Did You Know . . . ?

April 1, 2016

You are no doubt aware that the Evanston Public Library contains a vast wealth of materials, the like of which may astound with its breadth.  Why there are 485,000 print items in our collection alone.  And because we are so very large and impressive, there are whole swaths of the collection you could easily never […]


Evanston Literary Salon: Ethics in Non-Fiction for Kids

March 29, 2016

Folks, if you missed this past Saturday’s Literary Salon on the highly charged topic of ethics in nonfiction for children, you are in luck.  Panelists Barbara Rosenstock, Sally M. Walker, Candace Fleming, and Judith Fradin were amazing, and unafraid to tackle some of the thorniest topics surrounding the field today.  The whole thing was captured […]


American Crime Story: O.J. and the Literary Aftermath

March 25, 2016

I was weeding the fiction the other day and I was in the “D” section.  Nothing much to report there.  A lot of authors that used to be hot but that aren’t really read much anymore.  And as I was looking through the books, I pulled out one with a familiar name attached.  “Christopher Darden”. […]


From the Lost and Found Files: The Case of the Mosaic Mermaid

March 23, 2016

Assistant Circulation Manager Kimberly Hegelund is a Library Detective.  Not in the official sense, mind you.  She doesn’t put on a badge and a deerstalker cap when she does her work.  She does, however, do some amazing detection that would floor Sherlock Holmes himself.  After hearing about some of her latest adventures I persuaded her to […]


Ethics in Nonfiction for Kids

March 22, 2016

You know what the kids today are into?  Ethics.  Specifically, ethics in nonfiction.  Could anything be more fun?  Actually, no.  At least, not the way I play it. As you may know I’ve started a Literary Salon series here in Evanston, IL that focuses primarily on the creation of literature for children and teens.  And as […]


Hamilton is Coming! Be Prepared! Read!

March 16, 2016

How much Hamil do we need in the Chicago area? A Hamil-TON! Bad joke, bad joke.  You’ll forgive me.  I get a little excited sometimes.  And now we know that the musical Hamilton is slated to arrive in Chicago in September.  Of course, if you’re a fan now then you’re going to need something to read while […]


This Just In (Circa 1933)

March 14, 2016

Last week a patron sent us the following postcard last week. Note the 1933 date stamp: According to Assistant Library Director Paul Gottschalk, “In the 1900’s, EPL had several branches in public schools throughout Evanston.” The more you know!


Remembering the Negro Leagues

March 9, 2016

The other day I was looking at the city’s website and ran across this fascinating article: Former Negro League Player Ray Knox Receives Key to the City. Turns out, we’ve had an honest-to-goodness Negro League baseball player here in Evanston for decades and yet only a few of us knew about him.  As the piece […]


Need a Book Recommendation? Meet the Answer to Your Prayers

March 7, 2016

This is really cool. Folks, the fact of the matter is that getting good book recommendations can sometimes be a bit tricky.  Now imagine, if you will, that there was a service out there where you could select the kinds of books or authors or genres you like and then you get personalized recommendations emailed to […]


On Beyond the Devil in the White City

March 4, 2016

“If you’ve ever been trapped in a refrigerator only to have the door flung open just before you black out, you have some sense of what Chicago spring feels like.” – Contrary Motion by Andy Mozina Happy Chicago Incorporation Day! Yes, on this date in history (March 4, 1837) Chicago was officially incorporated as a […]


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