and Historical Society The Barrington Area Library, located northeast of the village's center on Northwest Highway, contains over 226,000 book volumes and 27,000 audiovisual items. Originally established in 1915, the library moved to its current site in the mid-1970s. Through various additions, most recently in 1993, the building was expanded to its current size of approximately . The library currently features exhibits by local artists, including an outdoor sculpture garden. The Barrington Area Historical Society, located on Main Street in downtown Barrington, is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Barrington area. Founded in 1968, the Society operates from two restored Victorian houses. In 1999, village officials relocated a blacksmith shop to the area behind the Society; a barn, forge, and lobby area were added to create a historical setting. Combined with a one-room schoolhouse, these buildings complete the museum complex known as "Old Barrington Center". Medical and emergency Located north of town, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, known as "Good Shepherd," has served the village and surrounding communities since 1979. Prior to the opening of Good Shepherd, the area's closest major hospitals were located in Elgin, Lincolnshire and Arlington Heights. In 1927, residents established a "Barrington General Hospital" in a house located near the intersection of Hough Street and Lincoln Avenue; however, this hospital closed in 1935. Various resident petitions and fundraising during the 1960s and 1970s renewed interest in a local hospital, and Good Shepherd officially opened on October 17, 1979. The American College of Surgeons has designated Good Shepherd's emergency department as a Level II trauma center. The hospital's medical specialties are Cardiology, Cancer/Oncology, Emergency Services, "Fitness and Wellness", Imaging, Obstetrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Women's Health, and the Emergency Department includes a "Fast Track" center for less serious treatment needs, such as stitches. JourneyCare (formerly Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois) opened the Pepper Family Hospice Center on Lake Zurich Road in 2010. As of November 2009, the Barrington Police Department had 23 full-time police officers; as of March 2007, the Barrington Fire Department had 38 full-time firefighters. The Village has adopted an Emergency Operations Plan as well as a community notification system called Connect-CTY. Connect-CTY allows authorized village officials to record and deliver voice messages quickly to individual phones in the notification database in urgent situations. Examples of messages that may be sent over the Connect-CTY service include severe weather warnings and updates,