Special Collections
Award Books
Current nominees for Illinois state awards are located near the stairs on the second floor. These include the Monarch, Bluestem, and Rebecca Caudill awards. Nominees for the Lincoln and Read for a Lifetime awards are in the teen collection.
Genealogy
Our collection of reference genealogy materials is shelved with the Tinley Moraine Genealogists’ collection. You can find genealogy materials for checkout in our nonfiction collection under call number 929.
Local Author Collection
We have a collection of works by authors who live in Cook and Will counties.
The Local Author Shelves are located in the Quiet Room on the first floor (for adults) and near the elevator on the second floor (for children and teens).
If you are an author who lives in Cook or Will counties, you are invited to submit your work for inclusion in this collection. To have your work considered, please complete our Submission Form.
Local History
More than 200 documents, maps, and brochures focusing on the history of Tinley Park are stored in our office. A print index is available. Please ask at the Adult Reference Desk.
These have been digitized and are available from local-history.tplibrary.org.
Microfilm
We have archival microfilm for local newspapers, including the Tinley Park Times, dating back to 1929. Please call in advance to see if we have a particular date or date range, as there are several gaps in the collection.
These have all been digitized and are available when you access tplibrary.newspapers.com at the library.
Oversize
Nonfiction books that are too large to fit on regular shelves are kept in the northwest corner of the first floor.
Parenting
A modest collection on parenting topics including literacy skills, potty training, and dealing with food allergies. This collection can be found in the Youth Services Department on the second floor.
Puzzle Exchange
Browse our Puzzle Exchange shelves and feel free to take a puzzle and/or leave a puzzle! This collection is located near the Quiet Room on the first floor. No checkout or library card required. When you’re finished with a puzzle, you can keep it, pass it along, or return it to the library. See our donations page for puzzle donation guidelines.
Sheet Music and Songbooks
We have an eclectic collection of sheet music and songbooks. The collection is located on the east side of the north wall of the first floor.
Items range from golden oldies to contemporary and include:
- Arrangements of music from movies and Broadway musicals
- Collections by popular artists
- Music for weddings
- Music for the Christmas season
- And more!
World Language Books
We have modest collections of fiction and nonfiction materials for adults in Arabic, Hindi, Spanish, and Urdu on the first floor. World language books for children are located on the second floor, including the same languages as above plus French, German, and Polish.
Yearbooks
Tinley Park High School (1963 to present) and Victor J. Andrew High School (1978 to present) yearbooks are available in the adult reference collection on the first floor. A large assortment of yearbooks from Chicago-area high schools and colleges, some dating back to the 1920s, are located in our reference genealogy collection. All yearbooks are cataloged in the SWAN catalog.
