Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook earns high marks

Fountaindale Public Library District has achieved high regards from two respected institutions.

Library Journal, founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey, ranked Fountaindale as one of just 257 libraries across the nation to receive a star rating. Data was compiled from information provided to the Institute for Museum and Library Services and covered fiscal 2016.

The rankings cover 7,361 public libraries from across the United States and broke the libraries into nine different brackets based on budget expenditures. Fountaindale was grouped in the $5 million to $9.9 million bracket.

The rankings were based on circulation of materials per capita, visits per capita, program attendance per capita and Internet terminal uses per capita. The library’s three-star rating was a result of its overall score as compared to other libraries in its bracket.

Fountaindale’s strongest showing came in program attendance per capita, placing 10th out of the 220 libraries in its bracket.

The library received more good news when it was informed that Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings assigned its "AA" long-term rating to Fountaindale’s series 2018 general obligation refunding library bonds.

Proceeds will be used to refund and refinance a portion of the district’s series 2009 general obligation library building bonds for savings for the taxpayers. The refinancing is the first step in a larger plan to lower the taxes for the voter approved building bonds over the long term.

Standard & Poor’s noted that Fountaindale uses conservative budgeting practices for expenditures and has maintained very strong financial performance.

About Library Journal

Library Journal is a trusted and respected publication for the library community. Built on more than a century of quality journalism and reviews, Library Journal provides groundbreaking features and analytical news reports covering technology, management, policy and other professional concerns to public, academic and institutional libraries.

For more information about the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service 2018, visit libraryjournal.com.

About Standard & Poor’s

S&P Global Inc. is an American publicly traded corporation whose primary areas of business are financial information and analytics. They provide indexes, ratings, price assessments, analytic models and evaluations to governments, companies and individuals worldwide.

About Fountaindale Public Library District

Fountaindale Public Library District’s mission is to inspire community through education, enrichment and discovery. With a collection comprised of nearly 350,000 items, a state-of-the-art digital media studio and a variety of programs, services and resources, the library is dedicated to serving Bolingbrook residents from early childhood through adulthood.

For more information about the library, visit fountaindale.org.