Blog

Between the frigid weather, the abundance of "Best Books of 2014" lists, and the newly launched National Readathon Day, I haven't had so many compelling reasons to stay in and read since I can’t remember when. Not that I need an excuse, but snow days with wind chills in the negatives, a few hundred new titles to add to my “to read” shelf, and an event that lets me do something good just by reading are an irresistible combination.

Continue Reading "There’s a Readathon happening at DPPL, people!" →

While the start to winter has been mild, the cold temps have finally arrived, and we all know the snow isn't far behind.  It's a great time to curl up with a good book, we have fun winter reading programs for all ages to participate in.

Our Youth Services department is again offering its Winter Reading program where children can log the hours they've spent reading, and enter to win prizes.  Parents can register their children online to participate or at the library, and then just stop by the Youth Services desk on the second floor of the library to pick up the program materials.  We'll have weekly drawings for participants, and kids who spend 12 hours reading or listening to books can enter into the Grand Prize drawing. 

Teens can "shred into reading" this winter with our Teen department's fun contest. Each week there will be a different shredded book in a jar in the Teen Lounge on the 3rd floor of the library; teens in 7th-12th grades can register their guess of the title and be entered into winning a Potbelly gift card! 

And last, but not least, our Adult Winter Reading program offers adults the opportunity to win prizes while reading this winter as well.  Each time that you read a book this winter, visit our 3rd or 4th floor desks to enter our contest; we'll be giving away five $30 Little Villa gift cards, and a Grand Prize of a premiere VIP dinner from Bogart's Bar and Grill and a movie for two at Muvico.  

Snuggle up with a good book and maybe win a prize in the process? Sounds like a fantastic winter to me!

Over the past few years you may have noticed many changes on the 2nd floor of the library. The Youth Services department is in the middle of an enormous, multi-year project bringing you some new and some improved spaces. Beginning in March of this year we burst apart our old Storytime Room to create a much larger and more flexible space we now call the Program Room. Remember how packed that small Storytime Room would get?

Continue Reading "Re-imagining Spaces" →

This fall Des Plaines resident Jill Morgenthaler's new book, The Courage to Take Command: Leadership Lessons from a Military Trailblazer was published by McGraw-Hill.

For several years Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (ret.) has been a familiar face in the library, using our study rooms and wireless Internet access to work on her book about leadership. Jill takes over thirty years of military experience and develops a practical leadership guide. With chapter headings like, 'Not everyone wants you to succeed', 'Charm is a verb' "Dealing with Bullies' and 'How to Survive Unreasonable People', I can’t wait to read it.

Continue Reading "Books with a Des Plaines Connection" →

Once upon a time a video rental store named Hollywood Video helped me realize that the goal is not to just watch movies, but also to have fun in doing so. It was because of them that I learned the definition of 'cult classic', discovered who Tom Servo and Crow were, and first witnessed the fascinatingly complex relationship between the city of Tokyo and Godzilla. Some of my favorite all-time Christmas memories involve nights spent with flurries against the living room window, a room lit only by the Christmas tree and a TV screen, and a big stack of Hollywood Video VHS rentals.

Continue Reading "What Films Mean to Us" →