This week’s column was submitted by Bob Blanchard of the Des Plaines Public Library. A demonstration of equipment to make cooking easier for people with limited eyesight will be part of the Des Plaines Public Library’s Mini Low Vision Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. The free event is an opportunity for people with low vision, as well as their family members and friends, to find out about current equipment to help improve or maintain their quality of life, and to discover specialized services for themselves. Two Presentations: Etiquette and Cooking Two special presentations …

This week’s column was submitted by Gwen LaCosse of the Des Plaines Public Library. There’s a lot more to being a good pet parent than meets the eye. Before you buy that doggie in the window, you should attend a free seminar on pet ownership and care at the library. Mark Howes, DVM, will present, Your Guide to Successful Pet Ownership, at the Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood Street, at 7 p.m. on May 9. His one-hour presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session, and parents are encouraged to bring their children. Earlier: Improve your money skills at the library's …

This week’s column was submitted by Joanne Griffin of the Des Plaines Public Library. The Des Plaines Public Library will host four events during Money Smart Week, April 21-28, to help consumers learn to manage money wisely. These events are part of the more than 500 free classes, seminars and activities promoting financial education that will take place during Money Smart Week Chicago. Earlier: Celebrate reading with World Book Night at the library. Wednesday April 25 at 7 p.m. The Warning Signs of Financial Exploitation. Attorney Ronald E. Webb will discuss what are the red flags indicating…

This week’s column was submitted by Claire Greene of the Des Plaines Public Library. In a book very dear to me it is written, “every book has a soul, the soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and dream about it.” I love this phrase because it evokes the idea that there is a wonderful engaging book out there somewhere waiting for each of us to stumble upon and remember forever. This idea may occur freely to those of us who read regularly, but I think it might seem a strange concept to the great many people who don’t consider themselves avid readers. Earlier: What …

This week’s column was submitted by Gwen LaCosse, reference assistant at the Des Plaines Public Library. Yes, it is April (no fooling), and there’s a little more than a week before a certain annual deadline. Not to worry. If you have not yet submitted your 2011 federal and state income taxes, keep in mind that the Des Plaines Public Library has a great selection of tax forms and publications to help you meet the April 17 filing deadline. Earlier: Celebrating National Poetry Month at the library. The library carries the basic forms for individuals, including the U.S. 1040, 1040A and 1040 EZ …

This week’s column was submitted by Cathy Friedman, reference librarian at the Des Plaines Public Library. O’ Poetry, Poetry, wherefore art thou poetry? Everywhere. April is National Poetry Month and access to this art form will be highlighted in special ways inside and outside the walls of library.She Walks in Beauty, a collection of poems compiled and edited by Caroline Kennedy, is the selection for the April 3 morning book discussion. The theme of this anthology is womanhood with poems by a wide variety of writers such as Edna St. Vincent Millay, Pablo Neruda, W. B. Yeats, and Dorothy …

This week’s column was submitted by Lynne Rubio, readers’ services assistant at the Des Plaines Public Library. The Hunger Games, the movie, is finally here! Nearly every early reviewer gave it high praise and anticipation among fans is high. The library owns many copies of The Hunger Games books, and the way they have been flying off the shelves for months is a litmus test for the continuing interest in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy, culminating in this week’s movie premiere. If you want to check out a copy of the book, call us at (847) 376-2834 or go to our online catalog and place a hold. …

This week’s column was submitted by Fernando Martin of the Des Plaines Public Library. Thanks to a broomstick-flying wizard, I am something I never as a child would have believed I could be. I have become a bookworm. As a kid, my life consisted of watching TV and hanging out with friends. I absolutely hated reading books while I was growing up. But that changed when the Harry Potter series first came out in the late 1990’s and 2000’s. I became a fan, but later fell out of it. A few years ago I fell in love with the series again. From the first page of The Sorcerer's Stone to the last page of …

This week’s column was submitted by Gwen LaCosse of the Des Plaines Public Library. Think s-e-e-d-s. Many years ago a conservation biologist mentioned to me that plants can sprout in unexpected places. Why? I wanted to know. Because, she replied, seeds blow. The library is someplace you might not think of immediately for gardening, but our collection is seeded with information and inspiration for everyone, from seasoned green thumbs to first-timers. Earlier: Library launches coupon club. Maybe it’s our lukewarm winter. Maybe it’s the time change this weekend, you know, the “spring” forward, …

This week’s column was submitted by Joel Sawyer of Readers’ Services at the Des Plaines Public Library. A major component of working here at the Des Plaines Public Library is interacting with the community. In most cases this consists of patrons stopping by the desk to talk about our eBook collection, or asking us for some help in locating the items they had in mind. However, there is another avenue of connection: we can bring the library to the public through our community outreach programs. While many patrons are able to come to the library to receive the services they need, there are …

This week’s column was submitted by Michelle Meyer-Edley of the Des Plaines Public Library. “We’re living in a tough economy.”  We hear this phrase being thrown around a lot.  As individuals there’s not much we can do to change the current state of our country’s economy but we can take control of our own spending.  And here at the Des Plaines Public Library, we’re going to teach you how! We are thrilled to announce that we’ve created the monthly Frugal Friends Coupon Club.   On the first Saturday of each month we will present a theme that will teach you fun ways to save money.  Learn to plant…

This week’s column was submitted by Christine Posinger, adult services librarian at the Des Plaines Public Library. The Des Plaines Public Library is sponsoring a trip to the Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier on Saturday, March 10. The cost is $37 per person and includes deluxe motor coach transportation and show admission. The coach will leave Library Plaza promptly at 9:30 a.m. and will return at approximately 3:30 p.m. Lunch is on your own. The mix of restaurants at Navy Pier offers something for everyone. The arrival of the Chicago Flower & Garden Show every March signals that …

This week’s column was submitted by Claire Greene of the Des Plaines Public Library. From Apple's iTunes to Amazon's instant downloads, internet tycoons left and right are wedging their feet into the door-jam of downloadable music. With a single content-search nearly any recording from Bing Crosby classics to Ke$ha's electronic pop to cult favorites like Steve Goodman can be called instantly to your computer screen, and for about ninety-nine cents you can own any of them instantly and transfer them to your digital music player of choice without ever changing out of your jammies.Earlier: …

This week’s column was submitted by Gwen LaCosse of the Des Plaines Public Library. If you were ever fascinated by the romance surrounding American railroads and cowboys, we have a program for you. The Des Plaines Public Library welcomes back balladeer and actor Rick Pickren on Sunday, February 12, for "Songs from the Steel Rails," one of the programs Pickren performs as he makes his way across the plains. Pickren's "knowledge of cowboy and rail history, lore and song is reflected in many critically acclaimed albums:  Songs From The Lonesome Prairie; Rails, Rogues & Wrecks; The Call: More …

This week’s column was submitted by Marianne Orme, reference librarian at the Des Plaines Public Library. Students, do you need relief from the dull routine that develops during the middle of the school year? Here are some options from the library to spice up your life. 1.) Online language programs: Try something different or support what you are studying in class. Along with Mango Languages, we have added a program called Muzzy, which is designed for younger students. 2.) General study skills books: If your habits result in forgotten assignments or lost important papers, then these books can…

This week’s column was submitted by David Whittingham of the Des Plaines Public Library. Do you believe in magic? What about ghosts, monsters, miracles, unicorns and Bigfoot? I don’t believe Bigfoot exists, but I watch the television show “Finding Bigfoot” with my son, who loves Bigfoot. During the commercials I ask if he thinks they’ll find him, and my son always says — “maybe.” I was discussing the show with a friend the other day who also watches it, but from a completely different perspective. I find the show funny and entertaining, but unbelievable. My friend said if I needed proof to be…

This week’s column was submitted by Brodie Austin, web services librarian at the Des Plaines Public Library.  We live in an age of information overload: some embrace it, some fight it, some ignore it, some just take it for granted. But one thing that can’t be denied is that televisions, computers, and smartphones stream information constantly to us wherever we are. The Engage Des Plaines project, a collaboration between researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Des Plaines Public library, wants to find out what this really means and what it really means for people who live …

This week’s column was submitted by Bob Blanchard, reference librarian at the Des Plaines Public Library. Seeing well enough to read may be a challenge for some people with visual impairments. Des Plaines Public Library, however, has special technology to help them continue to enjoy the printed word. The library offers: A machine that scans print material and reads it aloud. Image-magnifying machines. Computers with specialized software. Assistive technology is the formal name for any item, piece of equipment or computer software that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional …

This week’s column was submitted Pat Horn, youth services assistant at the Des Plaines Public Library. Children through eighth grade are invited to read for fun and prizes by joining the Des Plaines Public Library’s Winter Reading Club, beginning Saturday, Jan. 7 and continuing through Sunday, Feb. 26. This year’s theme is “Building Readers: One Book at A Time” and is cosponsored by the Chicago Wolves hockey team. Earlier: FX series Justified with dry, dark humor. We are very excited that this year we will be hosting a team player at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Darren Archibald will be here …

This week’s column was submitted by Lynne Rubio, readers’ services assistant at the Des Plaines Public Library. When it comes to fictional characters, I am a sucker for badge-wearing, gun-toting heroes in white hats. Raylan Givens, the protagonist of the hit television series Justified, definitely fills that bill. He’s a good guy with a fast gun. Exiled from Miami Beach, Florida to his childhood home of Harlan County in rural Kentucky after a very public “justified” shooting, U. S. Marshal Givens is soft-spoken and hard-hitting. As a former Marine Corps marksman he is, quite literally, a …