million items from libraries across Indiana.
In addition to being able to easily request items from other Evergreen libraries, patrons of Evergreen libraries can also use their home library cards at any other Evergreen Indiana library.
Check out the Evergreen Indiana Members Map or the list of Evergreen Indiana Member Libraries to see all the places you can use your Lowell Library card!
(The closest Evergreen library systems include Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County, Brook, and Whiting.)
Borrowing from Other Libraries in Lake County
Lake County library systems work together outside of Evergreen, too.
For example, if your Lowell Library card is in good standing, you can get a reciprocal library card from Crown Point, Lake County, (etc.), allowing you to borrow items from those libraries also.
Here are a few things to remember about borrowing items from non-Evergreen libraries:
- Items borrowed from non-Evergreen libraries must be returned to the owning library (not Lowell, Schneider, or Shelby).
- Any late fees or charges for lost or damaged non-Evergreen items must be paid to the owning library (not Lowell, Schneider, or Shelby).
- Other libraries might have different checkout lengths than we do.
- You can check out many items from other libraries with your reciprocal card, but some items and services might be reserved for that library’s resident patrons.
How to Find Your Home Library
We mentioned earlier that the Lowell Public Library district covers not only Lowell, Schneider, and Shelby, but also some portions of Cedar Lake, Crown Point, and Hebron.
So how do you know if your home library is Lowell, Lake County, or Porter County?
Here is an easy way to find out!
- Go to the Evergreen Indiana Map
- Type your address in the Search bar on the top right and click “Enter” (or select your address from the suggestions that pop up as you type)
- Click on the Location marker that will appear where your address is on the map; a box will pop up, showing the library district for that address
- Or give us a call at 219-696-7704 or stop in, and we can check for you!
Come for a Visit!
Whether you are one of our home patrons, a reciprocal patron, or someone just stopping in, we would love to see you at Lowell, Schneider, and Shelby—we are glad you are enjoying our libraries!