Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

Easier Cooking for People with Low Vision, More at Free Fair

Learn about assistive equipment, discover specialized services and improve quality of life.

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 are scheduled. Des Plaines Lions Club members Carol Shepardson and Hap Holly will demonstrate etiquette for interacting with people who have limited …

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Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

Get Vet’s Free Advice on Choosing a Pet at the Library

Also, learn how to better care for the pets you have.

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 Money Smart Week. Dr. Howes will share his expertise on a wide array of topics, including the following. Dr. Howes has two decades of veterinary …

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Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

Improve Your Money Skills at Library’s Money Smart Week

The Des Plaines Public Library offers programs for all ages.

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. To register, call 847-376-2788 or register online at www.dppl.org and  click on Events/Programs. Coordinated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and its Money Smart partners, Money Smart Week is designed to educate consumers about money management and create awareness of financial education…

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Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

Celebrate Reading with World Book Night at the Library

The annual reading awareness day began in the United Kingdom last year.

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 you need to know about tax forms at the library. As someone who works in readers’ services, and furthermore, as someone with a profound love of the …

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Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

What You Need to Know about Income Tax Forms at the Library

Want hard copies? Need a special form not available online? Check with the library.

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 and accompanying instruction booklets. You also can find the 1040 form — individual income tax return for Illinois — and its instructions, as well as …

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'Louder Than a Bomb' Filmmaker to Appear at Des Plaines Library

Jon Siskel made a documentary film about high school students preparing for a big poetry slam, and is being screened in celebration of National Poetry Month.

What Should Move in?

It Was Quiznos; Now What?

Vote in the poll and add a comment below.

Quiznos was the first occupant at 1473 Ellinwood Ave., the retail space adjacent to the library, after Library Plaza opened in 2000. The space, which is next to the parking garage entrance on the north side, was subsequently occupied by the Brasserie Restaurant. The Brasserie served Indian and Italian food, according to online reviews, until it closed. The space has been vacant for years. Now we’re asking you to share your thoughts on what would be welcomed to the area. Vote in our poll and add an explanation in the comments section. Is your top pick not listed in the poll? Add it in the comments section. Earlier: It was Coldstone Creamery, now what? Like Des Plaines Patch on Facebook! Sign up for Patch’s free daily newsletter!

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Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

Celebrate National Poetry Month at the Library

Enjoy online resources to add some poetic slant to your reading material.

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 Parker. A week later, on April 11, don’t miss meeting filmmaker Jon Siskel and the screening of his engrossing film, Louder Than a Bomb. This award-…

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Check This Out At the Des Plaines Public Library

Hunger Games Works up Appetite for Other Courageous Rebels

Library patrons may borrow “The Hunger Games,” “Ready Player One,” “The Maze Runner,” “Brave New World,” “1984” and many other favorites.

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. Sometimes, though, in the midst of a feeding frenzy over a particular book, it’s gratifying to take a step back and a look around. If you love The Hunger …

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Free Newsletters Give Details about Des Plaines Events, Activities and Other Community Information

The Des Plaines library and Des Plaines Patch are teaming up for a newsletter sign-up drive.

Here are two useful, free, easy ways to keep up with what’s happening in Des Plaines: Sign up to receive a weekly email from the library and a daily email from Patch. Recognizing the mutual benefit our readers would get from partnering for a newsletter sign-up drive, The Des Plaines Public Library and Des Plaines Patch are sharing that information with all of our readers on each of our newsletters. Move Forward at the Library! Don’t miss out on the best free entertainment and educational programming in town! Each email contains information and registration links for the upcoming week’s children’s events, career counseling classes, computer classes, book discussions, movie screenings, musical performances, opportunities to meet with elected…

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