Are you a STAR WARS fan? Then this one is for you!

  Come you must....to our 

Star Wars

event on

Thursday, November 5th from 6-7:30p.m. 

 

 

Meet Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper that evening!

 

It will be out of this world!

 

Sponsors RULE!

We enjoy facilitating partnerships - they often make the difference to allow us to offer more in the way of programming to the community.  We appreciate our sponsors greatly.  There are several community members who want to remain private and support many types of great programs, too.

"Thank You" cannot begin to denote how important sponsors are or how grateful we are.  But sometimes words are what we have and so we say THANK YOU here and now, for your support of library programs, collections and all the new services we provide with your help!

It's Shark Week @ your library!

I love Shark Week!  This is the second year we have run a popular contest to decorate a shark bank.  The entries have flown in and we have almost 100 banks decorated by children, family teams, adults, seniors - all ages are creating some awesome designs.  Voting for your favorite is underway!

Voting goes through Saturday, August 22nd so come over to the library and cast your vote.  There are four categories: Creative, Book Theme, Music Theme and Editor's Choice (to be selected by the Homer Horizon Newspaper Editor Tom Czaja).  We are featuring lots of shark books here, too!

Here are a few of the entries below.  More can be found on our library photo site here.  Enjoy!

I'm right and you know it!

Funny title above, right?  I hope that title catches your attention, as that was the intent.  That's the blog title my daughter thinks would be great to begin.  She believes that those words cross all boundaries because kids, teens, spouses, seniors, etc. (actually anyone) likes to think and sometimes use those words. 

At the library here, we have many visitors, many suggestions, many comments, much input - and I personally welcome ALL of it.  When ideas come in, factors that I must logically address include:

• can the budget support it
• can we schedule staff to provide it
• is it part of the library long range plan / mission / goals
• can it be implemented as a pilot initiative
• how do I quantify if it is of value to our clients, etc.

As libraries evolve we want to continue to provide the best to the community.  Perhaps you have a suggestion or thought to share with me.  Feel free, anytime, and I'll take it from there. 

Programs, programs, and programs!

We held a staff brainstorming session to discuss programs, new, old, things we heard about, ideas we have, what we would like to see, etc.

More than 150 new program ideas came forth.  That is simply amazing! 
Now the hard work begins to create: teams, project managers, timelines, and what can be accomplished.

This is an exciting time with lots of work ahead.  We are up to the challenge.... and new program initiatives will be brought forward, along with some tried and true favorites!

Sheets of program ideas, posted in our lunchroom!

 

Homer Township Public Library is here for you!

I love our library. 

We do tons of innovative programs. 

We have many visitors each day.

We also seek out partnership opportunities with local businesses and institutions.  This allows us to bring in something new, add more of the materials that our customers want, and anchors the library as an exciting community social center with the "best of
the best, especially our staff!"

So where has the library of old...the "shush, quiet!" institution gone?  They are out there still, sometimes in an academic setting, or other.  Our library is an exciting place of experimentation, hands on activities, with quality programming, great collections and an amazing staff.  It can be busy and loud as people use it as their social place.

Homer Township Library has changed with our dynamic communities' growth.  With 600 visitors daily we are busy, active, bustling, with a diverse client base.  And yes, some want quiet.  With the expansion there are established quieter zones throughout the library.  We welcome everyone who visits and want your experience to be a positive and productive one at the library.

• The window zone along 151st street is a great opportunity to be bathed in the window light away from the hustle and bustle.
• The Michael C. Olivieri Quiet Reading Room is a lovely quiet zone to study or sit by the fireplace.
• Six designated study areas offer glass enclosed rooms for private or small group study.
• The library "living room" where the magazines and newspapers are housed brings many together.
• The curved teen room is heavily used for study or socializing at varying times.
• Youth diner-type booths are popular, too.

Wherever your perfect space is, I hope you find it here. 

Arts & Craft Fair - a Join Hands Day partnership with Gleaners Oak Arbor on May 2 - Please join us!

Our second Art & Craft Fair will be held at Homer Library on Saturday, May 2nd.

This event is also a Gleaners Join Hands Day event.  Gleaners is a life insurance company that has a philanthropic community giving program that is very generous.  Gleaner endorses community established "arbors" that work in the community to give back.  A group of community minded folk established the Homer Township Oak Arbor two years ago, where I serve as reporter and past treasurer.  We do many wonderful things for the community!

Join Hands Day is a national day of service projects that provide opportunities to teens for leadership and community service.  The Gleaner Life Insurance Society contributes funding support for events such as these and other charitable efforts.  Arbor members work with library teens in support of this Art & Craft Fair.

We have planned a great day of crafters, with teens selling plants for Mother's Day and the popular bake sale will be back.

Timing is 10-2 on Saturday, May 2nd.

We need you, come and join the fun!

Chick #6 arrived on Monday, April 20th

A small dark brown chick has hatched!  Geronimo made his entrance at 5:15am.  He has been joined by four more chicks named: Pee Wee, Cluck Norris, Elsa, and Chicken Little - all named from visitor suggestions.  A total of five chick eggs hatched out of twelve.  A hen will typically have 50% of their eggs hatch, so we feel happy that our five are here and thriving.

Chicks are in a tank and will be onsite for viewing until Thursday, April 30th.  Stop in and see them soon!

We thank Dr. Ed O'Brien of Animal Care Clinic for his sponsorship of the incubator.  Other sponsors we thank for their support include Homer Township Vision Center, Barbara Bainbridge, Ludwig Feed Store, Tiffany's Kennel, and patron donations.  Thank you one and all!

Creating Savvy Shoppers... and teaching Kids to save!

We brought together Junior Girl Scouts to help define how to be a savvy shopper and examine the age-old want vs. need scenario that youth face.  These scouts will explore spending, saving, shopping, and lots of financial fun packed into a great learning hands-on activity to earn their Savvy Shopper badge.

We thank the folks at State Bank of Countryside who were on hand to lead a part of the program.

Programs were held on Tuesday, April 21 during Money Smart Week.  For details call the library @708-301-7908 and ask to speak with a Youth Services member.

It's Money Smart Week @ your Library, sponsored by BMO Harris Bank

There are many programs in April at the Homer Library to help you be a savvy "money smart"person. 

April 20 
Financial Tips for Retirees @ 1pm 
Short Sales/Foreclosures @ 7pm      

April 21
Social Security @ 1pm
College Tuition @ 7pm

April 22
Medicare @ 2pm

April 23
Eating Healthy Budget @ 6:30

These programs and expanded collections are the result of the generous  BMO Harris Bank sponsorship. 

We are always able to do more with local support and appreciate it very much. 

It truly is a win-win for our community!

Money Smart Week is April 18-25, 2015

 

Chick-it-Out Egg hatch is back!

Homer Township Library would like to announce our exciting live hatch program Chick-it-Out @ Homer Library. 

The library received one dozen eggs from the Children's Farm in Palos that we placed in the incubator.   Both of my children were Junior Farmers at the farm (great memories) and it was such fun to receive our chick eggs from Miss Kay.  We anticipate chicks will begin to hatch in approximately 21 days - join our contest to see which egg (all are numbered) will hatch first!  Then we will begin a new Name the Chick Contest, before the live chicks return to live out their lives back at the Children's Farm.

We will shortly have a webcam to view the chicks' progress in the incubator.  Pictures are posted to the library's flickr photo site. This is a very fun and exciting program for both customers and staff!

 

Mini Used Book Sale

Have anything that you would like to donate? 

We are asking for children's picture and story books - this might be a great time to recycle your favorites in the library book sale this month! 

Imagine another child or family enjoying one of your donated books - and it helps the library as all monies will go towards more materials for your use!  It's a win-win.

Plan to shop and enjoy some new great reads!

Spice up your reading life...go on a blind date with a book!

 It's library lover's month!  So why not make a blind date with a book?!

Check out this book, take it home, unwrap it.  Take this opportunity to try reading something you might not normally pick out for yourself.  It's fun!

If things don't work out with your "blind date" just return it to us without any hurt feelings ;-)

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to select a blind date book.  Kudos to Homer Twp. Library staff, who are very clever in promoting our collection of materials!

Thank you to a great decorating committee!

Thank you to our wonderful library staff who help make the library a lovely place each season.  You rock!

Isn't every month Library Lover's month?