Join us on Wednesday, February 10 at 2:00 p.m. for our monthly Midday Movie.  We’ll be screening In the Heat of the Night (1967), directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, and Lee Grant.

A small-town sheriff and a big-city detective clash over the investigation into the murder of a prominent local businessman.

The movie was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won five, including Best Actor (Rod Steiger) and Best Picture.

Admission is free and open to the public, and snacks will be provided.

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, then look no further!  On Saturday (Sept. 26) afternoon from 1:00 to 3:30, plan to be at the Chatham Area Public Library for the Canine Carnival.

Round up the kids and the dogs, and head out to the Library’s south lawn for a bevy of activities including dog health and care information, treats for humans and canines, a dog obedience and training demonstration, crafts for kids, and lots more!

Better start brushing up Rover’s fur…The highlight of the day will be a fun dog show featuring your dog!  Does your dog have the fluffiest coat?  The biggest paw print?  Do the best trick?  If so, you can sign him up for the dog show and stand to win one of several prizes.

Don’t miss out!  The Canine Carnival promises to be a great time!

Please only bring dogs who are friendly to people and other dogs. Please bring water and a dish for your dog. Please plan to clean up after your dog. In case of rain the trivia, crafts, information, and so on will still be available indoors, however we request that dogs not be brought into the building.

Our Midday Movie for September is October Sky.  Based on the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, the movie tells the story of his youth in a West Virginia coal-mining town.  Inspired by the launch of Sputnik, and despite his father’s disapproval, Homer takes up building and launching model rockets with the hope of winning the science fair (and thereby a college scholarship).  In real life, Hickam went on to work for NASA as an aerospace engineer, in addition to writing several best-selling books. This inspirational movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern, and Chris Cooper, and was directed by Joe Johnston.

Mark your calendar–we will be screening the movie on Wednesday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m. in the library’s Conference Room.  Come for the movie, stay for the discussion afterwards.  Admission is free, everyone is welcome, and snacks will be provided.

We hope to see you here on September 9 for the Midday Movie–and we hope you’ll bring a friend along with you!

Our Midday Movie this month is State Fair.  This 1945 film version of the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical was directed by Walter Lang and stars Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, and Vivian Blaine.

Mark your calendar–we will be screening the movie on Wednesday, August 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the library’s Conference Room.  Come for the movie, stay for the discussion afterwards.  Admission is free, everyone is welcome, and snacks will be provided.

We hope to see you here on August 12 for the Midday Movie–and we hope you’ll bring a friend along with you!

Be sure to drop by the library on Saturday, July 18th for the Annual Sweet Corn Book and Bake Sale, sponsored by Friends of the Chatham Area Public Library.  The sale starts at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 3:00 p.m. $2 bags start at 2:00 p.m.  So mark your calendars and plan to stop by to pick up a few treats and books.

Join us for our monthly Midday Movie!  On the second Wednesday of each month at 2:00 p.m., we show a movie in the library’s Conference Room.  Come in for the movie and refreshments, and plan to stay after for a great discussion of the film.  Everyone is invited to attend–so plan to be there and bring a friend.

On July 8 at 2:00 p.m., we will be screening the Frank Capra classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Claude Rains.  Watch Jimmy Stewart playing the idealistic young politician, Mr. Smith, who gets appointed to the Senate as a replacement by senior politicians who suspect he’ll be a clueless pushover.  Little do they suspect that Mr. Smith’s idealism will spur him to take on the political corruption he finds in Congress–and win!

Also mark your calendars for next month’s Midday Movie on August 12, when we will be showing the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair.

On Wednesday, June 10 at 2:00 p.m. , come down to the Chatham Area Public Library’s Gallery A to enjoy the free Midday Movie.  The Midday Movie is a monthly event at the Library, and this month’s featured film will be Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard.  This movie musical features the music of 1970s supergroup ABBA, and the story involves a young woman’s attempt to determine which of three possible candidates is her father before her wedding so that he can walk her down the aisle.  It’s sure to be a great time, so join us on June 10 for snacks, discussion, and our screening of this popular recent film.  It’s free, and everyone is invited, so we hope you’ll come (and bring a friend)!

For July, gear up for a true classic.  In honor of Independence Day, on Wednesday, July 8 at 2:00 p.m. in Gallery A we will be screening director Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Claude Rains.  Mark your calendar for our showing of this exceptional film.

On Wednesday, May 13 at 2:00 p.m., come down to the Chatham Area Public Library to enjoy the free midday movie.  The midday movie is a monthly event at the library, and this month we will be featuring The Bridge on the River Kwai starring Alec Guinness and William Holden.   The film, an engrossing story of two British prisoners of war in a Japanese POW camp in Burma during World War II, won seven Academy Awards in 1957 and was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 1997.  It’s sure to be a great time, so join us on May 13 for snacks, discussion, and our screening of this classic film.  (Would you like more information on the movie?  Read its entry on the Internet Movie Database [commonly referred to as IMDb].)

Prefer lighter cinematic fare?  Our movie for June will be Mamma Mia!, the musical featuring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and the music of ABBA.  Mark your calendars for June 10, which is when we will be screening this recent hit film.

Can you bowl a perfect game? Come and be a part of the NEW craze in our first Wii (pronounced ‘Weee’) bowling tournament for adults only at the Chatham Area Public Library on Wednesday, May 6 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

There will be a training session before the tournament begins, so that everyone will know how to play this fun and interactive game. Even if you have never played a video game, Wii is easy to learn and master since the controller looks like a TV remote. Plus, you don’t have to worry about dropping the ball on your toe!  Wii bowling was a popular activity at the library’s Senior Fair in February.

The winner of the tournament will win a $20 gift certificate and the two runners-up will win $10 gift certificates to The Creek restaurant.

Please call the library (483-2713) to RSVP. Wii hope to see you there!

Want to take a trip, but don’t want to break the bank?  Come to the Chatham Area Public Library on Saturday, April 25th at 10:00 a.m. to learn some tips and tricks on how to get great travel deals online from local travel maven Lisa Olszewski.  If you would like to sign up for what promises to be a fun and informative presentation, please call the Chatham Area Public Library at 483-2713.

Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with the

 Chatham Area Public Library!!

Join us on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30pm as we welcome Curt Evoy, local baking enthusiast, to demonstrate how to make Irish Soda Bread.  Please call the library (483-2713) to RSVP.

The Chatham Area Public Library is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln with a special exhibit in an expanded part of the Library. The recently completed North End Reading Bay features the Legacy of Lincoln display. Dozens of books and other materials about Lincoln and the Civil War are arranged around the bay for your browsing pleasure. Also on display is a Lincoln themed slide show, original artwork from the Library’s own Louisa Matturro Boshardy, and an “Abraham Lincoln 200th Birthday” lap quilt by Karen High. The new North Reading Bay has a wide-open glass view and very comfortable chairs. It is a great place to enjoy something to read, access the wireless internet connection, or work on a puzzle located nearby. To check it out, turn right inside the main entrance and head to the far end of the building to see just one more new feature of the Chatham Area Public Library.

The Chatham Area Public Library will host monthly screenings of classic, and not so classic movies. These screenings will be held on the second Wednesday of the month at 2:00 PM in Gallery A. Bring a friend and join us for a great flick on the big screen and discussion of the film.

Chatham Area Public Library welcomes local author, Melinda McDonald to discuss her book, Water and Fire on Tuesday, January 13 at 6:00 PM.  The fictional story takes readers to the turn of the 20^th Century in Springfield.  Culminating with the city’s 1908 race riot, Water and Fire is populated with people of the time including poet Vachel Lindsay, Illinois Governor Charles Deneen, Eva Carroll Monroe, and Frank Lloyd Wright.  Come and learn about the Race Riots, Frank Lloyd Wright and a great story with romance and adventure. Copies of the book will be available for purchase as well.

    Go Green, Read @ Your Library

                             Read, Return, Repeat

The theme for the 2009 Adult Reading Program is all about “greening” our environment and keeping our earth around for many generations to come.  We are inviting all readers, age 18 or older, to sign up and participate in our “Read, Return, Repeat – recycling theme.”  Libraries are constantly recycling books and materials and saving our patrons many dollars by providing the most up-to-date materials, either through our Chatham facility or from one of our participating Rolling Prairie libraries.  You can sign up at the front desk beginning Monday, January 5, 2009.  At that time you will be able to pick up your reading logs and receive a library book bag and bookmark just for signing up!  It gets even simpler…for every book or audio CD that you enjoy over the next 6 weeks, fill out one of the log slips, and turn it in to the library.  For every 6 slips you turn in, you will receive a coupon from our own Friends’ Café.  There will be a weekly drawing for prizes every Friday at closing.  At the end of 6 weeks, there will be Grand Prize drawings in both categories.

Attention High Schoolers:  Lug your lawn chairs, pack your pillows or bring your bean bags and get comfortable for High School Movie Fest @ the Library!  Come be the first to hear the new sound system and watch Leatherheads, starring George Clooney and Renee Zellweger on a double screen! The screens light up at 2:00 p.m. January 7^th.  This movie is open only to High School students so bring your student I.D. (and a friend!), check out the new Library and watch a great movie.   Admission: $0.00,  Popcorn:  $0.00,  Drinks:  $0.00—  Hanging with your friends at a free movie:  Priceless!

Now!  Bonus Added Attraction!  Wii @ the Library!  Stay after the movie and show your friends (and the librarians) how it’s done!

This Saturday, December 6th at 1PM, the Chatham Area Public Library will host its annual holiday program.  This year, we are fortunate to have the Junior Crusaders from Christ the King sing traditional holiday songs, as well as a gingerbread house making demonstration and craft making for the kids.  Everyone is invited so tell your friends!

Call the library at 483-2713 to RSVP

How did National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month get started? A brief time line illustrates some of the key events on the way to that designation:

• At the turn of the 20th century, people began making proposals for a day to honor Native Americans.
• In 1914, Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfoot tribe, rode horseback from state to state in the hope of gaining support for a day of tribute.
• The following year, Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a member of the Seneca tribe, persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to designate a day of recognition for Native Americans.
• New York was the first state to observe American Indian Day in 1916. Over the years, other states followed suit in designating a day to honor Native Americans.
• In 1976, Jerry Elliott (High Eagle of the Cherokee/Osage tribe) authored congressional legislation that was signed by President Gerald R. Ford. The legislation declared the week of October 10-16, 1976, as Native American Awareness Week. Elliott served as national chairperson of the event.
• The celebration was expanded to a month in 1990.

 Want to know more?  check out these books and websites!

The Chatham Area Public Library has many resources related to Native Americans.  Some notable titles include: The earth shall weep : A History of Native America, by James Wilson, Through Indian eyes : the untold story of Native American peoples and for kids, The first Americans, by Joy Hakim.

http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/feature/indian/

http://www.nmai.si.edu/heritagemonth/

http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/codetalkers/

http://www.ihs.gov/PublicAffairs/Heritage/index.cfm

Join us for a wonderful demonstration on how to use ebay and how to use the US Postal Service to ship items.  Registration is recommended, but not necessary.  Call that library for more information: 217-483-2713. See you at 10:30!

 Want to learn more?  There are many books related to the topic of on-line auctions, the Internet and computers.  Come in and check one out today!

Calling all

know-it-alls!

All teens, sixth grade through high school are invited to join us for a crazy good time as we test your knowledge of all things cool on Oct. 15th @ 6:00.  Get a team of friends together to join in a night of fun.  Teams will consist of 4-6 players, with prizes going to the top three teams.  Door prizes, pizza, candy and soda will be included, so what are you waiting for?  Call the library to sign up (483-2713)!

Hurry!  Do it right now!

The Library move is here!

Oct. 3,4,5 & 6th

This weekend, we will be moving into the new section of the building.  This means that all of the books in the old section will be transferred to shelves in the new section. 

If you’d like to help in this large endeavor, please contact the library at 483-2713!

 Annoucing the Big Read:

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451

This year, the Chatham Area Public Library will be hosting a book discussion on Fahrenheit 451 on October 15th at 12:00pm. The book, by Ray Bradbury focuses on themes of censorship and is still relevant more than fifty years after its initial publication. Here’s a short summary from Ray Bradbury’s website:

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires…

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning … along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames… never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think… and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

 Please join us at the Chatham Area Public Library for this exciting book discussion on October 15th at noon!

http://www.icftb.org/bigread/

Interested in what books have been banned most recently?  Here’s the list from the American Library Association:

http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11778771&source=features_box4

comments about programs