Thank You Community & Sponsors

25th Anniversary...
A Successful Event!

State Representative Renee Kosel, Mayor Daley, Library Trustees, Local Dignitaries, the LTHS ROTC Color Guard, and our many wonderful library supporters and customers attended Homer Library's 25th Anniversary Festival of Culture Event held June 7th. View the many pictures being posted on the library's flickr photo site here. With more than 1,500 attendees the day-long event was busy and fun. Strolling mariachi bands, a variety of diverse entertainment, children's ethnic crafts, and a sampling of food from around the world at eight food stations was enjoyed by all.

All attendees received our most cool "going green" recyclable, washable, and reusable book bag. Our time capsule items are on view for you to see in our display case. And check out 25 Things You Didn't Know About Homer Library and our Library Staff's Top 25 Book Recommendations.

Many local businesses and organizations donated raffle prizes and funds that assisted us in presenting a most successful day. We thank our many supporters and sponsors who are listed on the Homer Library's web site here. We also thank the Will County Sheriff for their assistance in keeping our parking situation under control and above all safe for all visitors.

Exceptional Service for You @ Homer Township Public Library!
My appreciation extends to my WONDERFUL STAFF and the COMMITTEE members who all worked so hard over these past several months to coordinate this event, down to the last exceptional detail! I am blessed to have such a dedicated and visionary team, and that includes our library trustees who are such a support to all of us. What a wonderful day. I know the memory of this team effort will last forever. I raise a toast to the next 25 years of excellence in library service to our Homer Community.

The Festival of Culture event was partially funded through an LSTA grant titled: Character Counts: Bringing Ethics, Culture and Diversity Together. Funding for this grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library (ISL), a Division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), under the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

pictured right: Sheree Kozel-La Ha, Library Director with Sara McCambridge, Assistant Director
pictured left: Ed, O'Brien, Board President with LTHS ROTC Honor Guard

We've Reached a Milestone - 25 Years!

Homer Library celebrates a key milestone - 25 years of excellence in service this year. We are so proud and pleased to make a difference and to serve you, our customers, well. You are the heart of all that we do!

We are running the most excellent LSTA grant called Character Counts: Bringing Ethics, Diversity and Culture Together. Funded in the amount of $100,000 this award has allowed us to creatively partner with nine schools, two senior villages, and many local businesses. New materials, quality programs, and innovative partnerships all embrace diversity and foster more positive relationships within our community. We have built on many alliances with this grant project to continue to offer the best to you. We will be celebrating the community's diversity at our upcoming 25th Anniversary Event.

FESTIVAL of CULTURES
Join us on June 7th, as we celebrate with a wonderful 25th Anniversary Festival of Culture day. A commemorative program begins the day's festivities at 10 am. We will have a variety of food to sample, diverse entertainment, and outstanding performers to celebrate the diversity within our community. All guests will receive our special "passport to adventure" that entitles you to receive our new "go green" re-usable and recyclable library book bag.

Enjoy an outstanding day with your entire family.
Come and have a blast!

Funding for this grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library (ISL), a Division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), under the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

Celebrating a wonderful library!

As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary, we honor what has been accomplished and look forward to leading our library in continued excellence in services for our ever growing community. I have been with the library as Director for eight years now, and we have seen continued expansion of services and many, many key changes. Celebrate a wonderful library and excellent staff. A key goal of ours continues:

More for you than ever @ Homer Library!

Celebrate Earth Hour & Make a Difference

Get involved! We are joining the Village of Homer Glen in support of LIGHTS OUT AMERICA - "EARTH HOUR"

This initiative urges that we turn off non-essential lighting on March 29, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. and join the nationwide energy conservation event. Signs and information has been posted and the library outdoor and select interior signage will be dark. Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

Directly from the Earth Hour site:
"On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming - coal-fired electricity - by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8:00 p.m. on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference - from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby."

It's so Simple!
15,773 business/individuals have signed up. At work, at home, we can all do our part.

Joining the Earth Hour initiative and turning the lights off for Earth Hour is a great first step. Take a second step and to really see a difference, make Earth Hour part of your everyday life. Recommend to your family and friends some simple changes to turn off appliances while not in use, switch light globes to energy efficient bulbs, and help the goal of reducing our annual emissions by 5%. Turn out lights when you're not in a room and investigate switching to "green power" cleaner sources of electricity.

Do it for our children. We/You/I can make a difference! Our library will be offering reusable, washable and recyclable book bags, and have put into use paper recycling bins. Homer Library can help you get further information about "going green" and living a different way to reduce global warming. Won't you join us?

What is Your Library Worth to You?

We save you money. That is a fact. To demonstrate this we provide an interactive chart (posted on the library web site) that shows how much you would pay out-of-pocket for library services. It is simple to use; just plug in your monthly usage of books, magazines, recorded books, computer use, etc. in the left hand column (even the Brookfield Zoo pass is listed!) and the estimated retail value of each item will be calculated on the right. The total value of your library use will be calculated and shown at the bottom of the chart. The values are estimates and averages which reflect 2008 costs. For example, we used the midpoint between hardcover and paperback books from a typical bookstore to determine the value listed.

We Save You Money!
I mentioned it above and will say it again: use your library, save your dollars, and benefit from all that is available to you. The library serves as a convenient community center and we save you a ton of money!

Read a magazine or newspaper at the library and save some money by ending your subscriptions. Check out books instead of buying them. If we don't immediately have what you ask for, we are happy to order books, including audio, CD's, and DVD's. Make 2008 the year you benefit from your public library. Make Homer Library Your GO TO Place in 2008.

You are why we exist and we are here for you!

Quick Fact
Did you know that Homer Library has never had a tax rate increase in its 25-year history? We represent approximately 1% of your tax bill. The tax cap continues to erode our current rate and Homer Library has lost more than $1.2 million dollars over the past ten years due to this loss. We pursue grants and sponsorships to help supplement the budget and to continue to provide the best in services to our community.