Help Us Celebrate the 50th Anniversary!

On Saturday, September 29, the Carol Stream Public Library will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary of service to the residents of our community, and in keeping with our commitment to support the Library, the Friends of the CSPL are very proud to be taking a very active role in the many events that are scheduled to commemorate this occasion. There will be special events for families in the days leading up to the official anniversary, drawings for Kindles throughout the day on October 6, and a special anniversary cake. As always, the members of the Friends of the Carol Stream Public Library will be working closely with the Library staff to coordinate these efforts, and funds from the Friends will be playing a key role in financing the anniversary activities.

Here are some highlights of the planned activities that are being sponsored by the Friends of the CSPL:

LegoLand Race Car Workshop

Friday, September 7

4:00 pm-5:00 pm

Discovery and Horizon Rooms

This fun, hands on workshop allows students ages 7 and up the opportunity to explore mathematics and elementary physics with classic LEGOS bricks. Participants will build LEGOS race cars, race them on a track, and collect data to determine the performance of their cars. By learning about the forces that affect their cars they will then be able to create lean racing machines.



Balloon Workshop with John “Doc” Morrissy

Sunday, September 23

2:00 pm-3:30 pm

Discovery and Horizon Rooms

Join the Library's birthday celebration! Learn how to make balloon animals and other creations like hats and swords, then show off your new skill to your friends! No huffing and puffing required–the balloons will be inflated when you arrive.


50th Anniversary Cake

Saturday, September 29

1:00 pm-4:00 pm

The Friends of the Carol Stream Public Library invite you to come to the Library to visit with Friends and share a piece of Anniversary cake. Please join us to share stories about the many ways that the Library has grown and changed over the years and help us celebrate all the accomplishments of the last 50 years.

In addition to these events that are directly sponsored by the Friends of the Carol Stream Public Library, the Friends have also helped to subsidize the purchase of the Kindles that will be given away during a day of activities at the Library on Saturday, October 6.

Miniature Golf in the Library!

Important Update:

Due to circumstances beyond our control, this 50th anniversary event has been cancelled. The Friends had hoped that this would be a fun event for families and a great way to celebrate the anniversary, and with that in mind, we hope to find other ways to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the library between September 29th and October 6th. We regret that this event had to be cancelled, and we hope that this development has not inconvenienced our members in any way.

Are you looking for a new way to explore the Carol Stream Public Library and perhaps discover some parts of the building that you have not yet visited? If so, please mark your calendars for September 21, 2012, and join us for a special evening event--miniature golf in the library. This unique family event has been created to help us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Library, and we invite all residents to join the celebration with us and show off your putting skills at the same time.

For this special evening, the entire library facility will be transformed into a challenging miniature golf layout that will meander through the stacks, around the children's area and the main reading room, and even in and out of the computer lab. The setup will be done by a professional organization that specializes in this unique entertainment concept. To get a glimpse of similar events that have been held at libraries across the country, just click here to visit the Library Mini Golf website.

More details will follow in the weeks ahead, so keep watching this CSPL Friends blog site for more information as it becomes available. We hope to see you on September 21!

A Little History of Quilting

Please plan to join us at the Carol Stream Public Library for a special program called "A Little History of Quilting" that is scheduled for 7:00 pm-8:30 pm on Tuesday, April 17. The presenter is Kathleen Tracy, the owner of Country Lane Quilts and the author of several books including American Doll Quilts, Remembering Adelia, and Civil War Sewing Circle. The program will be held in the community rooms at the Carol Stream Public Library. Admission is free, but since seating space is limited, advance reservations are required for this event. This special program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, Seams Like Fun, and the Carol Stream Historical Society.

This presentation and trunk show of quilts will trace America's quilting heritage throughout our country's history. During the evening, you will see many examples of quilting styles and techniques as illustrated through Tracy's doll quilts. There will also be a Q & A segment of the program to allow anybody who attends to get answers from the presenter on any topics covered during the evening.

As noted above, "A Little History of Quilting" is a free event, but reservations are required and space is limited. To be sure that you get a seat for this program, call 630-653-0755 to reserve your spot.

Open Trustee Position at Carol Stream Public Library

The Board of Library Trustees of the Village of Carol Stream has announced that it is seeking candidates to fill the unexpired term of Library Trustee Robert Douglas who has resigned in order to accept a county judicial position. Any resident of Carol Stream who is interested in serving the community and is a registered voter is welcome to apply. Ideally, this candidate will be a person who actively uses the library, is familiar with the services that the library provides to the community, and is willing to devote time and energy to support the efforts of the library on behalf of the residents of Carol Stream.

The Library Board meets once a month, usually on the third Wednesday. Special meetings may also be called when needed. Each Trustee also serves on at least one committee. Most committees meet 4 to 5 times a year and all trustees can attend all Committee meetings if they wish. The Library Board standing committees are Finance, Facilities and Human Resources. The appointed Trustee will receive a general orientation from the Library Director. Information for meeting preparation is made available to each Trustee at least 2 days before each meeting.

The chosen candidate will serve until May 1, 2013, and the position will then be up for election in April, 2013.

Interested candidates should send a letter of intent and brief resume to the Carol Stream Public Library, attention Library Director Ann Kennedy, 616 Hiawatha Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188, or via email at akennedy@cslibrary.org. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. on March 21, 2012. It is anticipated that candidate interviews will be conducted on the evening of March 28, 2012, and a candidate will be selected to fill the position that evening.

This is an important opportunity for members of the Friends or for any Carol Stream residents who value the services that the library provides and are willing to work to ensure that valuable library programs and resources are maintained in the years to come. Please pass this information along to any friends you think might be interested in serving!

New Laptop Cart Unveiled at CSPL Tech Night

Last night in front of a large audience that filled the meeting rooms at the Carol Stream Public Library, members of the Friends unveiled a mobile cart containing several new laptop computers to the public as a part of the Tech Night program conducted by members of the library staff.  The new computers and cart were purchased by the Friends of the Carol Stream Public Library with funds that were raised through membership fees and proceeds from the ongoing used book sale that takes place in the lobby of the library. The new laptops will be used for a variety of library programs including a series of training workshops for members of the community.

On hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony were Director Ann Kennedy, trustees Rob Douglas and Mary Hudspeath, and several members of the Executive Board of the CSPL Friends organization. Barb Siegman represented the Friends and presented the new mobile cart and laptops to Ann Kennedy and Rob Douglas who acknowledged the generous gift and thanked the Friends for supporting library activities. The laptops will be used for the first time on Monday, January 23, when the first of a series of computer training workshops will be offered to village residents. This first workshop filled very quickly and because the advance registration was so strong and interest was so high, additional workshops will be added to the schedule.

People who attended the Tech Night event last evening also had an opportunity to learn about the new Nook eBook readers that the library has acquired and plans to circulate to the public. Laura Hays and Jessica Hubinek from the Adult Services Department demonstrated the new devices and explained how content is downloaded to the eBook readers. Representatives from Best Buy were also on hand to help people with individual questions about these and other similar digital readers. Be sure to watch for more information about these new digital devices from the library staff in the weeks ahead.

For more information about joining the Friends of the Carol Stream Public Library, please pick up a brochure the next time you visit the library.

Friends Set to Donate Laptop Cart to Library

On January 19, the members of the Friends of the Carol Stream Public Library will unveil their latest gift to the community--a cart of laptop computers that will be used for computer and Internet training classes to be offered to village residents throughout the year. The cart and laptops were purchased from funds that the Friends have raised through membership fees, used book sales, and other fundraising initiatives. This unveiling ceremony will take place on Tech Night, and there will also be a presentation on the use of eReaders that night.

First Training Class on January 23

The first computer offering is scheduled for the evening of January 23, 2012. The first course is titled "Computer Class 101" and is designed to help beginning users to become familiar with basic computer operations, keyboard commands, and mouse functions. Space is limited for this class since it will be conducted on a "hands-on" basis, so we encourage residents to register early to assure themselves of a spot in the class. 

Here are the full details of the program as posted on the CSPL web site:

Date: 1/23/2012
Start Time: 7:00 PM
End Time: 8:00 PM

Description:

 You have been asking for them and now they are finally back--beginner classes for those wanting to learn how to use a computer. In this class you will learn basic computer operations as well as how to use a mouse and the keyboard. The class will be conducted in a "hands-on" format using a set of laptops generously donated by the Friends of the Library. Registration is required because seating is limited; the class is open to Carol Stream cardholders ages 18 and up.

Location: Horizon Room
Contact: Omar M. Kushad
Status: Waiting List (16)

We hope you are able to join us for this first computer training class and to view the new laptop cart. Please watch the Carol Stream Public Library event calendar for news about upcoming classes and other events at the library.