Posted by eileen on January 30, 2012
Did you miss out on seeing some of the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture before they left theaters? Just check them out from WPL (or find a local showing for those still in theaters)! Is the DVD or Blu-Ray you want checked out? Place a hold and read the book while you’re waiting!
The Artist - Find in a theater
10 Oscar nominations
The Descendants – Find in a theater, DVD (coming soon), Blu-Ray (coming soon), Read the book
5 Oscar nominations
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – Find in a theater, Read the book
2 Oscar nominations
The Help – DVD, Blu-Ray, Read the book
4 Oscar nominations
Hugo – Find in a theater, DVD (coming soon), Blu-Ray (coming soon), Read the book
11 Oscar nominations
Midnight in Paris - DVD, Blu-Ray
4 Oscar nominations
Moneyball - DVD, Blu-Ray, Read the book
6 Oscar nominations
The Tree of Life - DVD, Blu-Ray
3 Oscar nominations
War Horse – Find in a theater, DVD (coming soon), Blu-Ray (coming soon), Read the book
6 Oscar nominations
Why are there nine Best Picture nominees this year? Read John Young’s EW.com article to find out!
Posted by eileen on January 18, 2012
Learning a foreign language? Take a look at the library’s Foreign Language site. You’ll find links to helpful library catalog searches, such as Recordings on CD and cassette and Videos and DVDs. You can also use Mango Languages, an online service provided by the Friends of Wheaton Public Library, that teaches practical conversation and cultural awareness for the world’s most popular languages. Create a free account on Mango Languages to keep track of your progress. Choose from a basic lesson or more in-depth language study lessons.
To access Mango Languages from outside the library, you need to log in with your library card number and PIN. If you have any questions, please call the Reference Desk at 630-868-7520.
Posted by eileen on January 6, 2012
The library unveiled our brand new Blu-ray collection this week. It has been extremely popular so far and almost all our Blu-rays are checked out already! Don’t worry though; you can place a hold on the Blu-ray you want and we will notify you when it is ready to be picked up. (Note: You must have a valid WPL card to place a hold. To place a hold from home, you must also have a PIN set up.) You will not be able to place a hold on a Blu-ray when the status is Check Shelf or Recently Returned. In that case, call the library at 630-868-7520 and ask that the copy be pulled for you and held at the Main Desk. There is a 50 cent rental charge for each fiction Blu-ray.
Not sure what Blu-rays are? Visit Blu-ray Disc’s FAQs page. It is important to note that Blu-rays cannot be played in regular DVD players. You must play the Blu-ray in a designated Blu-ray player or it will not work. Some computers and video game consoles have the ability to play Blu-rays as well. Questions? Call the AV Department at 630-868-7560.
Posted by eileen on December 28, 2011
Researching your family tree? The library has many great resources. If you’re stuck and need a little help, volunteers are available at certain times to help with your research or help you start your research if you’re a beginner.
A representative from the DuPage Genealogical Society is in the library every Thursday night from 7-9pm.
Volunteers from the Perrin-Wheaton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) are in the library on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 9am-Noon.
Posted by eileen on December 21, 2011
The library is closed Saturday, Dec. 24, Sunday, Dec. 25 and then will reopen for regular hours on Monday, Dec. 26 at 9am. The library is also closed Sunday, Jan. 1 and will reopen at 9am on Monday, Jan. 2.
Posted by eileen on November 30, 2011
Computer Class registration begins tomorrow (December 1) at 9am. Classes will not be offered in January, so make sure you sign up for December classes!
To register, go to our online Event Calendar and click on the class(es) you want. Register for each class separately. For full class descriptions and requirements, visit our Computer Classes page.
Intro. to Microsoft PowerPoint – Monday, Dec. 5 at 7pm
Intro. to Microsoft Excel – Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7pm
Microsoft Word I – Monday, Dec. 12 at 7pm
Microsoft Word II – Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7pm
Tech Question Drop-in – Thursday, Dec. 15 at 11am
No registration required for Tech Question Drop-in.
Posted by eileen on November 22, 2011
I was just thinking about writing a Thanksgiving-related post when I noticed XRT‘s Marc Alghini’s, “The Essential Thanksgiving Playlist.” If you’re not familiar with WPL’s music collection, stop by and take a look!
Click the links below to find albums in our catalog that contain Marc Alghini’s Thanksgiving picks.
Big Star – “Thank You Friends”
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – “Home”
Fairport Convention – “Now Be Thankful”
Sly and the Family Stone – “Family Affair”
Phish – “Birds of a Feather”
Drive By Truckers – “The Thanksgiving Filter”
Patsy Cline – “Hungry for Love”
Bob Marley and the Wailers – “Give Thanks and Praises”
William DeVaughn – “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got”
For more ideas for your Thanksgiving playlist, check out our AV Department’s Feast of Songs list.
Posted by eileen on November 9, 2011
Find the perfect gift for book and art lovers of all ages. Much smaller in scale than the huge September sale, this event features like-new gift books, coffee table books, first editions, autographed books, collectibles, books in beautiful bindings and truly unique items. We have tiny treasures, and exquisite pop-up books as well as wonderful bookmarks. Many of the books were donated for the recent book sale, but were just too special for that general sale.
In addition to books, you’ll love browsing through the art pieces that have been donated for this sale. Original watercolors and oils, reproductions of famous pieces, metalwork, antique prints…we’ve got them all!
This sale is on the library’s first floor where we transform the East Reading Room into a delightful book store. All items are individually priced at bargain levels. Sorry, no previews.
Thu. Nov. 9 – 9am-9pm
Fri. Nov. 10 and Sat. Nov. 11 – 9am-5pm
Sun. Nov. 11 – 1-5pm
Posted by eileen on October 14, 2011
Wheaton Public Library will celebrate Teen Read Week™ (October 16-22, 2011) by encouraging area teens to read for the fun of it. Thousands of libraries, schools and bookstores across the country will hold events centered on this year’s theme, Picture It! @ your library®, which encourages teens to read a variety of materials, including graphic novels, movies, books about photography, and more.
Teen Read Week™ is the national adolescent literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association. This year, any teen who checks out an item at WPL during Teen Read Week receives a coupon for a local restaurant or another cool prize.
Parents of teens are encouraged to celebrate Teen Read Week™ at home, as well. Here are some ideas:
Visit the public or school library with your teen to attend a program or to check out books.
Set aside time each night for the family to read.
Give books or magazine subscriptions to your teen as a gift or reward.
Share your favorite book with your teen.
Join a book discussion group at the school or public library.
Go online with your teen to learn about new books or authors. A good place to start is YALSA’s Booklists and Book Awards page, www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. Teens can also find great books by going to the library’s Facebook page and clicking the Teens tab on the left.
Teen Read Week™ is held annually during the third week of October. An updated sponsors and supporting organizations list can be found at the Web site, www.ala.org/teenread.
Posted by eileen on October 5, 2011
Getting in the Halloween spirit? Why not check out a spooky book or audiobook? If you’re not sure what you’d like to read, there are many lists available online. I recently took a look at GoodReads’ Listopia list of Best Horror Novels. The fun thing about the Listopia lists is anyone with a GoodReads account (free) can vote and add to the lists! Stephen King currently dominates their Best Horror Novel list. Six of the top ten are his. If you prefer YA titles, take a look at our Horror for Young Adults list.
For even more great suggestions, NoveList Plus is the place to go. NoveList is one of the library’s subscription databases. It can be accessed from any computer in the library. WPL cardholders can access NoveList from home by logging in with your card number and PIN. Once in NoveList, on the left side you’ll see a list of genres and you can jump straight to Horror or Thrillers and Suspense (or whatever you feel like reading).
Some titles from Best Horror Novels you can find at WPL:
Note: Links to downloadable books are not working. Click the link and then type the desired book in the search box. Sorry!
The Shining by Stephen King – Book, Audiobook
More titles by Stephen King – Books, Audiobooks, Movies, Downloadable eBooks and audiobooks
Dracula by Bram Stoker – Book, Audiobook, Downloadable eBook and audiobook
I am Legend by Richard Mattheson – Book, Audiobook, Movie, Downloadable audiobook
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty – Book , Movie
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – Book, Audiobook, Movie, Downloadable eBook
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris – Book, Audiobook, Movie
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Book, Audiobook, Movie, Downloadable eBook (type Frankenstein in the search box)
