Posted by eileen on February 5, 2010
Wheaton Public Library is joining libraries across the state in participating in “Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Illinois Libraries” on Wednesday, February 10 to show how important academic, public, school, special libraries, and library systems are to the state of Illinois.
On February 10, WPL will compile statistics, customer comments, photographs, and other data chronicling a typical library day. The results collected will be added to those of other libraries across Illinois to show how libraries provide invaluable services to Illinois citizens.
We really hope our loyal patrons will stop by. Libraries are more important than ever to our communities. 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.
In addition to facing state cuts, WPL is facing budget cuts from the City of Wheaton. When you stop in, please pick up our brochure, State of the Wheaton Public Library to get a more accurate view of how dramatically the library’s funding has decreased.
Your voice counts! Please stop by on February 10 and share your opinions. Also, if you fill out our Snapshot Survey on February 10, you’ll receive a coupon for one free DVD rental! Thank you for your help!
Posted by eileen on January 29, 2010
If you need to do some research and can’t make it to the library, WPL is proud to announce we can now bring the library to you – whether you are in the doctor’s office, at your kitchen table or under the hood of your car.
By taking advantage of the Gale AccessMyLibrary (AML) mobile application for the iPhone, research is as simple as an Internet search on a mobile phone. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has developed an iPhone application allowing you to access library information wherever you are. This service helps people retrieve quick, authoritative answers — while raising awareness about the rich resources available in the library.
The AML app finds your global position and locates libraries within a ten mile radius, giving you access to electronic resources at any time. With AccessMyLibrary, the iPhone becomes a valuable research tool. The iPhone application is free and the content has been paid for by the library being accessed, bringing a library’s electronic collection of Gale resources to you wherever you are.
If you are within ten miles of WPL, you can connect to our Gale resources:
- General OneFile – A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily.
- Biography Resource Center – This database integrates award-winning biographies from respected Gale sources with related full-text articles from hundreds of magazines and newspapers, as well as tens of thousands of images and links to vetted websites. Search for people—both current and historic from all eras and fields of endeavor—based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender, as well as keyword and full text. Or, combine search criteria to create a highly-targeted custom search.
- Gale LegalForms – Provides a wide selection of state-specific (and multi-state) legal forms across the most popular legal areas. Includes real estate contracts, wills, pre-marital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord tenant and many others. Also included is a comprehensive attorney state directory and a dictionary of legal definitions explained in laymen’s language.
The Gale iPhone application can be downloaded at the iTunes store today or by visiting http://www.gale.cengage.com/apps/.
Not sure why you should use a database instead of a website? Check this out: http://www.wheatonlibrary.org/refdb/main_dbvsweb.html.
Posted by eileen on January 26, 2010
Join us this Wednesday evening for two great classes.
6:30-7:30pm Introduction to Craigslist – Learn how to stay safe, buy, sell, and find a job on this popular website.
7:45-9pm Introduction to Facebook – Learn the basics of Facebook, how it started, and how to use its privacy features.
To register for either or both of the classes, please call 630-868-7510.
Posted by eileen on January 20, 2010
from http://www.saveillinoislibraries.com/about/
In response to the looming budget crisis in Illinois, legislators in the Illinois General Assembly passed a budget to cut back on expenses. Among the expenses cut were 50% of general revenue grants awarded through the General Revenue Fund. Among other things, those grants are used to award per capita grants to public schools and libraries, and to entirely fund the Illinois library systems, which provide vital services to libraries of all types: public and school libraries, but also college libraries, business libraries, and more.
To mitigate the damages these 50% cuts would have done, Secretary of State Jesse White, under whose budget the system funding and per capita grants fall, reallocated federal money from the Library Services and Technology Act grants — money that would normally go towards new initiatives and technological advancement at public and state libraries — to restore some of the General Revenue grants. The resultant cuts to the grants were 16.5% to library systems, 16% to public libraries, and 3% to public schools.
While the library community is grateful that the cuts were not as deep as they could have been, and while we recognize that these cuts may seem minor compared to what some state agencies have faced, we nonetheless need to let our legislators know that Illinois libraries cannot face more cuts in the future. Additionally, we need to make sure the governor and comptroller stand behind that budget, and get what funds were budget out to the institutions that need them.
Today, January 20, go to http://saveillinoislibraries.com to instantly email a letter to Governor Quinn and Comptroller Hynes. You just need to put in your name and email address. Thank you for your continued support of Illinois’ libraries!
Posted by eileen on January 18, 2010
from Biography Resource Center
Today we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. For those of you who need a refresher on his life, check out this summary from Merriam-Webster’s Biographical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 1995:
1929-1968. American clergyman and reformer, b. Atlanta, Ga. Ordained Baptist minister (1954); led boycott of Montgomery, Ala., transit system to force desegregation of city’s buses (1956); founder (1957) and president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference; advocate of nonviolence and racial brotherhood; copastor with his father of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta (1960 ff.); major organizer of massive March on Washington where he delivered famous “I Have a Dream” speech (Aug. 1963); awarded Nobel peace prize (1964); assassinated at Memphis, Tenn.
For a more detailed biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., take a look at Biography Resource Center. This online bank of information is available to anyone from the computers in the library and anyone with a WPL card and PIN from home. Search by a person’s name, nationality, occupation, and many other qualities. Also, one can often find pictures of the person, websites about him/her, and news articles.
If you are planning on stopping by the library soon, try a catalog Subject search for King, Martin Luther Jr.
Posted by eileen on January 14, 2010
Battle of the Books has taken place at WPL since 1987. Fourth and fifth graders from area schools come to the library on weekday afternoons and “battle” by answering questions from various books chosen for the year. This year’s book list includes favorites like A Wrinkle in Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and The Borrowers. See the full list on our website. Come and cheer on your favorite team Monday-Thursday at 4pm in the Large Meeting Room or just view the scores online!
Posted by eileen on January 8, 2010
by Carolyn DeAre
On Sunday, January 10, you’ll be enchanted by the entertaining and informative Dulcimer Tunes and Tales, a musical-narrative program featuring
Sherri Farley on the hammered dulcimer, recalling its music and heritage. Included in this program are various songs, demonstrations of how both hammered and mountain dulcimers are played, and historical information. You’ll even be offered a hands-on opportunity to play the instruments. Sherry is joined on guitar and bass by Skip Sittig, Joy Ortiz, and Jim Johnson. Sit back, tap your toes, and enjoy the gentle waltzes, lively bluegrass tunes, and novel (and sometimes humorous) arrangements of this delightful group.
The concert is free and held in the library’s Large Meeting Room. Tickets are available at the Checkout Desk. Concerts begin at 2:00pm and last approximately 60-75 minutes. This concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Wheaton Public Library.
Posted by eileen on December 30, 2009
Such a lovely song, but where did it come from and why do we sing it on New Year’s Eve? I decided to do some quick database searching to get an answer. According to a 1998 article from The Christian Science Monitor, “Scottish poet Robert Burns is credited with writing the song, though it’s more likely he pieced the words and melody together from old Scottish folk songs. Translated, ‘auld lang syne’ means ‘old long since,’ or ‘days gone by’ in a Scottish dialect.” The words we sing today are slightly different from Burns’ original poem. Here are the first couple verses:
| SHOULD auld acquaintance be forgot, |
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| And never brought to min’? |
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| Should auld acquaintance be forgot, |
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| And days o’ lang syne? |
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| We twa hae rin about the braes, |
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| And pu’d the gowans fine; |
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| But we’ve wander’d monie a weary fit |
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| Sin’ auld lang syne. |
The entire text of Burns’ poem can be viewed at Bartleby.com.
Guy Lombardo and his band, The Royal Canadians, are credited with making the song a New Year’s standard, after playing it on the radio to millions of Americans on December 31, 1929. For more information about that historic performance, take a look at Sarah Burton’s Moment: December 31, 1929: The Roosevelt Grill, New York City, five minutes to midnight… This article and the earlier mentioned article can be found in InfoTrac General One File. WPL card holders can access this database from home and anyone can access it from inside the library.
More information:
Auld Lang Syne Lyrics from Wikipedia
History of Auld Lang Syne from About.com
Links to sheet music from About.com
Posted by eileen on December 28, 2009
by Carolyn DeAre
If you’re a writer looking for inspiration, encouragement, or guidance, mark your calendar for a series of free writing seminars sponsored by local libraries including Wheaton Public Library. The six free seminars are scheduled between January 23 and February 23 and cover a variety of topics. Kicking off the series is Marc Heiden, who shares his expertise on travel writing at the Bloomingdale Public Library on Janurary 23. Learn how domestic and international travel guides are put together and how the Internet has opened possibilities for you to publish your own travel writing and photography.
On Tuesday, January 26, the Wheaton Public Library, along with the Warrenville Public Library, presents award-winning suspense writer Libby Fischer Hellmann. Hellmann’s books include Easy Innocence, Doubleback, and An Eye for Murder. All received excellent reviews and according to the Chicago Tribune, “There’s a new no-nonsense detective in town… Tough and smart enough to give even the legendary V.I. Warshawski a run for her money.” They were referring to Georgia Davis, Libby Hellmann’s PI protagonist in Easy Innocence. Her books have been nominated for an Anthony Award for Best First and won Readers’ Choice awards at the Love is Murder conferences. Hellmann’s presentation focuses on the basics of dialogue, plot, setting, and how to make them work in your own fiction. This program is at the Warrenville Public Library. Register by calling Warrenville Public Library at 630-393-1171.
Programs on memoirs, nonfiction writing, writing for kids, and publishing are also planned. Register for each seminar by calling the host library. All programs are free.
If you’re a writer looking for inspiration, encouragement, or guidance, mark your calendar for a series of free writing seminars sponsored by local libraries. The six free seminars are scheduled between January 23 and February 23 and cover a variety of topics. Kicking off the series is Marc Heiden, who shares his expertise on travel writing at the Bloomingdale Public Library on Janurary 23. Learn how domestic and international travel guides are put together and how the Internet has opened possibilities for you to publish your own travel writing and photography.
On Tuesday, January 26, the Wheaton Public Library, along with the Warrenville Public Library, presents award-winning suspense writer Libby Fischer Hellmann. Hellmann’s books include Easy Innocence, Doubleback, and An Eye for Murder. All received excellent reviews and according to the Chicago Tribune, “There’s a new no-nonsense detective in town… Tough and smart enough to give even the legendary V.I. Warshawski a run for her money.” They were referring to Georgia Davis, Libby Hellmann’s PI protagonist in Easy Innocence. Her books have been nominated for an Anthony Award for Best First and won Readers’ Choice awards at the Love is Murder conferences. Hellmann’s presentation focuses on the basics of dialogue, plot, setting, and how to make them work in your own fiction. This program is at the Warrenville Public Library. Register by calling Warrenville Public Library at 630-393-1171.
Programs on memoirs, nonfiction writing, writing for kids, and publishing are also planned. Register for each seminar by calling the host library. All programs are free.
View the brochure
Posted by eileen on December 9, 2009
Tired of hand-writing your envelopes? Sick of typing twelve different end-of-year letters for various friends and family? Using a mail merge can help with these problems! All you need is Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and a printer. Simply type your names and addresses into an Excel sheet and then quickly pull them into Word to create envelopes, labels, letters, or any other type of document! See the library’s handouts for step-by-step instructions:
Mail Merges in Office 2007
Mail Merges in Office 2003 and older versions
Need more help? Microsoft Office Online offers free tutorials!
Mail Merge I: Use Mail Merge for Mass Mailings
Mail Merge II: Use the Ribbon and Perform a Complex Mail Merge
The library also offers a free Mail Merge class each month (except December). Check the Computer Classes page for the current class schedule.
Wheaton Public Library is joining libraries across the state in participating in “Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Illinois Libraries” on Wednesday, February 10 to show how important academic, public, school, special libraries, and library systems are to the state of Illinois.
