Thursday, April 1, 2021 | View in browser
All locations closed Thursday, April 1 for all-staff training.
The Digital Library is open 24/7 for eBooks and eAudiobooks, Streaming Movies and TV, and eMagazines.
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All Library programs are currently held virtually. For technology help while accessing a virtual program, please call 847-448-8630.
Read this week's EPL KIDS newsletter.
 National Library Week is April 4 through April 10. Here are some ways you can participate in the celebration:
- April 6th is National Library Workers Day! Recognize library staff members who have impacted your experience with some words of encouragement and appreciation here. Each testimonial will appear in American Library Association's “Galaxy of Stars."
- Explore previous episodes of The Check Out podcast with special guests from inside our own doors, like Executive Director Karen Danczak Lyons, Robert Crown Branch Library Supervising Librarian Miguel Ruiz, or Collections Manager (and author) Betsy Bird.
- And please, consider making a donation to EPL this National Library Week. Your support enables us to provide the community with valuable resources, including a space to gather, to learn, and to receive assistance.
- As we work to meet the diverse expectations of our residents, we strive to be unapologetically equitable in our decision-making. Read our Commitment to Racial Equity and take a look at some of the steps we've been taking on the journey.
 Here are some books chosen to celebrate Poetry Month:
1. Homie by Danez Smith (book, eaudiobook): Homie is Danez Smith's magnificent anthem about the saving grace of friendship. Rooted in the loss of one of Smith's close friends, this book comes out of the search for joy and intimacy within a nation where both can seem scarce and getting scarcer. In poems of rare power and generosity, Smith acknowledges that in a country overrun by violence, xenophobia, and disparity, and in a body defined by race, queerness, and diagnosis, it can be hard to survive, even harder to remember reasons for living.
2. An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo (book, ebook): In this stunning collection, Joy Harjo finds blessings in the abundance of her homeland and confronts the site where the Mvskoke people, including her own ancestors, were forcibly displaced. From her memory of her mother's death, to her beginnings in the Native rights movement, to the fresh road with her beloved, Harjo's personal life intertwines with tribal histories to create a space for renewed beginnings.
3. If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar (book, ebook, eaudiobook): Poet and co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls captures her experience as a Pakistani Muslim woman in contemporary America, while exploring identity, violence, and healing.
For more poetry suggestions, be sure to join us this month for Read 2021.
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Are you fully vaccinated? Great! But keep in mind, we're still not sure how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19 in the population, so precautions still need to be taken. Learn more about the CDC's guidance for fully-vaccinated people here.
- Check out the CDC's information on coronavirus variants: where they are appearing, how to best prepare, and what the current research can tell us.
- Be sure to check out the City of Evanston's Vaccine Dashboard with detailed, updated information on fully vaccinated individuals, total doses administered, and more.
The Climate Resiliency Series continues through April. Bradley Dean, of FEMA’s Resilient Nation Partnership Network, said the series serves as a great example for confronting environmental issues on the local level.
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Lunch and Learn: Why Native Plants? Bring your questions about native plants to Leslie Shad and Allison Sloan of Natural Habitat Evanston. Thursday, April 8, 12 pm. Register.
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Community Compost at Robert Crown Info Session: In partnership with the City's Office of Sustainability, the Robert Crown Branch Library will serve as a Community Compost Drop Off Site and a hub for composting information and troubleshooting help. If you are interested in this free, 6 month-long pilot program, please fill out this form. Read more.
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Resources Matter: Ways to Prevent Waste and Recycle Right: Join Mary Allen, Recycling and Education Director at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, as she helps us understand and master the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.Thursday, April 22, 12 pm. Register.
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Lunch & Learn: Deconstruction, The Sustainable Choice: Deconstruction is the selective dismantling of building components for reuse, repurposing, recycling, and waste management. Join Anne Nicklin of Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse as she gives you a behind-the-scenes look at deconstruction sites in Evanston and the North Shore. Thursday, April 22, 1 pm. Register.
Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change is a pilot program of the American Library Association.
Nancy Johnson, author of The Kindest Lie, talks with Sara Paretsky.
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Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Group: Virtual Edition: The Female Man by Joanna Russ. Wednesday, April 7, 7 pm. Register.
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Virtual Author Event: Race, Gender & Policing: Legal Scholars Discuss Their Works, with Josephine Ross and Roger A. Fairfax, Jr. Co-sponsored by Bookends and Beginnings. Thursday, April 8, 6:30 pm. Register.
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Virtual Author Event: A Midwest Address Author Literary Lunchbreak: Join Nancy Johnson in discussion with Sara Paretsky on Johnson's book The Kindest Lie. Co-sponsored by Bookends and Beginnings. Thursday, April 15, 12 pm. Register.
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Virtual Author Event: Al Vivian and Steve Fiffer discuss It’s in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior, the memoir of civil rights leader C.T. Vivian. Co-sponsored by Bookends and Beginnings. Thursday, April 15, 7 pm. Register.
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Parents After Bedtime Read Aloud Book Club: Verse Novels! Parents, gain a gorgeous introduction to some of children's literature's best poet-novelists in this 3-week program. No preparation required—just enjoy librarians reading aloud to you for a change. Tuesday, April 13, 8 pm. Register.
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Wider Net Book Group: Topeka School by Ben Lerner. Monday, April 19, 7 pm. Register.
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AAL (African American Literature) Book Discussion: The Mother of Black Hollywood: a memoir by Jennifer Lewis. Wednesday, April 21, 7 pm. Register.
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TMAC (Transmasculine Alliance of Chicago) Book Club: Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar. Friday, April 23, 6:30 pm. Register.
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True Crime Book Club: The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by Anthony M. Amore. Tuesday, April 27, 7 pm. Register.
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Outside the Lines: A Graphic Novel Book Club: Bingo Love by Tee Franklin. Thursday, April 29, 7 pm. Register.
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Read 2021! Join us in a year-long reading challenge with a new theme each month. Move beyond the genres and authors you typically read and expand your love of reading to include new voices and stories. The April theme is Poetry. No registration necessary. Complete a monthly challenge and you may win a gift card. Read more.
Book Tournament: In this 8-week tournament, patrons pit their favorite books against each other, bracket style, and vote for their favorite to come out on top. 16 titles will enter, but there can only be one champion! The tournament's progress will be displayed, week-by-week, at the Robert Crown Branch Library. Come cast your vote. May the best book win!
Who Will Win? Oscar Discussion Party: Join us to discuss the Oscar nominations, snubs, and surprises -- and predict winners of the awards. Play Oscar Bingo and you might win a $25 Target gift card! Friday, April 23, 7-9 pm. Register.
 Beginning Birdwatching for Everyone: After a long winter and endless days of quarantine, it's time to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Birdwatching is fun, safe and easy, and this program will help get you started. Chicago birdwatcher and photographer Scott Judd will provide all the information you need to start finding and identifying birds right here in our beautiful urban paradise. Thursday April 29, 7 pm. Register.
LENA Start Information Sessions: Learn about LENA Start and how you can participate in a 10-week program that helps build your 0-3 year old's brain through the power of early talk! Attend an information session to learn more (Evanston residents only):
 Evanston Public Library and Open Communities invite you to a series of workshops covering a variety of housing and financial issues:
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Landlord Training Workshop: Education for landlords on ordinances, landlord rights, and tenant retention. Thursday, April 15, 12:30 pm. Register.
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Housing Post-Purchase Workshop: Homeowners will get information on preventive maintenance, sustaining homeownership, taxes, foreclosure, financial pitfalls, and more. Tuesday, April 20, 12 pm. Register.
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Housing Pre-Purchase Workshop Series: This four-part workshop provides education on preparing for homeownership, budgeting and credit management, financing a home, and selecting a home. Register for each individual session on April 26, 27, 28, and 29.
Black Women's Health Awareness Series—Maternal & Reproductive Health close-up: Adoption Many Black families and Black singles are choosing to build their families through adoption, yet the myth that Black singles and families don’t adopt through the formalized process of an adoption agency persists. Join Kikanza Harris, Arletta Barbel, Regina Townsend, and Myriam Borrayo for a discussion about birthing rights and reproductive options for Black parents. Thursday, April 15, 7 pm. Learn more and register.
Memory Café. Experience a weekly, virtual social hour for people on the memory loss spectrum and their care partners. This session will be a show and tell of prized possessions. Thursday, April 8, 11 am. Read more.
Trauma and What it Looks Like During COVID-19: Join us for the fourth installment in a yearlong series of monthly events aimed at supporting community mental health. This month, we'll learn about what trauma might look like during the pandemic. Tuesday, April 13, 7 pm. Register.
Medicare Education 101: Have questions about Medicare changes and coverage? Need help with Medicare open enrollment? Join us for a brief overview of Medicare coverage, enrollment basics, and Medicare supplement options. Thursday, April 22, 7 pm. Register.
Evanston Care Network offers a one-stop online portal to a wide variety of social assistance resources. Need help? Visit evanstoncarenetwork.org or call 311 for assistance. English and Spanish-speaking representatives are available.
Free legal information. Half-hour appointments are available, via video chat or phone, on Tuesdays, 12-2 pm and Thursdays, 4-6 pm. Call 847-448-8630 to book an appointment. View all free legal resources.
Technology assistance. View all of our upcoming technology classes. One-on-one help is also available -- to schedule an appointment, please call the Tech Desk at 847-448-8635.
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