June 11, 2020
We received the following message from a patron last week: “I think it would be great to include books for young children on your list of anti-racist offerings. Board books, picture books, etc. that showcase diversity and peace. Prejudice is instilled at such a young age, so a list of great books to buy and […]
June 5, 2020
Hooray! Pride Month is back and here at the library our staffers have been working overtime to scout out the best books, shows, films, you name it with a connection to the issues most affecting LGBTQIA+ America today. Need something you access from home? Then consider this all-digital list our perfect gift to you. Digital […]
June 1, 2020
For patrons searching for books on race and justice, our librarians have brought together a wide range of social justice resources that we hope you’ll find helpful in these uncertain times. Whether you’re discussing current events unfolding with your children, your teens, one another, or you’re merely learning for yourself (and we are always learning […]
November 25, 2019
I don’t like to brag, but honestly if you want to find THE best recommended list of books for kids, you needn’t look any further than Evanston Public Library. Oh, Chicago has their list, and New York’s is fine, but I daresay you will never find the level of love and dedication as is evident […]
October 23, 2019
If you were to visit the city of Austin, TX sometime between the months of March and October, you would be privy to a rather remarkable sight. Every evening, roundabout twenty minutes before sundown, 1.5 MILLION bats will emerge from beneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. That’s a lot of bats. It’s also […]
September 25, 2019
Publishing runs in cycles, and libraries consciously and unconsciously follow those cycles. Because April is considered National Poetry Month, there is a temptation to just read all the poetry you like then, and forget about it for the rest of the year. Happily, that is not how Evanston operates. But while ours is a poetry […]
July 18, 2019
You may have seen the recent announcement surrounding the latest live action Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. In a surprisingly refreshing move, the studio cast Halle Bailey, an African-American actress, as the new Ariel. The response was universally supportive. Yeah. I wish. No, as you might expect, the racists came out of the woodwork in droves […]
July 2, 2019
Sure, it’s fun to look at what your fellow Evanstonians are checking out of the library these days. But there’s a certain fascination that comes with seeing what they won’t touch with a ten-foot-pole. Case in point, books about music. It’s not that Evanston doesn’t like music. It’s just that folks here in town would […]
April 10, 2019
When I tell folks what I do at the library they will, on occasion, get a small gleam in their eyes. “You must know what everyone in town likes to read then!” And the only answer I have to that is an apologetic, “Sorta?” The fact of the matter is that while I do have […]
December 19, 2018
Afrofuturism (def): “a movement in literature, music, art, etc., featuring futuristic or science fiction themes which incorporate elements of black history and culture.” Originating in the mid to late 1990s, Afrofuturism takes particular care to explore the intersection of African/African Diaspora culture with technology. And if you’re only learning about it now, you have one movie […]
