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Feel like staying in?

Good idea!

Luckily, you can enjoy ebooks, movies, music, and magazines from home with your Des Plaines Library card. Convenient, portable, and available 24/7! 

Explore all the ways you and your family can read, watch, or listen without leaving the comfort of and safety of your own home. 

Continue Reading "DPPL: Your (At) Home Library" →

This library is a joyful space for the 400,000 people who visit every year, and for the staff who serve them.  

If you walk through the building, you will see people engaged in book clubs, or learning how to research their genealogy, or teens making cards for hospitalized kids, or seniors having a free lunch, or people learning English, or people voting early for the Presidential primaries.  

Did I mention the 300,000 books, movies, music, video games and WiFi hot spots?  Did I forget all the kids’ story times?

It is indeed a wonderful place, and I am honored that the people of Des Plaines have entrusted me to be the Director of their treasure.  
 

Continue Reading "Setting the Story Straight: DPPL is a Generous and Safe Place for All" →

On any given week, I can tell you what board game was left on our kitchen table from recent play. 

Or which I'm anticipating opening for our next game night. 

Right now, it's Terraforming Mars (played, loved) and Azul: Summer Pavilion (played its prequel, expecting to love).

As a former YA librarian, I also spent the last 5+ years playing board and card games in teen programs each week. 

Board games have evolved to include some pretty complex mechanics and more varied themes.

Going beyond the fact that board games have been proven to boost cognitive function.

Here are a few skills or life-lessons that have come into focus through the lens of playing board games:

Continue Reading "4 Lessons I Learned Playing Board Games" →

On this episode, Dave, Jami, Joel and Charlie discuss Cats, Tom Hooper's already notorious film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running musical. Is it as awful as the critics say? And what qualities make a musical so satisfying? Listen to their conversation in the player below:

Interested in listening to more episodes of Miner Recs? You can subscribe with iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or on our Podomatic page.

For more information about the podcast and the DPPL staff who make it, visit our podcast page.

UPDATE: 

REGISTRATION FOR THE SPRING SESSION IS NOW FULL. SIGNUPS FOR THE SUMMER SESSION WILL BEGIN IN EARLY MAY.

Some people spend $30-$40 a month on different book subscription services.

That’s $360 a year!

Of course, some people also like to buy movies. Or board games. Or GoPros.

But here at the library, we’re continuing to do what we do best: Offering you awesome trendy things at no additional cost.

For any teen that loves books, or any teen that maybe needs a little help loving books, our Teen Book Boxes are for you!

Continue Reading "Teen Book Boxes" →