Chess + Library = Big Brain

With study after study touting chess playing with an increase in cognitive and social skills in children- it seems chess is in the equation. That’s the kind of news that gets us excited and springs the library into action! We are delighted to introduce our newest offering (thanks to funding by the Friends of the Library): a library family chess club, Chess Mates! The club will meet the first Saturday of September through May, no registration required. Next one is tomorrow, April 6^th from, 1:30-2:30 pm.  Instructors from CheckMatesUSA will be present to teach chess at all ages and skill levels but a basic understanding of chess is required.  Chess for the family allows parents and siblings to enjoy brain boosting benefits of chess too.

In May, we are having a Beginner Chess Workshop, a 3 consecutive Saturday afternoon series for children who would like to learn how to start playing chess. Visit the Events calendar or call the Youth Services Desk  847-376-2839 for more information on any chess program. We hope to see you here!

Brain abilities and other benefits of playing chess at Des Plaines Public Library

• Memory skills
• Exercises and develops of various parts of the brain
• Problem solving
• Concentration, planning, strategizing
• Creativity
• Reading skills
• Social skills
• Communication/ sportsmanship
• Self confidence/ self worth / coping skills

Here are some links to studies on chess and the brain! 

Ten Big Brain Benefits of Playing Chess

Chess Also Develops Psychological Skills Says New Study

Chess Improves Academic Performance

Note: Above blog image source: http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/

Calling All Future Babysitters!

Did you babysit when you were a teenager? For many of us it was our first job. I remember being so excited when my next door neighbor trusted me to take care of her toddler. Before I could start sitting for him by myself, she had me take a babysitting class.

Has your teen in grades 6-12 talked about wanting to babysit? Encourage them to register for the library's Want to Babysit? class on Wednesday, March 27th, from 1-5. We'll go over so many different things: how to look for babysitting jobs and how to act once you get them, basic child care, and how to stay safe and keep the kids safe while you're babysitting.

After they take the class, talk to them about furthering their babysitting skills by taking a CPR and first aid class. Before you know it, they'll have the skills and confidence to go out and have their first babysitting jobs. Then, one day far in the future, they'll look back fondly on those days of their first job--and realize that those babies that sat for then are teenagers today!

Have them sign up by visiting our registration page by clicking here or calling the library at 847.376.2839.

We are so grateful to be partnering with Madeline May, the City of Des Plaines Community Health Nurse, and the Des Plaines Police Department. Special thanks to the Friends of the Library for funding this program.

My Media Mall--Better Than Ever

Have you checked out My Media Mall lately? We've been getting more questions than ever in the Youth Services department about e-books and other e-resources. It seems many kids got electronic devices for the holidays (or their parents got new ones and the kids got the previous versions).

As a frequent user of My Media Mall, I can tell you that the recent update makes it better than ever. There are so many great new features. First of all, it's easier to browse. The large color book covers make it fun for kids (and adults) to look at the titles. You can easily view the children's titles by clicking on either Children's Fiction or Children's Nonfiction at the top of the screen. Then you can narrow your search by choosing options on the left side of the screen: grade level, electronic format, subject, or publisher. You can even narrow it down to see what's currently available to check out right now by clicking Available Now at the top of the screen! One of my pet peeves with My Media Mall was never knowing what I could check out right then--now I can easily see.

Fair warning though--make sure to either know in advance what e-format (Kindle, ePub, PDF, etc) your devices allows you to use or check the Help section to learn more. One feature of the old My Media Mall was that it showed you picture icons of devices that particular book worked on. Now you have to know in advance.

Make sure to check out all the new books that have been added. I was so excited to see study guides available on My Media Mall. From ACT for Dummies, to the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker books--even books we own in the Homeschooling section. Here's a link to the general study guide books here and here's a link to the Spectrum guides for Math, Language Arts, and Illinois Test Prep (really popular materials at DPPL). Just click here to access those.

Bet you can't wait to sit down and explore all that My Media Mall has to offer you and your children. Happy exploring!

MYCatalog

If you have not tried it yet, you simply must check out the newest version of our online library catalog known as mycatalog. This new system enables you to register your library card and have access to your entire library record (items checked out, contact information, holds) as well as giving you the ability to participate in a world of other activities at the library, at home, or on the go. You can place your own holds, create virtual shelves of books you have already read or would like to read, create lists to share of books you recommend or on a particular topic...you can use it any way you see fit. In addition you can write reviews, see others' recommendations, and be involved in the virtual library community.

Getting yourself registered is pretty simple. Be sure to have your library card at the ready.

To begin, you can link to mycatalog from the left side of the library's home page at dppl.org.

Once you're there, click on the MY DPPL tab.

Type in your library card number (without spaces between the numbers) and your password.
If you have never changed your password, it should still be the word patron. If this does not work for you, try using the "Forgot you Password?" feature.

Once you get logged in, the system will ask you to create a username. This could be your first name, a nickname, a combination of letters and numbers, but something that will maintain your privacy. This will be the screen name that displays if you write comments or share lists.

The process is simple, but please don't hesitate to call or stop in the library if you have any difficulty getting youself or your child registered. We are very excited about this wonderful new resource and can't wait to get you on board! We hope you will find mycatalog as refreshing and helpful as we do.