A Midsummer Knight's Read is well underway, but there's still plenty of time to register and read for this year's Summer Reading Club. Visit us on the 2nd floor of the Des Plaines Public Library to participate in a summer loaded with Medieval Madness! Visit with a volunteer or a staff member any day, any time to find out more. Just a few ways you can drop in and experience the royal treatment:Tuesday, June 21 at 10 a.m., join us for an all-ages program called "A Mid-Summer Knight's Read." Knights, dragons, princesses, and wizards await!You're already familiar with the stories...come and see …

Have you ever wanted the ear of your local elected official but didn’t know how to go about getting it? Your question, idea, problem, complaint or praise can be heard by an aide to state Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, state Sen. Dan Kotowski or U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky during set “office hours” at Des Plaines Public Library. Instead of you having to go to your legislator’s local office, a representative of each of these three elected officials is regularly at the library, ready to meet with you and discuss governmental issues and services, such as Social Security, Veterans’ benefits and …

Teen Summer Reading Club begins on Saturday June 4 at the Des Plaines Public Library. Teens in grades 7-12 are eligible to participate in our “5/25 Club." Read 5 books or for 25 hours and you will receive a $5.00 Potbelly Sandwich Shop gift card and a Des Plaines Park District one-day pass. Everyone who completes Teen Summer Reading Club will also have their name entered in a drawing to win a Barnes and Noble Nook!  Register online at www.dppl.org/teen or in person at the Readers’ Services Desk. Teens should also visit the Teen Lounge between June 4 and July 31 to enter our book review …

The word Pokémon may be completely unfamiliar to you, but chances are if you’re the relative of a Pokémon fan you’ve heard about these delightful little creatures more than a few times. Over the past 10 years, children in more than 30 countries have been enjoying the world of Pokémon creatures, which now includes a TV cartoon, movies, toys, books, video games, and a collectible trading card game. Parents seem especially fond of the card game, as it promotes literacy skills, strategic thinking, and quick mental math. In addition, the Pokémon organized play program puts a strong emphasis on …

Whether you are out of work and in search of a job or just looking to utilize professional-grade office supplies, the Des Plaines Public Library’s Work Center is the place for you. This newly created space boasts a variety of resources that can help you put the finishing touches on projects or make strides in your career. To help the job seeker, the Work Center offers a bulletin board listing local employment opportunities and job fairs. The Work Center also contains a wall of books detailing the latest trends and ideas in resume and cover letter writing. There are also books explaining the …

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, the youngest writer on The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 list of 2010, emerges from a barrage of pre-publication fervor as that rarest of gems: deserving of all the hype. In its eighth week on the Publishers Weekly Bestsellers List this captivating novel proves that a debut work of literary fiction can be both masterfully wrought and a genuine page-turner. Amid the war-scarred landscape of a fictionalized Balkan country, a young doctor, Natalia, faces superstition and secrecy on a humanitarian trip to an orphanage across the border. At the same time, she searches …

Lords and Ladies of all ages! Come forth and celebrate the dawn of a new Summer Reading Club! Join us for our Midsummer Knight’s Read Medieval Faire Kickoff Event on Saturday, June 4 any time between 1-4 p.m. This event is your first opportunity to sign up for the Summer Reading Club and dive into the medieval world for a few hours.  Enjoy tons of library fun! •Make a bejeweled goblet and then partake of splendid refreshments. •Listen to lovely music. •Have your face painted to reflect your courtly position. •Watch as a balloon artist twists you a crown. •Let a court jester amaze you with his…

Monday, May 2-Sunday, May 8 is Children’s Book Week. The event is closing in on nearly one hundred years of celebration. Check out their website for a history and guide to events happening all over the country. Children’s books are definitely a cause for celebration. Even though you already love them, give your book selections a second look when you are planning your next few months with the family. Spring is just about to spring, and summer vacations are on the way. Children’s Book Week is a great time to start exploring new ways to read together as a family. Your Des Plaines Public Library …

Come late May and June, book reviews and articles about Ann Patchett’s upcoming novel, State of Wonder, will inevitably appear in publications like Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times. The book isn’t due out until June 7, but I’m secure in the knowledge I’ll be one of the first to get it. How do I know this? Because I put a hold on the book in the Des Plaines Public Library’s online catalog. One of the cool things about the online catalog is that you can place holds on items in the catalog—on everything from books to DVDs—once they appear in the catalog as on order. You’ll then be …

SPRING How pleasing – not to be freezing.             By Prince Redcloud April is National Poetry Month.  Now, there are those among us who hear the word “poetry” and immediately shudder as they recall the anguish of having to analyze the meaning of a poem as a student. For those folks, the idea of celebrating poetry might seem strange indeed. If you count yourself among those who claim to not like poetry, grab your school-aged children and head over to the Des Plaines Public Library this month and help us celebrate the fun of poetry by participating in our Poetry Scavenger Hunt! You’ll find …

Do you (still) need tax forms? We at the Des Plaines Public Library have forms for 2010 income taxes. (Oh, do we have tax forms.) Good thing. The tax filing deadline – Monday, April 18 – is nearly upon us. Each year throngs of people come to the library’s fourth floor to peruse our massive collection of federal income tax forms and publications, plus quite a few Illinois forms.  All of which are free for the taking, by the way. However, it’s my sense that we’ve had even more tax forms shoppers this year. Why? Because it’s been a truly unique tax season. This time around, the U.S. government …

This week's column comes courtesy of Readers' Advisor David Whittingham. In the library world, it’s a major event when Jean M. Auel comes out with a new book. Her Earth’s Children series has been wildly popular. It started back in 1980 with Clan of the Cave Bear. But unlike many authors, Auel publishes a book about once a decade (It has been nine years since her last book).  The sixth and final book in the series is The Land of Painted Caves and it was released on Tuesday. The Earth’s Children series is consider speculative historical fiction, though pre-historical might be more fitting. The …

The Des Plaines Public Library will host three events to help consumers learn to manage money wisely. These events are part of more than 500 free classes, seminars and activities promoting financial education that will take place during Money Smart Week Chicago 2011. Getting a Good Buy: A Program for Teens Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 4 p.m. Professor Helen Roberts of the UIC Center for Economic Education will present a workshop for teens about being a proactive and conscientious consumer. Retirement Has Changed! What's Your Next Move? Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 10 a.m. Geared for investors five…

On your phone, in your pocket – the Des Plaines Public Library is now more convenient than ever. Have you ever wanted a Consumer Reports article while you were shopping for a new appliance? Or been out of town trying to figure out where to go for dinner, wishing you had that article you read last month about great places to eat on a budget? Or wanted a suggestion on what to read next while you were browsing in a bookstore or airport kiosk? Maybe you were applying for a job and wanted to review a company profile to find one more amazing fact to wow them in your interview? You can now use many …

Sure you like murder - who doesn’t?  But sometimes mystery novels seem like reruns of each other:  cardboard characters and the same tired plot lines. Why not expand your homicidal horizons with some well-written fiction with a murder twist? The following suggestions are essentially fiction novels masquerading as mysteries. They feature unique characters, insightful prose and yes, a few dead bodies. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.  Jackson Brodie is a small-time private eye in England who dreams of retiring to rural France. The predictability of his life is upended, however, when three …