News from Libraries

Senator Jim Oberweis will be hosting a Town Hall meeting April 15 in North Aurora at the Messenger Public Library.

“State legislators face a number of tough decisions in the coming months as we try to steer Illinois in a more productive direction. I want to talk with 25th District citizens and get their opinions on solving our state’s pension and fiscal problems,” Senator Oberweis said. “I hope they will be able to take time out from their busy schedules to come by and talk with me and other local leaders.”

The Town Hall meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., April 15, at Messenger Library, 113 Oak St., North Aurora, IL 60542.

For more information, call Senator Oberweis’ office at 630-800-1992.

Beginning Wednesday, April 3 through Friday May 17, 2013, the Columbia College Chicago Library presents The Big Read at Columbia College Chicago, a six week-long series of book discussions, panel discussions, and film screenings inspired by Julia Alvarez's novel, In the Time of the Butterflies.  Based on a true story, the novel centers around the lives of threel sisters, Patria, Minerva and Maria Theresa Mirabal who became icons of freedom and women's rights in the Dominican Republic as part of the underground movement against Dictator Rafael Trujillo. They were murdered in 1960 for their participation. 

The Big Read is a nationwide literacy program of the National Endowment for the Arts (in partnership with Arts Midwest) whose primary goal is to restore reading to the center of American culture.  Columbia College Chicago Library was one of 78 organizations who received funding from The Big Read this year.

We have enlisted the following libraries in the Chicagoland area to participate with us this year:

• Benedictine University Library
• Cicero Public Library
• East Chicago Public Library (East Chicago Indiana)
• Harold Washington College Library
• North Riverside Public Library
• River Forest Public Library

Free copies of the book in both English and Spanish as well as supplementary materials will be available at all partner sites while supplies last. Each site will also host a book discussion group and film screening of In the Time of the Butterflies.  For more information, please go to www.colum.edu/bigread.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. This program is also made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.

http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/lifestyles/19234722-423/read-contest-winners-enjoy-poster-spotlight.html

The sweet smells of zucchini bread wafted through the West Chicago Public Library last Thursday evening as the Library kicked off its “WeGo for Wellness” cooking series with “Breakfast that Rocks!” to a packed house.

Chef David Esau, owner of Dave’s Specialty Foods in Mt. Prospect, cooked up healthy breakfast options the whole family can enjoy and shared the recipes for his fresh zucchini bread/muffins (his trick – make ‘em small!), Dave’s Potato-Onion Hash, and how to make Omelets Like a Pro.  Esau began his training at Dumas Pere l’Ecole de Cuisine in Glenview while working at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, then continued his studies with Michael Chabran, a Michelin-rated chef, in Lyon, France.  Returning to Chicago, he served as a chef de cuisine at D&J Bistro in Lake Zurich.  He has also worked at Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and the American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin.

The Library’s 12-week “WeGo for Wellness” series is intended to connect patrons to programs and activities designed to encourage healthy eating and lifestyle choices.  The series includes walking groups, exercise programs, a healthy cooking series, as well as monthly wellness check-ins with a registered dietician. For information about the entire series, visit the Library web site at www.westchicago.lib.il.us.

This four-part cooking series continues on April 18 at 7 pm with “Mouth-Watering Mains.”  Two more programs will be featured on May 2 and 16.  All four cooking programs are supported by a Community Health Grant from Cadence Health.   “We welcome this opportunity to partner with Cadence Health to help build a healthy community in West Chicago,” said Administrative Librarian Melody E. Coleman.