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Dear Subscriber: The days are getting shorter, and the kids are back in school. For the rest of us, there's a great place where we can learn about anything that interests us. That place, of course, is the library. And, your library card is the smartest card you can carry. It's your ticket to lifelong learning, entertainment and personal enrichment -- all free of charge. September is Library Card Signup Month. If you don't have a card, get one. If you have one, use it @ your library to check out books, movies, music and more. Leslie Steiner, Editor, Head of Public Information Services
Try one of our newer online resources that utilizes sound for learning. You can purchase headphones at the library for $1, or bring your own. RosettaStone Online offers language instruction for 28 languages, including English and Spanish. Using pictures, text, and spoken word, you quickly become immersed in a new language. Starting with basic vocabulary and working up to more complicated items, each language includes at least 250 available hours of instruction. The structured program allows you to build on previous lessons naturally, and your progress is tracked so you can easily pick up where you left off. RosettaStone is also available from home to Des Plaines cardholders through our Web site. Simply click on Online Resources, scroll down and click on RosettaStone Online; then register to begin your studies. You will need Shockwave and Flash. (You can download the software for free.) A broadband connection is recommended but not necessary. For information, phone Reference Services at 847-376-2841.
Remember when a mouse was a small rodent? Well, it’s never too late to learn something new @ your library. We offer a variety of free computer classes especially for adults. Our Introduction to Basic Computers includes how to use a mouse, open and close programs and save files. This class will be helpful if you have minimal computer skills. Our Introduction to the Internet is designed for individuals with little or no knowledge of the Internet. You’ll learn how to search for Web sites, recognize links, determine the accuracy of Web sites, navigate the World Wide Web and find items in the library catalog. Intermediate Internet Searching is a continuation of the introductory class. It includes how to make your Internet searches more effective, how to find newspaper and magazine articles, and more. We also offer monthly drop-in email and Internet sessions where you can practice the basic skills you learned in the introductory classes. At these monthly sessions, a librarian will be available to assist you. Phone Reference Services at 847-376-2841 for dates and times.
The Suburban Mosaic Book of the Year program recognizes that you’re never too young or too old to learn about different cultures. Founded in 2004 for residents of northwest suburban Cook County, Suburban Mosaic is a reading program with a mission: to foster cultural understanding and reduce prejudice through literature. Unlike many other reading programs, however, Suburban Mosaic selects not one book but five, each at a different reading level, so people of all ages -- from preschoolers to seniors -- can participate and work toward a common goal. On Monday, November 6 at 7 p.m., the library will host the first of two Suburban Mosaic book discussions. Families of 4th graders and up are invited to discuss the inspiring Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman, in which six seeds planted in a vacant lot by a Vietnamese girl lead to a community garden and the flowering of a cooperative spirit in a multiethnic neighborhood. Especially timely in light of U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s recent visit to Kenya is the high school and adult discussion title, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, slated for discussion on Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. This insightful memoir by the senator, the son of a white, American mother and a black Kenyan father, chronicles his journey to understand his mixed heritage and his family, including his first trip to his late father’s native Kenya, as well as his community organizing experience in Chicago. Both of these books, engaging as well as culturally rich, are available at the library. Also available at the library are the other three Suburban Mosaic selections: The Colors of Us by Karen Katz, Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco and Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka. For more information about the programs, phone Youth Services at 847-376-2839 or Readers’ Services at 847-376-2840. by Laura Adler, Readers' Services Assistant
Three new online music databases are now available through the library Web site. All three databases may be accessed from home by Des Plaines cardholders. Buy headphones at the library for $1 or bring your own. Or listen through headphones or speakers on your home computer. African American Song contains a diverse range of genres such as jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk songs, and narratives, among others. It is the first resource to document the history of African American music in an online music listening service. Classical Music Library is a fully searchable classical music resource that includes tens of thousands of licensed recordings. The audio selections are cross- referenced to a database of supplementary information. The music moves from medieval to contemporary, from choral works to symphonies, operas, and the avant-garde. Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries® features several genres of music, including American folk, bluegrass, country, jazz and blues. The database includes more than 35,000 individual tracks of music, spoken word, and natural and human-made sounds. The collection provides educators, students, and interested listeners with a variety of online resources on diverse musical forms. Phone Reference Services at 847-376-2841 for more information.
Here's an advance look at several new titles by some of your favorite authors that are due out this fall. Visit our Web site, click on Catalog and reserve your copy early. September Titles
October Titles
Friends of the Des Plaines Public Library will hold their fall used book sale at the library on Saturday, September 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, September 24, 1-5 p.m. A special preview for Friends members will be held on Friday, September 22, 6-9 p.m. Adults’ and children’s hard cover and paperback books, videos, audiocassettes, and other items will be sold at bargain prices. For information, please phone the Friends at 847-376-2922.
The library will host a free Assistive Technology Expo on Thursday, September 14 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Expo will feature devices and machines that help persons maintain their quality of life, even when age and physical ability make some tasks more difficult to perform. The event is being cosponsored by Ballard Healthcare, Des Plaines. For information, please phone 847-376-2793.
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