Hope. Love. Opportunity. Partnership. These are just a few of the many amazing things to come from the success of Safe Humane Chicago, an organization that connects youth, military veterans, and at-risk dogs with community volunteers in interactive, educational programming to create safer, more humane communities. The organization's Court Case Dogs program, created in 2010, is the… Read More
Staff Picks: Race, Slavery, and Mysteries of Imagination
Earlier in June I had the great fortune of attending Book Expo America (BEA) in Chicago. BEA is a librarian’s dream. We were able to meet authors, hear about upcoming book releases, and even snag advance copies of some of the titles. I picked up many titles that I’m excited to share with readers, but… Read More
Some of the Strangest Books in Our Collection!
Sometimes, the library feels like a big popularity contest. We have entire shelves of titles by James Patterson and Stephen King. And right now, everyone wants to read The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. But there are thousands of items in our collection, and it’s about time someone gave some love to the more obscure… Read More
Staff Picks: An Ember in the Ashes
When “An Ember in the Ashes” by Sabaa Tahir was released last spring, the library world was abuzz about this exciting new YA fantasy title. While at a conference, I had the privilege of hearing the author speak about the book, and I was definitely intrigued. However, despite being touted as a “stand-alone” when it… Read More
Summer Movie Discussions – Watch for the Win!
This year's Summer Reading Program theme is Read For The Win. With that in mind, we'll be showing three of the greatest sports films ever made for our Summer Movie Discussion series. I will give a brief talk before each movie with some fun facts and interesting stories about the film. Please feel free to stay after to talk… Read More
If you liked “Serial” and “Making a Murderer”…
Millions of people listened to the "Serial" podcast and learned all about Adnan Syed. Millions of people watched the Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" and now know the story of Steven Avery. "The Jinx" on HBO has also been hugely popular. People seem to be fascinated by these stories of true crime, possible innocent people… Read More
Staff Picks: Post Pop Depression
It has been a rough year so far for music, as we’ve lost a number of stars. Merle Haggard was a legend in country music, Prince will never be forgotten, and we were all shocked at the sudden passing of David Bowie. “Blackstar” was released on David Bowie’s 69th birthday in January, and two days… Read More
Finals Week @ the Library
In response to the high number of student requests for additional quiet study areas during Finals Week, in conjunction with the high demand by community groups for use of the Library's meeting rooms, following are the Library spaces available for deep and creative thought! Quiet Study: Upper Level Cozy chairs in Front Lobby and in… Read More
Our Favorite Summer Reads for 2016
Whether you're headed to the pool or beach, taking a road trip, or stuck in the house during a summer thunderstorm, our librarians have you covered! Here's our staff picks for this summer's best reads, road trip audiobooks, and rainy day movies. Some of our selections are new releases coming out later in the summer… Read More
Tech Time: Gale Courses Contest
I am one of those people who is constantly trying to learn something new. Whether it’s Microsoft Excel, painting, or astronomy, I love to expand my horizons and gain new knowledge! So when the Library added Gale Courses, one of our newest electronic resources, I was thrilled! Gale Courses offers over 300 six-week, instructor-led courses… Read More
