Special Collections
Award Books
Current nominees for Illinois state awards may be found in the lobby area of the second floor. These awards include the Monarch, Bluestem, and Rebecca Caudill. Nominees for the Lincoln and Read for a Lifetime awards can be found in the teen collection.
Genealogy
Our extensive collection of reference genealogy materials is intershelved with that of the Tinley Moraine Genealogists. You can find genealogy materials for checkout in our nonfiction collection under call number 929.
Local Author Collection
Our circulating collections of works by authors residing in Cook and Will counties.
The Local Author Shelves are located in the Quiet Room on the first floor and near the elevator on the second floor.
If you are an author residing 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, with several gaps. Please call in advance to find out if we have a particular date or date range. 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 topics of interest to parents, including literacy skills, potty training, and dealing with food allergies. This collection can be found on the shelves nearest the Youth Services Activity Room on the second floor.
Puzzle Exchange
Browse our Puzzle Exchange shelves and feel free to take a puzzle and/or leave a puzzle! 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. 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. The collection is located on the east side of the north wall of the first floor.
World Language Books
We have modest collections of fiction and nonfiction materials in Arabic, Hindi, Spanish, and Urdu, located near the study rooms in the adult nonfiction collection on the first floor. World language books suitable for children are located on the shelves behind the Youth Services Desk. (The same languages are represented there, 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 integrated with the reference genealogy collection. All yearbooks are cataloged in the SWAN catalog.
