Good To Know@Reference Services

Niles Township Board of Review Appeals

2012-01-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Niles Township Board of Review will accept appealsfor Niles Townships properties from 1/24/12 through 2/22/12. Information can be found at the Niles Township Assessor's Office.

Internet Blackout? The Niles Public Library is always available.

2012-01-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed that some of your favorite websites are not available today in protest of two bills making their way through the House and Congress? You may be wondering what SOPA and PIPA are and how they may effect the internet. Here are a few articles to help explain the bills:
SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts
SOPA, PIPA: What You Need to Know
SOPA Explained: What it is and Why it Matters

Today is the perfect day to find out what resources the Niles Public Library has to offer. We have many online databases that are available 24 hours a day from home with your library card and our librarians are happy to help you with your research in the library.

Literacy Conversation Club at the Niles Public Library

2012-01-13T10:10:00.000-08:00

LiteracyConversation Club

Tues.,Jan. 17, 7-8:30pm

This is amonthly group for new English language speakers. Practice speaking Englishin this informal conversation club. Meetpeople from all over the world to share personal stories and discuss currentevents and other topics chosen by the group.

New Database-Biography In Context

2012-01-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Biography in Context is database new to the Niles Public Library that contains 600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals. Many reference resources you already know such as Contemporary Authors, Almanac of Famous People, Dictionary of American Biography, Encyclopaedia Judaica, Governments of the World, and Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History are included in this database. When accessing this resource from home, you will have to supply your Niles Library card number.

Librarian's Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2011-Darlene's Pick

2012-01-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

My favorite book of the year is Everyone Loves You When You're Dead: Journeys into Fame and Madness by Neil Strauss. Strauss is an author and music journalist that has written for Rolling Stone, New York Times, and Esquire. The book contains snippets of 228 celebrity interviews and is broken down into ten acts such as The Worst Interview Ever and Mean Guys with Long Hair. You realize what a strange thing fame is when Strauss interviews Led Zeppelin while their manager is breaking in Jimmy Page's new shoes by walking the hotel hallway for an hour before he wears them. Strauss also finds that Tom Cruise can get very intense when he punched a clock, maybe because the interview wasn't going the way he wanted. This book is not serious literature by an means but is a good piece of pop culture journalism and a sincere look at fame directly from the celebrities themselves.

2010 Census Results for Niles

2012-01-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

If you haven't checked out the United States Census Bureau website lately, you should take a look. The site has been redesigned with new features so finding Census information is easier than ever. Did you know the population of Niles decreased .09% from 2000 to 2010? This information can be found in the Niles QuickFacts.

Treasury Ends Sale of Paper Bonds at Financial Institutions

2012-01-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

The sale of paper bonds at financial institutions has ended as of January 1, 2012. You can still purchase bonds from the U.S. Department of Treasury through TreasuryDirect.

2011 in the News

2012-01-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

Coverage of the U.S. economy was the most reported topic according to The Year In News 2011 from Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Pew Research Center has also compiled to most followed news stories of 2011.You can read the article 2011: A Year of Big Stories Both Foreign and Domestic or view the entire report.

Squeezed Middle?

2011-12-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

Squeezed middle is the Oxford Dictionaries word of the year. The editorial team chose squeezed middle meaning the section of society regarded as particularly affected by inflation, wage freezes, and cuts in public spending during a time of economic difficulty, consisting principally of those people on low or middle incomes, from a shortlist of words including Arab Spring, gamification, and tiger mother.

Did you know that you can access the Oxford English Dictionary online with your Niles Public Library card? Our online databases include reference materials which you are already familiar with in hard copy and all you need is your library card number to access them from home.

Santa Tracker

2011-12-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

When will Santa be arriving in Niles? Be on the look out for Santa with Norad Tracks Santa.

Book Talk-Rin Tin Tin

2011-12-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean

This is the story of the men and women who came to beforever effected by a German Shepherd puppy found on a battlefield in France.

Susan Orlean tells the story of the special bond and theenduring legacy of Rin Tin Tin and his master Lee Duncan. How that legacy haseffected generations of children and the impact it had on dog ownership in theUnited States. Interesting reading.

Maryellen

Librarian's Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2011-Donna's Pick

2011-12-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

My favorite YA nonfiction book of the year is Bootleg:Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition byKaren Blumenthal. YALSA has announced that it is one of five finalistsfor the 2012 Award for Excellencein Nonfiction for Young Adults.

If you'll pardon the expression, I never found the writingto be "dry." It helps that the book covers a fascinating segment ofAmerican history that is full of larger than life characters like Carrie Nationand Al Capone. Blumenthal draws readers in immediately with a vivid account ofthe St. Valentine's Day murders and then shoots back in time to describe thepeople, ideas and events that led up to it. In addition to introducing readersto major players like Morris Sheppard, the "father" of Prohibition,she traces the roots of the Prohibition movement all the way back to thepilgrims without letting the story get bogged down in the minutia of the past.

The overall design of the book is nothing special, but the number of images isa great strength. From a beer advertisement featuring a toddler (p. 28) to afull-page photograph of labor union members marching with "We WantBeer" signs and miniature flags (p. 107), the pictures alone tell a compellingstory. A pair of photographs on page 68 comparing prohibition agents IzzyEinstein and Moe Smith in and out of costume had me giggling for severalminutes.

Blumenthal makes a point of mentioning in her bibliography and source notesthat there is great wealth of primary sources on prohibition available toanyone willing to dive in. She describes her trips to university libraries withentire sections on temperance and prohibition. In addition to library research,she also contacted famous people born just before 1920 to request interviews.Jean Craighead George (p. 75) and John Paul Stevens (p. 126) were two of thepeople who responded. Source Notes are organized by chapter, and while a littleguesswork is needed to pair sources with quotes, I still found them to behelpful. Also included in the back is a useful Prohibition and TemperanceGlossary. It's worth browsing for the definition of "ombibulous'"alone.

The lessons learned during Prohibition (the problems with single-issuepolitics, the need for compromise, the consequences of changing theConstitution) are pertinent in today's political climate and ripe fordiscussion.Ken Burns' 3-part Prohibition documentary would pair nicely withthis book for a discussion. In his Sept.28 interview with Stephen Colbert, the reasons for Prohibition, theproblems with the Volstead Act, and the era he describes fits snugly with whatBlumenthal described. Historian David Okrent, author of recent adult title LastCall: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, figures prominently in Burns'series. These two books may pair well for a teen-adult book discussion.

-Donna

2012 Fuel Economy Guide

2011-12-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

2012 Fuel Economy Guide

In the market for a new or used car that is fuel efficient? Want to know howefficient your current vehicle is? The 2012 Fuel Economy Guide can help. Produced jointly by the EPA and theDepartment of Energy, this Guide will help you choose the most fuel efficientvehicle for your needs. The Guide can be viewed, searched and downloaded www.fueleconomy .gov and has beenupdated to include data for new and used vehicles dating back to 1984.

2011 Tax Forms

2011-12-16T07:20:00.001-08:00

Forms forindividuals filing 2011 Federal and Illinois State income taxes will beavailable in the Reference Department, 2^nd Floor. Federal tax forms are not expected to arrive until January30, 2012. State tax forms and IL-1363 (Circuit Breaker) are not expected untilFebruary 29.

While the Library carries the more standard forms for individualsin hard copy, many other forms, including business or specialized forms, can beaccessed only from the IRS or State of Illinois websites.

Reference staff will be glad to help find forms at the taxwebsites. Online forms may be printed for 10 cents per side.

Formore information, call Reference Services at 847-663-6603.

Winterize Your Home

2011-12-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for ways to save money on your heating bill this winter? There are tips and resources that can help you save energy and prepare your home for the cold weather.

Energy Impact Illinois has tips for homeowners to prepare for winter and keep their energy bills from skyrocketing.

Seven Ways to Winterize Your Home from the Better Business Bureau.

Keep Warm Illinois has tips and resources on how to battle winter as well as information on warming centers in Illinois.

Best Nonfiction Books of 2011

2011-12-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year for the best of lists. We will be posting the best nonfiction books of 2011 as they come in.

Kirkus' Best Nonfiction

Christian Science Monitor's 15 Best Nonfiction Books of 2011
New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2011
New York Times' 100 Notable books of 2011
Publishers Weekly's Best Books 2011 Nonfiction
NPR's Best Books of 2011
Booklist's Top 10 Biographies
Booklist's Top 10 Business Books
Booklist's Top 10 Food Books
Financial Times Nonfiction 2011
Library Journal's Top Ten Books of 2011
Publishers Weekly's Best Poetry 2011
Slate's Best Books of 2011
Time's Top 10 Nonfiction Books

What were your favorite nonfiction reads of 2011?