Have Book Will Travel: DPPL is your Passport to Summer Fun!

Saturday, June 8 is the first day to register for Summer Reading Club! Can't make it on that day? No worries. You can stop by the 2nd floor information desk any time to sign up, get your registration materials, and get reading! You read here last week about the importance of keeping your child's brain exercising over the summer. Here's a great way to keep those reading muscles strong. Your kids may swim, or play soccer, or ride bikes to keep the legs and arms and heart fit...but don't forget about that precious noggin!

This summer we are taking you on a wild ride! To begin, Saturday, June 15 11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. is our Around the World in 80 Minutes (or less) summer reading celebration. Visit stations to make crafts from around the world, get your passport stamped for every country you visit, and when you complete the goal of getting enough stamps in your passport, stop by the Youth Services information desk to receive a prize!

And now for the rest of the story. Kids of all ages will find something just for them on our schedule of activities this summer. Everything from shows to art to music to stories to crafts to movies to LEGOs to games...and even more, if you can believe it...influenced by world travel and transportation. Check out the entire list of Youth Services programs here.

Once again we will be welcoming our awesome team of Teen Volunteers! Look for them in their blue t-shirts helping you with your Summer Reading Club registration, assisting your children during our programs and activities, and getting us ready for crafts and other projects by preparing materials.

And if I haven't tired you out yet, mark this date on your calendar. A RADIO DISNEY dance party is coming to DPPL on Friday evening, August 23 6:30-8 p.m. This event will be fun for the whole family, with music, prizes, treats, and more! Tell your friends and neighbors. The whole library community will want to see your friendly DPPL Youth Services staff shaking a tail feather. Thanks to NorthShore University HealthSystem and Friends of the Library for their support of this event.

Many thanks to the Friends of Des Plaines Public Library for their generous support of the entire Have Book, Will Travel Summer Reading Club. So many of the shows you will see, and things you will do this summer could not happen without them.

We are SO excited! And we look forward to sharing and absolutely fabulous summer with you and your kids. See you!

Summer Volunteer Wrap Up

Now that Summer Reading Club is over we can take a huge deep breath--aaahh! Summer Reading Club is the most exciting time for our department, but it can also be the most tiring. However we have a huge help to us--our amazing teen volunteers!

We had 59 absolutely amazing, dedicated volunteers this summer. They range from 7th grade to high school seniors. They went through training to learn how to sign up kids using our new computer system. They had 2 hour shifts that they came to each week, ready to get kids excited about reading. They helped out at programs, refilled the book cart, and brought tons of enthusiasm and energy to our floor.

We celebrated our volunteers at our end of the summer party on Wednesday. Domino's donated delicious pizza and Potbelly's gave us fantastic sandwiches to feed our hungry volunteers. The teens got a chance to celebrate themselves as we congratulated them on a job well done. All our teens did an incredible job but we did pass out some awards to a few teens who went above and beyond, were extra enthusiastic, or were our super smiley volunteers. We honestly can't thank them enough!!

If you think your teen might be interested in helping out next year for Summer Reading, applications will go out in April and you can always check on the Kidding Around blog for a post announcing our call for volunteers.

If your teen is looking for service credit hours for school this year, they can still be a volunteer in the Youth Services department! Applications will go out on September 1st. Teens have to be in grades 6th-12th and have to be able to commit to doing 8 hours total (not in one day of course!). There's different jobs to be done depending on the needs of the department, but they can range from: folding brochures, making craft samples, assisting at programs, and general cleaning.

Want to know more about the volunteer program? You can (or better yet, have your teen) call us at the library. Our number is 847.376.2839 and we'd love to answer your questions.

Thanks again to our terrific teens! We hope that you guys decide to share your talents with us again next summer!

Does Your Teen Have What it Takes?

Will your child be entering 7th-12th grade in the fall? Talk to them about volunteering for us during Summer Reading! One of the reasons our Summer Reading Club is so successful is because of our wonderful teen volunteers. They help sign up children into the Club, hand out halfway point prizes, get supplies ready, and help out at programs. In return they get a head start on their volunteer hours for the school year, a super cool volunteer t-shirt, chances to win prizes with the weekly raffle, and a volunteer party at the end of the Summer Reading Club!

Applications went out in the middle of April. If your teen is interested, please encourage them to come into the library and pick up an application to fill out. There are three training sessions for them to chose from (they must attend one) scheduled for June 6th, June 8th, or June 13th. At training they'll learn an overview about Summer Reading Club and what will be expected of them. If your child is looking for early work experience, is comfortable using a computer, and has a positive and friendly attitude then encourage them to sign up! If they should have questions, please have them phone either Cheryl or Liz at 847-376-2839. We're happy to answer any questions they should have.

Our volunteers are AMAZING! We'd love for your child to be a part of our team.

Get Your Teen Involved @ DPPL!

Is your teenage child (grades 6th-12th) looking to do some volunteer hours this year? Talk to them about volunteering at the library! During the school year the library accepts volunteers from grades 6th-12th. All they have to do is fill out an application and commit to doing at least 8 hours of volunteer work. I have a lot of kids ask me, and no, it's not 8 hours in a single day! They can spread out those 8 hours during the school year.

Volunteers do lots of different tasks for us. They might be able to assist during a program like Family Game Night, put together a craft sample, or make necklaces for storytimes. Or it could be refilling displays and dusting the shelves. The tasks they do depend on what we need done for that day. We always appreciate everything that the volunteers do for us. Your child can pick up an application on the 2nd floor.

Another way older students, grades 7th-12th, can make a difference at the library is through our Teen Advisory Board. The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) gets together once a month to talk about what programs teens want to have at the library and make sure the library is purchasing materials teens want to read and listen to. TAB even picked out the colors for the Teen Lounge on the third floor and designed how it should look. Meetings are only 1 hour long AND come with snacks. Have your teen stop by the next meeting so they can get involved. The next TAB meeting is September 29 from 4-5. Bonus: teens also get a community service credit hour for each meeting they come to.

Whether being a volunteer or joining TAB, there are lots of ways for teens to make a difference at the Des Plaines Library. Have them stop by the library to find out more information.

Happy 100th Birthday

On March 12, 1912, Juliet Gordon Low created the first Girl Scout Troop.  She was born in 1860 in Savannah Georgia to a mother whose own family played a part in creating the city of Chicago.  Being deaf in one ear from birth and deaf in the other from an accident with a grain of 'good luck' rice at her wedding, she searched for a way to make a difference in her community.  In 1911, her friend Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who some of you might know as the founder of the Boy Scouts, encouraged her to take scouting from England to America.  She began her first troop the next year.  Today, there are 3.2 Million members of the Girl Scouts.

As adults, sometimes we look around and think 'there are so many things I'd like to do to change the way my kids are growing up... change the world in which they live' and the Girl Scouts is an easy and fun way to do that.  Does your school have a troop already formed?  If not, you could become the leader.  Contact GSUSA (the Girls Scouts of America) and see what you can do.  Create a better life for your kids and the kids around you.

In the meantime, we have a whole collection of Girl Scout and Boy Scout books in the library.  Take a few out and see what the fuss is all about.  The Boy Scout books just got updated, and the new Girl Scout books are just being released and will be on shelf shortly.  Take a few minutes to look through them... compare them to what they looked like when you were young (they are way different than what I remember).  Get involved in your community - young or old, volunteer and make a difference.

Deadline Extended!

The deadline for your teen to sign up to be a volunteer this summer with the library's Summer Reading Club has been extended!

If your child is entering grades 7-12 and you know they'll be needing community service credit hours for school, National Junior Honor Society, religious education classes, college applications, etc.--now is the time for them to fill out an application!

Being a volunteer during the summer is a lot of fun. Volunteers receive a t-shirt, get to hand out prizes to readers, and help out at fun programs like Pokemon League Games or Not Your Little Sister's Cinderella. They also get to enter a weekly raffle to win a delicious treat from Potbelly's and at the end of SRC there's a great party to thank our wonderful volunteers!

Stop by the Youth Services desk on the 2nd floor to fill out an application today. Volunteer positions are filling up fast!

Have Your Teen Volunteer This Summer!

Is your child in 7th-12th grade? Are they friendly and enjoy working with others? Then they might enjoy being a volunteer for our Summer Reading Club!

One of the reasons our Summer Reading Club is so successful is because of our wonderful teen volunteers. They help sign up children into the Club, hand out prizes, get supplies ready, and help out at programs.

In return they get a head start on their volunteer hours for the school year, a super cute volunteer t-shirt, chances to win prizes with the weekly raffle, and a volunteer party at the end of the Summer Reading Club!

Our Summer Reading Club Volunteer Applications just went out. If your teen is interested, please encourage them to come into the library and pick up an application to fill out. Applications are due by May 16th. We'd love for them to be part of our team!

Looking For a Few Awesome YAs!

Is your child in 7th-12th grade? Talk to them about the possibility of volunteering for us during Summer Reading! One of the reasons our Summer Reading Club is so successful is because of our wonderful teen volunteers. They help sign up children into the Club, hand out halfway point prizes, get supplies ready, and help out at programs. In return they get a head start on their volunteer hours for the school year, a super cute volunteer t-shirt, chances to win prizes with the weekly raffle, and a volunteer pizza party at the end of the Summer Reading Club!

Positions are filling up fast but we're still looking for a couple more volunteers. If your teen is interested, please encourage them to come into the library and pick up an application to fill out and sign up for one of the two remaining training sessions. We'd love for them to be part of the team!