Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Illinois Libraries

We joined many libraries this past month when participating in "Snapshot: One Day in the Life of Illinois Libraries"on Wednesday, February 10.

In Homer Township our library serves as many things to many people, and a typical library day includes events for babies through seniors. This unique "snapshot" provided us with the opportunity to document usage in a fun way, with pictures and by asking people to tell us exactly what they think. And they did! The results are interesting and much of what I learned reinforces that we serve as a true social center in our community.

We have compiled Snapshot Day comments with pictures and statistics into a handy little booklet, which we will be providing to our elected officials to chronicle our library's importance to the community and how customers truly rely on us.

YOU SAID...a sampling of Homer Library's customer comments:

1. The teen section is pretty cool. I like the colors and chairs. It's a cool place to hang.

2. The Library is the most important service that Homer Glen provides. I am an ardent user of it. The entire staff is just wonderful.

3. Funding for local libraries should be increased, not cut. In today's society, the library serves as one of the few good resources for families in a time when there are far too many distractions and mischief for our kids to get into.

4. I love the libraries in this system. I rely on them for entertainment, information and books! (My favorite things!) As I cannot afford home-computer internet access I utilize this also. I do NOT know what I would do without the Library and its helpful staff.

5. We could not live without it!

6. Going to the library is a favorite regular outing with my daughter (written by a dad!)

7. I LOVE my Homer Glen Library. Great selection of materials and anything I have ever wanted was available thru the Prairie Cat System. Also ALL those that work at my Homer Glen Library are Knowledgeable, Efficient, and Super Friendly!

8. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, my library receives a 25.

9. This is the "Best Library Staff on the Southwest Side." The people who work here do an "Excellent Job"

10. Our Library is a welcoming place for our community members and families. They offer great programming and a friendly, helpful staff. We visit our library weekly, as well as, our library's bookmobile. We enjoy using the library's computers, programs, and children's area.

11. The Homer Bookmobile is awesome! They have a bunch of books and DVD's! I love my Bookmobile!

Snapshot Day, was created as a project of the Illinois Library Association, and helped us to showcase libraries in a challenging and exciting time. The vibrancy of our services and value to the communities we serve continues to grow and we are more relevant than ever today. More than 90 libraries showcased photos of this special day which can be found here.

Visit your library today and look at it with fresh eyes to truly see what we offer. Imagine even more @ your library.

Come Play @ Homer Library

Play Literacy is based on the idea that children learn best through play. Early Literacy Play areas at Homer Library can help to stimulate a child's intellectual and social development and prepare children for structured formal learning and school activities. The SouthtownStar article describing this new library initiative is here.

Early Literacy Play Areas include:

LEGO CREATION TABLE - supports eye-hand coordination, creativity, thinking skills

INTERACTIVE & BOARD BOOKS - easy to hold, promotes reading readiness and exploration

PUZZLES - encourages problem solving, eye-hand coordination, develops fine motor skills

TRAIN ACTIVITY TABLE - develops social and thinking skills through interactive play

CABIN PLAY HOUSE - stimulates creative, interactive and social play

DOLL HOUSE - dolls of the world for creative play, modeling and social skills

PUPPETS - stimulates imaginative play and role playing

COMPUTERS - fun and educational games foster reading, math, science, and more

EDUCATIONAL GAMES/TOYS - encourages school readiness, fuels intellectual development

Bring your child to the library for a great start to succeed in reading readiness through play!

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!

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!

My Baby Turns 1!

Happy Birthday Bookmobile!

We are celebrating the first year of bookmobile service at the Homer Township Public Library! This exciting outreach initiative brings library services and materials directly into our extensive Homer community. Happy first birthday Bookmobile!

Check out the fun pictures we have been posting of customers celebrating on the Rolling Library Branch.

Grants bring more to our community!
The Homer Library received a $150,000 grant award and the process of building a new state-of-the-art bookmobile bus began. Grant funding is a high priority. Successful grants fund new services, collections and programs for our fast-growing community. This is especially important as your Homer Library continues to operate at the original tax rate established 25-years ago, without any tax increase, ever.

I write many grants. Amazing things come from grant monies, including funding for: eight computers loaded with educational software, a Senior Health and Financial Fair, new Polish and Spanish materials, outreach to local businesses, free business and computer classes, and many more wonderful programs, books, and services. The bookmobile has a special place in my heart and is a fine example of an innovative service that without grant support could not have been undertaken. Our bus is simply amazing and I hope you will see (and enjoy!) it first-hand.

What's new on the bus?
Bookmobile Manager Jody Olivieri and library staff have done an outstanding job to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Rolling Library usage continues to rise thanks to all of YOU. New this summer the bookmobile will be featuring Stories in the Park and a Summer Reading Club. Other Summer Fun weekly events include: Wear Your Crazy Hat, Sports Fans, Bring Your Pet Aboard, and Christmas in July!

Come aboard to see what we can do for you.
And always feel free to tell me what's on your mind. I'd love to hear from you!