Illinois: State guide

Illinois has an official state-level book club collection program through the Illinois State Library’s Literacy Office, but it is targeted to literacy grantees rather than the general public. Statewide interlibrary loan and delivery are built around ILLINET, the Illinois library systems, and ILDS delivery rules adopted by the Illinois State Library.

Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Key facts for Illinois

The Illinois State Library Literacy Office’s Adult New Reader Book Club Collections are available to grantees.
Each Adult New Reader Book Club collection contains 20 copies of a title and a Discussion Leader Guide.
Adult New Reader collections ship through the Illinois Library Delivery System, and shipping is free for the literacy program and the State Library.
The revised ILLINET Interlibrary Loan Code became effective April 1, 2015.
Each ILLINET member library is entitled to one delivery stop at no direct cost.
Illinois delivery to public, school, most special, and selected academic libraries is organized by IHLS, RAILS, or ILDS/CARLI.

Libraries that lend book club kits in Illinois

Library	city	phone	Details
Chicago Public Library The Reading Set	Chicago	(312) 747-4300	CPL cardholders in good standing can reserve reading sets of 8-12 copies; sets check out for 35 days and are reserved online.
Naperville Public Library Book Clubs	Naperville	630-961-4100	Official page for adult, teen, and children’s book clubs, including Criminal Spines, Readers’ Choice, and Out of this World.
Evanston Public Library Book Clubs	Evanston	(847) 448-8600	Runs multiple public book clubs including Better Off Read, History Book Club, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, True Crime, and Readability.
Gail Borden Public Library Walking Book Club	Elgin	847-742-2411	Walking Book Club meets weekly on Wednesday evenings, with the book discussion held at the Main Library on the last Wednesday of the month.

* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.

What to do next

If you are not a literacy grantee, ask your public library about its own book club sets before contacting the State Library program.
For Illinois interlibrary loan, start with your local library; statewide rules and delivery operate through the member-library network.
When using the State Library literacy collection, arrange a partner library delivery point first, then request the collection through the Literacy Office.

Not seeing your library or county?

We list a library only when an official government page publishes its rules. If yours isn't in the table above, it may not publish them online yet. Here's what to use instead, in order:

General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across Illinois, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Illinois's population center, for comparison only):
- Milton Public Library - Book Club in a Bag Kit, Wisconsin · about 106 miles
- Hamilton East Public Library Book Clubs, Indiana · about 135 miles
- Sun Prairie Public Library - Book Clubs, Wisconsin · about 138 miles
Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
Your city or county office: Local governments →
Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Illinois page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

Book club kit finder →

Do you serve Illinois? Get a featured listing for $30/month, clearly labeled as a paid placement.