Celebrate Completion of the Library
It’s a day to say “Hip, hip, hooray!” Celebrate with us again as your new library is truly complete, with landscaping and parking in place. On Sunday, July 27, we’re hosting a free party called Three Cheers for the Library! Gather in front of the library at 1 pm for music and prizes for the kids. After a few words of dedication, we’ll raise a big cheer. At 2 pm, architect Carol Ross Barney, design principal for the project, will talk about environmentally friendly design, such as use of natural light, and how it shaped our library. Or take the whole family to our Story Room for a percussion party with drummers Rocky Maffit and Chad Dunn, also at 2 pm.
Pick a Book for Our Time Capsule
We’re assembling a 100-year time capsule that will include books to show what we liked to read in our day. Kids and teens can help choose the books; vote at the library or Bookmobile. Winners will be displayed, along with other items for the time capsule, at our Three Cheers event.
Good Reads: Book Suggestions by E-mail
Wondering what to read next? Get ideas from a trusted source — Good Reads, brought to you by the popular book review publication BookPage.
Take your pick from more than 20 free e-newsletters with short descriptions of great new titles — and handy links straight into the library catalog. An RSS option is also available. Some are delivered monthly, some weekly. There’s also a “BookPage Daily” option.
Good Reads also links to more than 80 bestseller and awards lists, including the New York Times. And use Authors A to Z to enrich your reading experience by learning more about the people behind the books.
More about Good Reads
Reusable Book Bags
Reusable bags are great for books as well as groceries. Sturdy canvas bags with the library logo are available for purchase any Sunday in the FriendShop, the used book store on our lower level.
Our $10 bag is just right for lighter loads. A larger, beach bag-sized tote helps when you load up at the library. At $18, it’s priced well below the big-name competitors’ bags (and they don’t have our nifty logo on them).
The FriendShop is open Sundays from 1:30 to 5:30 pm and is stocked with thousands of used books, many for $1 or less. All profits support library programs such as the summer reading game and our free book packets for newborns.
Free College-Accredited Humanities Course
The Odyssey Project offers free college-level classes in the humanities — an opportunity to earn six transferable credits in a supportive environment, taught by top U of I faculty. Over two semesters, the course covers philosophy, art history, literature, U.S. history, and writing and critical thinking. The program is free to anyone living below 150% of the poverty level and includes books, transportation, and childcare.
Classes begin in late August and meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 pm at the Douglass Branch Library. Applications are now being accepted. To learn more, contact John Marsh at the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities at 217/244–3344 or jemarsh@illinois.edu. Learn more.
Afternoon All-Stars
This mix of programs for kids in grades K to 5 continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays this month. Come to our Robeson Pavilion Room A & B, from 2 to 2:45 pm. Check our website calendar for more summer events for kids.
- July 1: All-Stars Matinee: Surf’s Up. Rated PG; 85 minutes
- July 3: Medieval Fair. Festivities include a presentation by medieval weaponry expert Deane Geiken.
- July 8: Birds of a Feather. Learn to use binoculars and identify birds.
- July 10: Truly Remarkable Loon Juggler. He’ll toss scarves, sports equipment, bean bag chairs — even a mongoose!
- July 15: Tae Kwon Do. Join us for a demonstration by 7th degree black belt Louis Thursh.
- July 17: Cinderella Stories. Kim Sheahan will share Cinderella stories from around the globe.
- July 22: Games and Glory. Join us for an afternoon of Ancient Greek Olympics.
- July 24: McGruff, the Crime Dog. Songs and activities will teach about stranger safety and what to do if you get lost.
- July 29: Toys and Games of the Past. See what your grandparents and great-grandparents did for fun when they were young.
- July 31: Meet Sports Anchor Adam Mikulich. Learn what it takes to be a TV sports anchor.
On Board with...Sandra Jones
Library Board of Trustees Treasurer Sandra Jones chairs the board’s Budget and Finance Committee and has served on the board since 1993.
Briefly describe the importance of public libraries.
Public libraries exist in a free society to enable citizens uncensored access to any and all available information without regard to an individual’s personal circumstances.
Describe your background and what you bring to the board.
A lifelong reader, I majored in journalism as an undergraduate at SMU. I added a marketing graduate degree from Murray State University and then an MBA from U of I to my formal education. During a 25-year career in health administration, I had the opportunity to manage up to 1200 employees and budgets of up to $100 million. I got to build buildings, recruit physicians, create PRO Ambulance, speak publicly about the nature of healthcare, and generally get involved in every aspect of running a 24/7/365 life affirming business. I also taught health administration at the U of I for fifteen years. Those experiences have helped me make sound decisions regarding our new library building, our operating budget, our strategic visioning, and our operating policies from a broad, community perspective.
Tell us a little bit about your family, pets, etc.
My husband is a retired banker and an active community volunteer. My son has just completed a master’s in clinical psychology in Atlanta and leaves for a second degree in York, England, this fall with the goal of opening his own sports psychology practice. First, he will be his younger sister’s maid of honor at her wedding this August. She and son-in-law-to-be are both completing college work at Parkland.
What have you read, watched, or listened to lately?
I just read a couple of Seth Godin’s books on marketing: The Dip and Meatball Sundae. I am currently reading science writer Mary Roach’s Stiff and Bill Strickland’s Making the Impossible Possible. I listen to all the U of I sports broadcasts, from baseball through volleyball to football and basketball -- men’s and women’s. As time allows, I am watching the 25th anniversary release of selected Perry Mason episodes.
Oberon the Possum King in Concert
Together since 1996, Oberon the Possum King features fiddle, viola, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and button-accordion. Come tickle your ears with a mix of hard-driving old-time music, haunting Breton tunes, romantic cafe songs, and occasional jazz at a free concert for families. Drop in on Saturday, July 12, from 2 to 3 pm, in Robeson Pavilion Room A & B.
|
July 08
Singing, Yodelin’ and Trick Ropin’
“Singing and yodeling with all the smoothness of a stretch of open road at dawn” — that’s how the Cincinnati Enquirer described the unique voice of Texas native Randy Erwin. Erwin will visit the library at 2 pm Saturday, July 19, for a free family program of cowboy music, folklore, history, rope tricks, and, of course, yodeling. Erwin has been heard on several film scores, including the animated feature Home on the Range. He is also a music commentator for NPR. This event is part of the Super Summer Saturdays series for children.
Brochure Wins National Award
The “Amazing Space” brochure that guided patrons on our grand opening day has earned a “Best of Show” award from the American Library Association in its annual recognition of the best PR and marketing efforts by libraries across the U.S. and Canada. It earned the top award among similar-sized libraries in the category of publications providing orientation or describing services or policies.
The Road to Retirement
Get on the road to a successful retirement with this free, hour-long seminar. Presenter Jane A. Brockway, CRPC, will cover topics including getting the most from Social Security, generating income during retirement, and meeting health care needs. Join us Thursday, July 24, at 7 pm in Robeson Pavilion Room C. Registration is not needed; just drop in.
Keep the E-mail Reminders Coming
If your e-mail address changed recently, be sure to update your information in your library account or ELF account. Library ELF is an independent service that lets you get e-mail notices — reminders that items are due or on hold — as early and as often as you’d like. ELF also shows you all of your due dates in a handy calendar format. Learn more about Library ELF.
Magic Workshop & Sock Puppets
Kids are invited to our Douglass Branch Library for two fun Wednesday afternoon events this month. On July 16, watch closely as the library’s own Jerad Nolin performs sleight of hand, then learn his secrets at Abracadabra! A Magic Workshop. Then on July 30, create a sock puppet at Put a Sock in It! Supplies are provided, or bring your own. Both programs are from 2 to 3 pm at the Branch, located at 504 E. Grove St., just west of B. T. Washington School.
Put Us in Your Cell Phone
Add the library’s phone numbers to your phone directory and you’ll always have quick access to renew items or ask about your account (403-2000) or get help from a librarian (403-2070, or 403-2030 for children) any time the library is open.
More library phone numbers
Library Closed July 4
The library will be closed and the Bookmobile will not run on Friday, July 4, for the Independence Day holiday. Our book return will stay open for you to return materials.
|
