Teen Energy Leadership Academy coming again in 2010!

Watch for our flier and online information about the library's Energy: Teen Leadership Academy program. It's coming soon!

Save Money - visit us today!

Your library has many treasures for your enrichment. Whether you want to enjoy a great story, seek to learn something, or are planning some family time, your library has much to offer you.
And it's all FREE.

Books, CDs, DVDs, Books on Tape, programs, computers, and library areas that your whole family can enjoy. A teen nook. Children's and family computer areas. And yes, we have wifi, too!

Perhaps you would consider joining one of our book discussion groups or visit with our knitter's club? Maybe enjoy a Sunday evening library visit (we are open 4-8pm) to meet with friends and neighbors. Perhaps you would like to read one of our six local newspapers or select from more than 80 magazines?

It's all conveniently here.
It's all for you.

It's free.

Come visit us today @ Homer Township Public Library District!

p.s. did I mention that we have a phenomenal staff that is happy to assist you on your library reading and viewing journeys? We hope to see you soon!

Haven't seen the library changes lately? You're overdue!

Visit us and see the most recent changes @ your library. They begin with a dramatic change of color in the Youth area...no more pink walls! And more changes are coming.

We hear positive remarks about the creative use of space, additional tables, new equipment, and new look. Come in and see for yourself....

--With more than 900 visitors to our internet room monthly, we have established word processing areas outside of the public internet room to free those computers up for dedicated internet use. For your convenience word processing computers are now located throughout the building.

--Teens use the library both as a social center and a school support. The new area for teens has comfortable seating surrounded by YA books. We thank the Homer Library Friends group whose generosity was instrumental in the many changes in this area. Our local Home Depot store will soon be adding wood flooring to the teen area, courtesy of their community outreach initiative. We have much to be thankful for!

--Eye catching new signage is here!

--The addition of family friendly computer areas allow parents and children to work side-by-side at a pair of computers.

--Separated computer catalogs allow you to search for titles in more private and convenient locations throughout the library.

--Ten new AWE computers each contain more than 45 educational programs for children ages 2 through 10. Spanning seven curriculum areas, these programs are top rated by Children's Technology Review.

--Marketing of subject areas in our library collections has begun.

Discover more than ever before @ Homer Library!

Teen Scene OPEN HOUSE Celebration @ Homer Library

Join us September 30th to launch the new Teen Area! We will showcase it with a variety of great activities, such as scavenger hunts, raffles, gaming, fear factor food competitions, and food, food, food! Help us celebrate the official opening by marking your calendar to be at the library on September 30th from 5-8pm. Enjoy live music from Carnival Heist Band!

Teens are important to us.
We have an active group of teen volunteers, (approximately 70 of them) who worked more than 600 hours this summer assisting with a variety of support tasks. In addition, we have two active youth groups - YAC's or the Youth Activity Committee and TABs our Teen Advisory Board. Both meet monthly to socialize and enjoy creative activities and programs. Check out homr.teens.online to see all the great activities teens can participate in.

JUST FOR TEENS
Teens told us what they wanted - and we listened! Grants funds helped us purchase neat seating. Vibrant colors anchor the space. Fun fabric drapes the ceiling for a cool effect. New teen signage is being added. The teen collection has been moved into the new teen area.

Lots of fun activities are planned for the Teen Open House - view them here. Hope to see you then (if not before)!

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month

We love partnerships and have coordinated a great one for the month of September. Local businesses are helping to raise awareness of the importance of a library card. Simply show your library card to get some great discounts and offers. View I LOVE MY LIBRARY CARD benefits here.

If you need a library card, simply "come on down" and get our cool keychain library card in minutes. It's easy. It's free. It's yours for the asking.

DID YOU KNOW...
Your library card provides you access to books, music, movies, talking books, online databases, and more. We can order you almost anything - in case you don't find what you need in the collection of more than 120,000+ items that we have @ Homer Library.

Visit us today. If you haven't been in lately you will find More Than Ever Before @ Your Library!

Tweets from Homer Library

Check out our tweets! Homer Township Public Library is now on Twitter and also has a Facebook presence. Here's the scoop.

Facebook - Facebook is a social networking site that allows users to create profiles and networks. Users can interact with each other through posts, surveys, and games. The Library has a Fan Page here. If you are a Facebook user you can become a "fan" of the Homer Library. The library's page contains info about upcoming programs, book discussion lists, and photographs.

Twitter - Twitter is a social networking tool that allows users to connect and communicate with each other through short messages known as "tweets". The Adult Services staff has begun to create a twitter presence for teens and adults. Plans for use include promoting events, new websites, and new books as they come in.

Web Site - The web site goal has been to reach our users in their territory, so to speak, so that they find the value of visiting and seeing what the library is about. We are increasing our visibility to the teen and young adult demographic via the site. We have plans to consider a "library shop" where people can purchase t-shirts, etc., and the library receives a donation from any sales.

These communication tools help us continue a dialogue with you and extend awareness of the library's many events and great resources in a manner that's convenient and most comfortable for you. We hope you visit us soon - in person, online, or however you choose!

Yes, You Can... do more than ever before @ Homer Township Library!

DVDs ARE HERE!

We are pleased to announce our newest collection of DVDs, which launched on June 15th. This collection is very popular, with more than half of the DVDs currently in circulation at any given time. Needless to say, we are very pleased with the positive community response and usage!

THANK YOU HOMER COMMUNITY
Through resident generosity the Homer Township Public Library received a core DVD collection of movies. Especially exciting is that two-thirds of the collection was initiated through community support and donations. Approximately 400 DVDs were donated by local residents, groups and scouts. See the article here.

STILL SEEKING DONATIONS
Do you have DVD movies that you no longer use? We encourage you to consider donating gently used or new movies, especially children's, family viewing, or classics. We will accept any and all donations! A DVD donation box and signage has been placed in the new books area (where the DVD collection is being showcased). The library operates with a tax-capped budget and finding the funding and monies to establish this new collection has been difficult. Your donation and support for this collection is greatly appreciated!

Please check your home collections for movies you no longer need and feel free to mention to your friends, clubs, scouts, or other groups that Homer Library is still seeking DVD donations. The more people that know - the better! Again if you personally have any DVDs languishing on a shelf, send them to the Homer Library or give us a call @ 708-301-1078 and we can arrange to pick them up!

Come in today and enjoy a great DVD. Yes, they are FREE.
More than ever before @ Homer Library!

Summer musings...

More Visitors!
We are an open-design, bright, and inviting library, which has heavy community usage. Easily more than 600 people come through our doors each day! They bring smiles, questions, and sometimes frustrations. For many we are the highlight of their week, a cool spot in a hot day, and a welcoming face to help them with their reading and viewing travels. We serve in many roles to our community and are happy to do so.

Some of our customers come daily to read the news or shoot the breeze. Some children have to be almost torn away when it's time to leave because they so enjoy our Kids Connect learning lab, or chatting with the other teens or librarians. When the Teen area is finished soon, it will expand opportunities for many groups to socialize with books. I grew up with a library four doors away and spent my formative years soaking it all in; there is simply no better place to be!

Enjoy your summer, take advantage of our *cool* summer reading club (Thank You to our 40 sponsors = great incentives to read!) and continue to let us know what we can do for you.

In Loving Memory - Barry Levine

I would like to talk about my friend Barry Levine, a most unique individual and a Homer Township Library trustee whom I grew to love. Barry passed away Wednesday, April 29th of unknown causes. He was listening to a recorded book at the time and I think he would have thought it quite proper that he left us doing something he so enjoyed. But he left us much too soon.

Barry had three passions in life. The first was his family, wife Phyllis DiMonte-Levine, and their three children: Randy, Rachael and Sarah. They were the light and joy of his life and he spoke of them often. His other two passions involved improving service for the blind and physically disabled and advocating for libraries and their services. He often combined both, successfully contributing to advancing library services for the blind and physically challenged. Barry and Phyllis are the owners of an outpatient rehabilitation center, Functional Therapy and Rehabilitation, PC in Homer Glen. Barry was a popular and respected individual in local, state, and system library and accessibility arenas and he made a true difference in many lives.

Barry was recognized in 2001 by the Illinois Library Association and received the Trustee of the Year Award for his advocacy and efforts in the library world. In 2004 Barry received the Alexander J. Skrzypek Award for his outstanding contributions to library service for the blind and physically challenged. He was a mover and a shaker who prided himself on rarely missing one board meeting at either the local or system level in a combined total of 18 years. Barry was a true visionary, contributing to effectively moving libraries into the future and embracing service for all.

I think that I will end by telling you that Barry Levine was a dedicated, positive, proactive, and thoughtful man. He was also eloquent and very funny. I enjoyed both his intelligence and his wit; he loved a good story and shared many with us.

His motto was: "Become involved and stay involved in your community, where you can make a difference." He loved his life, he lived his motto. He made a difference. He left us too soon. And he will be greatly missed.

I wish I had one last opportunity to say "Thank you, Barry...you made a huge impact in my life and I am a better person for having known you."

I am an ILA Candidate

On April 1st the Illinois Library Association (ILA) opens their 2009 Election Polls. Candidates are posted for the Vice-President/President Elect, ALA Councilor, and Board of Directors. Candidate bios and statements can be found here. I am honored to run as a candidate for the ILA Board of Directors and I would be proud to represent you.

ILA provides effective leadership to the Illinois Library community and is 3,000 members strong. The electronic polls close April 30 and I encourage you to read the candidate statements (mine is below) and select your choice to best represent you and the interests of the library communities we serve.

My Statement of Concern (full bio here)
I am an advocate for spotlighting and linking the library to those we serve in new ways, including creating strong connections with other community agencies. We need to showcase our value and illustrate how essential libraries are in supporting residents at every stage and age in their lives.

We need to encourage our users, leaders, and staff to become vocal library advocates and - even more so - library champions. Break those library stereotypes we still experience; get involved with agencies and organizations to be both seen and heard. In my experience if library leaders are not "at the table" others in leadership roles may only peripherally take note of the library. The vibrancy of our services and value to the community we each serve needs to be advocated front and center. ILA provides strong leadership regarding the many challenges today's libraries face. As your ILA representative, I can provide a thoughtful voice to encourage leadership and innovation, including "best practices". I would be honored to serve on your behalf as part of ILA's partnership with Illinois Libraries.

Convenience & Savings for You

The economy is tough. Studies show that people use public libraries more heavily during tough economic downturns and we have found this to be true. Check out the recent Jim Rettig article "Libraries Stand Ready to Help in Tough Economic Times," the Wall Street Journal article, "Folks are Flocking to the Library," the Boston Globe's article "Library Use Increases as Economy Falls," and "The Public Library Renaissance" article.

REDISCOVER HOW THE LIBRARY CAN SAVE YOU $$$
Homer Library can save you money. To demonstrate this we provide an online interactive chart that shows how much you would pay out-of-pocket for library services. Place your monthly usage of books, magazines, etc. and the total value of your library use will be calculated and shown at the bottom of the chart.

Your library prides itself on being a convenient, efficient, and accessible community center. We continue to review building, program, usage patterns, and area demographics to help us adapt to customer needs.

AN INCREDIBLY BUSY PLACE - Increasing statistics show that we are used heavily by Homer residents. At Homer Library we have seen the following increases over the past year:

1. Material loans increased 25% - we check out 1,081 items daily or 90 items each hour (70,000 more than last year).

2. We average 560 programs annually; more than one per day.

3. We register three new users each day.

4. 600 people visit us daily.

5. 900 people use our public internet room monthly; more take advantage of our wireless network.

6. 750 people access the library website daily.

7. Staff answers 90 Help Desk questions daily.

CHANGING TO MEET YOUR NEEDS @ Homer Library - As your first choice for information we plan to increase the convenience that you need. Feel free to provide your feedback to me here. I appreciate and value all public comment and further recommendations.

Congratulations President Barack Obama!

At Homer Township Library many of us watched and listened to the historic moment when our 44th president of the United States of America was sworn in. During this exciting moment in time I offer a brief message to our newly elected President:

Dear President Obama:
You have stated, "More than a building that houses books and data, the library represents a window to a larger world, the place where we've always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward..." Well stated!

As a librarian I think you get "us." I look forward to a "Yes we can" presidency and your full support of libraries, which you refer to as the "sanctuaries of learning." As a public library director who strives to make an ongoing difference in my community your words touch my heart.

Congratulations to you on this most exciting, memorable, and historic day!

Sheree Kozel-La Ha

2009 = More for You @ Your Library!

Happy New Year!
2009 has started with a bang and we are pleased to announce our two newest grant awards of $75,000.

HOMER LIBRARY IS A DESTINATION STATION
"Destination Station" is a technology specific grant that allows the library to upgrade and add technical equipment, including new computers for both children and adults. Ten new Kids Connect computers, each loaded with thirty educational programs, will be added, as will "family stations, where an adult can work side by side with a child at separate computers. Funding also provides new internet room computers and adds word processing computers throughout the public areas of the library. This is a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, awarded by the Illinois State Library with federal funding provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). We believe you will enjoy the added convenience of new equipment and software!

TEEN SCENE & MORE
The second award is funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). We extend our appreciation to State Representative Renee Kosel for her assistance with this grant opportunity. This award will allow us to upgrade areas of the library including adding a new Teen Scene area where students and library youth can do homework and socialize with friends.

Grant awards provide needed funding to our tax-capped library budget. Successful grants allow us to offer some really neat things at Homer Library and expand the way we can serve you well. Both projects will enrich your library experience and add convenient new areas for your use. We know you will find more value than ever before at Homer Library!