Naperville Library Branches: A Branch-by-Branch Guide

By The Hours Shelf Editorial Team · Last updated: November 2026 · Hours checked against the library's official website on November 3, 2026

The Naperville Public Library has three locations: Nichols Library downtown, Naper Blvd. Library on the southeast side and 95th Street Library in south Naperville. All three keep the same hours Monday through Saturday and offer the core services, from holds pickup to study rooms. The differences are in Sunday hours, a few pieces of specialist equipment, and parking. Here's how to pick the right Naperville library branch for your trip.

The three branches side by side

Hours from the library's location pages and its Hours, Holidays, and Closings page; opening years from the library's History page; equipment from its Hardware & Software and Media Studios pages. All checked November 3, 2026. For the full weekly tables see Naperville Public Library hours.

Nichols Library (downtown)

Nichols is the library's downtown location, on Jefferson Avenue in the heart of downtown Naperville. The library's roots go back to the original Nichols Library, which opened on September 22, 1898 at 110 S. Washington Street; the present building on Jefferson opened on March 11, 1986. All three buildings shared a $5 million renovation between 2016 and 2018, according to the library's history page.

What stands out

Nichols is the branch with the microfilm and microfiche reader, which matters if you're doing genealogy or local-history research with older newspapers and records. It also keeps the long school-year Sunday hours (until 9 p.m., September through May).

Event days

Because it's downtown, Nichols is the branch most affected by street events. In 2026 it opened at 1 p.m. on the day of the St. Patrick's Day parade and race and closed on both days of Last Fling. The holiday closures guide lists every 2026 change.

Parking at Nichols

Parking has long been the most common complaint about Nichols. A July 2026 NCTV17 report put the library's lot at 130 spaces and described a proposed two-level parking deck at Jefferson Avenue and Webster Street for up to 500 vehicles, budgeted at $32 million to $36 million. The library board backed the idea, but the deck still needed City Council approval and was set for discussion in the 2027 budget hearings, with 12 to 18 months of construction if approved. Until anything changes, plan on the existing lot, curbside pickup for holds, or a visit to another branch at busy times.

Naper Blvd. Library

Naper Blvd. Library serves the southeast part of the city. Its upper floor opened to the public on December 29, 1992, and the library's history notes that the building grew until it filled two floors. It offers the same Monday to Saturday hours as the other branches, but on Sundays it always closes at 5 p.m., even during the school year.

What stands out

Naper Blvd. is where the library lists its cassette converter, for turning audio tapes into digital files. Shared equipment such as the VHS-to-DVD converter, film and slide scanner, laminator and button makers is listed for all locations.

95th Street Library

95th Street Library is the newest building, opened on September 21, 2003, to serve the city's growing south side. If your project involves media or making things, this is the branch to know.

What stands out

• Media studios: a green screen room and a soundproofed sound recording studio. They're open to Naperville and reciprocal cardholders of high school age or older, Naperville cardholders get priority and can reserve, and an orientation is required first.
• 3D printing: finished prints are picked up here. Requests cost $0.20 per gram and can take 7 to 10 days.
• Branch-only equipment: the 3D printer, an 8mm movie converter, an LP converter and a Wacom drawing tablet.
• Computer classroom: some creative and coding software (for example Blender, GIMP, Inkscape and Scratch) is installed only in the 95th Street computer classroom.

Choosing a branch: practical scenarios

• A quiet Sunday-night study session in November: Nichols or 95th Street, both open until 9 p.m. Study rooms are first come, first served.
• Digitizing old family media: VHS and slides at any branch; cassettes at Naper Blvd.; LPs and 8mm film at 95th Street.
• Recording a podcast: book an orientation for the 95th Street sound studio.
• Grabbing holds on a busy downtown day: use curbside at Nichols or set your pickup at another branch.

More on rooms, fees and digital resources is in our Naperville library services guide, and new cardholders can start with how to get a Naperville library card.