Time to Jam - It's Library Card Sign Up Month

Contributed photo | rockislandlibrary.org

By South West Illinois News Reports

Aug 31, 2021

Rock Island Public Library recently issued the following announcement.

Happy September! It's time to jam, with Library Card Sign Up Month, and lots of great new events for adults, including a history walk in Chippiannock cemetery, Library University classes to help you make the most of your card, and more!

Our Downtown Library location only will close early at 5:00 pm on Friday, September 3, and remain closed all Saturday as the result of the Rock Island Cart Races. If you need to return books, we recommend using the Southwest Library or any other PrairieCat library, as access to our drive-up book drop will be unavailable.

All Rock Island Public Library locations will be closed Monday, September 6 for Labor Day.

Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on September 6. Our best wishes to our patrons who celebrate this holiday.

Tell a Friend: September is Library Card Sign Up Month!

All of September is Library Card Sign Up Month, and just by getting this newsletter, we can guess that you're probably a library cardholder. So, help us spread the word by telling a friend about all the GREAT ways to win, just by having a library card. More books than you'd ever be able to buy, new authors to check out, special collections like our Library of Things, movies, computer use, amazing digital collections, and the ability to research 24/7 - and that's just the short list!

All month, we'll automatically enter all new and renewed cards into drawings for special prize baskets.

Kids Raffle Basket: Space Jam coloring book, Minecraft Uno, pair of Libby sunglasses, and a Forever Reads For All Seasons bag.
Adults Raffle Baskets: RIPL Summer Reading water bottle, 1 bottle of Old Arthur's BBQ sauce (our board member Eudell's family BBQ!) with a list of cookbook recommendations to spice up September, a free book, and a Forever Reads For All Seasons bag. 3 cardholders will win!

Each new or renewed cardholder also receives a I'm a proud library cardholder window cling, while supplies last.

If your card expires this September, run down to your library (or use our online form) to renew. RIPL cards are available at no added charge to residents of Rock Island AND our extended service territory of the Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District. For questions about applying, just call our Circulation line at 309-732-7323 or see our website.

You could also win with this social media contest!

This Library Card Sign-up Month, I Love Libraries and the American Library Association encourage you to spread some library love by posting to social media about how the library empowers you. You could earn a chance to win!

How to enter the Libraries Empower contest: Post to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #LibrariesEmpower. You can also enter by posting as a comment or wall post on the I Love Libraries Facebook page. Remember to tag us at #rockislandpubliclibrary or @RILibrary.

One randomly-selected post will receive a $100 Visa gift and an ALA Graphics The Child Poster. Three second-place winners will receive an ALA Graphics The Child Poster.

#LibrariesEmpower promotion begins Wednesday, Sept. 1, at noon CT and ends Wednesday, Sept. 22, at noon CT. It's open to librarians and library lovers alike!

Fall is a beautiful season at Chippiannock Cemetery in Rock Island. Sign up now for a limited opportunity to take a guided walking tour with the cemetery director. Join us at 5:30 pm, September 15, at the cemetery's main office. Learn about those buried there, view cemetery architecture and design of the past, and enjoy the captivating landscape. Attendees will gather near the main office at the cemetery.

Please register each individual attending via the library calendar. We can take a maximum of 30 people.
Wear weather appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes.
Some of the route on the planned tour involves hills and difficult terrain.

Make the most of that library card, with Library University

Your Rock Island Public Library does SO much, it's hard for us to explain it all in one interaction. So to help you learn more about how to use all the services available to you at no added cost through your library card, we're arranged a set of Library University online presentation. Join us each Tuesday at 2:00 pm, starting next week for Library University! Topics include:

September 7: eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more

September 14: Reading with Beanstack

September 21: Readers Advisory tips, or "what to read next?"

September 28: Streaming movies, music, and more

These are adult-level presentations that assume a basic level of computer and device knowledge. Register via calendar to get the ZOOM link for each topic.

Please note, RIPL subscription services for digital content are available to RIPL cardholders only. Beanstack may be used by other library cardholders participating in RIPL reading challenges.

Looking for a daytime book club? Try Alpha!

Alpha Book Club is always open to new members. The club meets in person (or by Zoom if necessary) at 1:00 pm on September 13, Oct. 4, Nov. 1, and Dec. 5. Masks are required if meeting onsite at the Downtown Library.

September's book choice is The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. Check out your copy through our catalog system, or by calling our Reference Desk at 309-732-7341

Save on food expenses with this partnership program!

Join us via Zoom for an online series, on the second Monday of each month through December. Presentations offered 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

On Sept. 13, Extension educators cover making healthy choices on a budget. Healthy Cents combines nutrition education and food resource management principles to encourage making healthy food choices on a limited budget. Learn more about: What is Healthy Food? How can you afford it? How can you smart shop for fruits and vegetables?

Event will be held online via ZOOM, register here for link: https://go.illinois.edu/healthycentsrockisland

Banned Books Read In - September 29!

Unite behind the freedom to read with a virtual read out of banned or challenged books at 6:00 pm on September 29.

This annual event is co-presented with the Midwest Writing Center in recognition of Banned Books Week, September 26-October 2, 2021.

Using Zoom, local volunteers will share their favorite passages from works that have faced censorship challenges, and what the freedom to read means to them. You're invited to watch online along with us. Register to receive the Zoom link.

The event will also be livestreamed to Facebook Live and MWC’s YouTube page. Join us in celebrating our awesome freedom to read!

Other events that might interest you:

Our Fall Newsletter with events and services for all ages is available now. It's a sample of events running through November (including a heads up on a new eWaste drive up event (October 7) and our always popular Shred Day (October 9.)

Pick up a newsletter at Rock Island Public Library locations, or view it here!

New in Libby - Law Depot

Exciting news: There’s even more to discover in the Libby app!

In addition to the full collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines we currently offer in Libby, we have added the LawDepot database. To find, tap extras in the Libby app. LawDepot offers legal forms in minutes with high-quality, easy-to-use, and completely customizable legal documents and templates.

New to Libby? If you have not yet tried the Libby app, all you need to get started is your library card number and PIN. The Libby app is easy to use and will guide you through the setup process and get you connected to our library in just a few minutes. You can find in-app support, or ask our Reference Desk for help at 309-732-7341.

We're turning 150 next year! Free public library service in Rock Island officially started on November 25, 1872. If you or someone you know is interested in helping us plan special events to mark this historic occasion, please contact Library publicity and outreach liaison Lisa Lockheart via email or at 309-732-7303.

Mask Up, Quad Cities

As a result of the Governor's executive order, masks are now required for all patrons above age 2, regardless of vaccination status.

If it's easier for you to pick up from your car, remember that we still offer a Curbside Pickup option at both Downtown and Southwest. Just call to let us know when you'll be here.

4 members of the same family may also enter the bookmobile. Or, we can also run your books to your car.

At last report, the fundraising campaign for this new facility was about five percent away from its total goal! The site will offer a modestly-sized additional branch for the RIPL inside the Two Rivers YMCA building that complements our existing library network of the Downtown and Southwest Library locations. Each location has a different role to play. For a look at how our locations work together, please download this infographic.

For more details, please see the RI YMCA/Library project website.

Other questions? Please contact Kathy Lelonek, executive director of the Rock Island Public Library Foundation, at 309-752-3014 or via her RIPL Foundation email.

The Rock Island Public Library Foundation is a private 501c3 foundation set up in 1986 to support special needs of the Rock Island Public Library with the added advantage of tax-deductibility. Please consult the Foundation or your tax advisor for details.

Rock Island Public Library