Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District News

Snow Closing

The Winnetka-Northfield Library District will close at 5:00 PM today, February 9, and open again at 1:00 PM tomorrow, February 10, due to the severe weather.

Thank you for understanding.

- (Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 2:06 PM)

Snapshot! One Day in the Life of Illinois Libraries

Visit your library on Wednesday, February 10!

On this day, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District will join libraries across Illinois in Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Your Library by collecting information, comments, and photographs from events in a typical library day.

The results will offer indisputable proof that libraries consistently provide invaluable services to our community.

"Libraries are more important than ever to our communities, and library usage is at record levels. We want all the citizens of Illinois, and particularly our Illinois lawmakers, to see what a typical day is like for an Illinois library. Lawmakers have reduced state funding that is vital to help libraries like ours maintain current programs and services much less provide new programs and services, purchase new materials, and support the delivery of materials from other libraries. We hope this ‘snapshot’ drives home the point to lawmakers that their constituents, our patrons, rely on us for critical services, and we can’t afford any more cuts in funding to libraries,” says the Illinois Library Association.

Support funding for your library! Be sure to visit the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District on Wednesday, February 10.

- (Posted on Monday, February 8, 2010 at 10:49 AM)

Food For Fines

Love, love, love…love is all is you need, right? Not for many members of our community, lacking the resources to feed their families. Area food pantries receive a lot of donations during the holiday season, but do not typically receive many donations during the winter months. This Valentine’s Day, why not use the power of love to help those in need?

In the spirit of love, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District will sponsor Food for Fines, February 1-14. For every item you donate, the library will erase $1 in Winnetka-Northfield library fines.

Food donations must be non-perishable and in non-glass containers. All donations will go to the New Trier and Northfield Township Food Pantries, and both need pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup, canned meals like ravioli and spaghetti-os, crackers and snacks, coffee, tea, juice, boxed dinners like hamburger helper, and paper products.

On Valentine’s Day, the library will be making a giant human heart of people helping people. The program, Art in the Park(ing) Lot, will take place on Sunday, February 14 from 2-3 p.m. in the Winnetka Library’s parking lot. Everyone who brings a can of food can help the library create a giant human heart, which will be photographed and displayed in the library. In case of inclement weather, the project will take place inside the Winnetka Main Library. Click here for more information about Art in the Park(ing) Lot.

- (Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 11:45 AM)

Lapsit Storytime

Space is still available for the Winnetka Library's Lapsit Storytime! Each week, our librarians will keep your little one entertained with rhymes, stories and songs. Storytimes are a great way to introduce children to reading and meet other parents with young children.

Lapsit Storytimes are designed for parents with children 18-24 months old and meet weekly from 9:30-9:50 a.m., January 18-March 16, on Mondays or Tuesdays. To register for the Monday or Tuesday group, call (847) 446-7220 or visit the library.

- (Posted on Friday, January 8, 2010 at 11:33 AM)

Finals Headquarters!

Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District is your Finals HQ! Extra space has been reserved for students to study at the Winnetka Library, January 9-13. While you’re here, check out the free study break snack bar and stress relief stations and take your mind off finals anxiety.

Library Hours extended on Sunday, January 10! Both libraries will be open from 1-9 p.m. on Sunday, January 10 for NTHS Finals. Don’t miss the free pizza study break at 5 p.m.!

- (Posted on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 3:05 PM)

One Book Two Villages Selections

For the last six months, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District staff has been frantically reading novels, looking for the perfect books for the 2010 One Book Two Villages program.

When it came time to make a decision, our choices were unanimous. Without further ado, it is my pleasure to announce the 2010 One Book Two Villages selections...

The Help

By Kathryn Stockett

In 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, there are lines that are not crossed. With the Civil Rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women-black and white, mothers and daughters-view one another.

Kathryn Stockett's wildly popular debut novel The Help is the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District's 2010 One Book Two Villages selection. Kathryn will be visiting us next July to lead discussions and talk about her writing.

Find The Help in the Library's catalog

Yankee Girl

By Mary Ann Rodman

The year is 1964, and Alice Ann Moxley's FBI-agent father has been reassigned from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi, to protect black people who are registering to vote. Alice finds herself thrust into the midst of the racial turmoil that dominates current events.

Mary Ann Rodman's award-winning children's book, Yankee Girl, is the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District's 2010 One Book Two Villages selection. Mary Ann will be joining us in May for discussions and fun.

Find Yankee Girl in the Library's catalog

One Book Two Villages

One Book Two Villages is a program designed to inspire the Winnetka-Northfield community to read and discuss great books. The program includes author visits, reading discussions, and activities to enrich your reading experience. We encourage parents not only to read the adult book, but to read and discuss the youth book as a family. For more information, visit www.onebooktwovillages.org.

- (Posted on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 12:36 PM)

Ask Us About Kindles!

Thin and lightweight, the Kindle has the capacity to hold 1,500 books, magazines and newspapers. This week, the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District began checking out Kindles to library users. The library district has six Kindles, each filled with genre-specific books selected by librarians.

“What is unique about a Kindle is that each device is pre-loaded with multiple selections,” says Juli Janovicz, Head of Adult Services at the Winnetka Library. “For instance, if you checkout the Fiction Kindle, you can take home copies of The Help, Cutting for Stone, South of Broad and Her Fearful Symmetry all at one time. How fun!”

Thanks to advances in screen-reading technology, electronic reading devices offer a reading experience that is as good (if not better) than paper. With thousands of books available, everyone from Janovicz to Oprah Winfrey, have applauded the Kindle. Last week, Amazon announced that for books it sells in both print and Kindle editions, Kindle versions now account for 48% of unit sales. In February, the number was around 12%.

But, when asked if the Kindles will replace paper books at the library, Janovicz laughs. “Providing books on a Kindle is another way of providing good service. No, I do not think paper books are going away, but the recent growth of e-books is phenomenal.”

“I look at providing books on a Kindle as simply providing another format. I think that books on a Kindle can coexist with books in many other formats. We provide books in a number of ways including paper, audio and multiple downloadable audio and ebook options,” says Janovicz.

Patrons can check out the Fiction, History and Biography, Mystery and Suspense or Business Kindle for two weeks. In addition to the genre-specific Kindles available for checkout, each library will have an eclectic mix Kindle for patrons to try in the library. Due to the expected demand for the devices, patrons are encouraged to place a hold on the Kindle using the library’s online catalog (www.winnetkalibrary.org). Kindles are available only to cardholders from Winnetka, Northfield and Kenilworth.

The Library has purchased Sony Readers, too. The staff is investigating how to introduce those devices which work with the Library’s downloadable MyMediaMall subscription.

- (Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 10:03 AM)

Free Morningstar Tutuorial

The Morningstar Investment database gives you the tools to research stocks or mutual funds, as well as analyze your personal portfolio. Maintain your investment edge by attending a free online training class. The class will start at 3 p.m. on September 30. If you would like to attend, please send an email to librarytraining@morningstar.com.

- (Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 2:55 PM)

American Girl Craft

High fashion at the Northfield Branch Library! On Sunday, the library was crowded with 'fashion forward' girls and their American Girls. Using fabric, ribbon, beads, and glue, the girls created beautiful purses. Each girl made a purse for their doll and a matching one for herself. Very chic.

Check out our pictures on Facebook. For more information about programs at the Northfield Branch Library, visit www.northfieldlibrary.org.

- (Posted on Monday, September 21, 2009 at 10:13 AM)

Learn a New Language Now!

Transparent Language USB Drives are so new, no other library in the state offers them! The small devices are preloaded with language software for kids and adults. Its lesson-based learning method offers clear guidance and structure, while leaving you in control.

Learn French, Chinese, Arabic, Spanish or one of the many other langauges available, from the comfort of your home by checking out one of the new devices today.

- (Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 10:52 AM)