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Sat., July 22, from 1–4 pm | EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY and wonder of live butterflies! You’ll get to step inside an indoor butterfly tent and take time to observe butterflies flying, eating, and more. |
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Travel with Virtual Reality: Space & Astronomy |
Mon., July 10, at 6:30 pm | EXPLORE THE COSMOS and try out virtual reality gear at Travel with Virtual Reality, as part of our Specialty Tech Workshops series. Presented by Erik Johnson, director of the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College. Reserve your spot »
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BEE CREATIVE! SUMMER SERIES |
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Live Music for Kids—and More! |
ENJOY FUN ACTIVITIES, performances, and celebrations at our Bee Creative! Summer Series—including Live Music for Kids (July 1 & 8) and Bee a Pollinator! with experts from the University of Illinois Pollinatarium (July 25 at Douglass Branch). |
Bee Creative! Summer Series
7/1 · Sarah Jane Layne | Live Music for Kids, 3 pm
7/8 · Little Miss Ann | Live Music for Kids, 3 pm
7/15 · Comedy Juggler Troy Roark, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm
7/22 · Bedazzling Butterfly Tents, 1–4 pm
7/25 · Bee a Pollinator!, 3 pm · Douglass Branch
7/29 · Puppet Show! The Magic of Elsenpeter Marionettes, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm
8/13 · Bee Creative! Summer Reading Finale, 12–3 pm |
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1,000+ Celebrated Juneteenth Together in Douglass Park |
THANK YOU to the 1,000+ community members who made our 16th annual Juneteenth Emancipation Day Celebration such a success! And a special appreciation to everyone who came together in support of this event—including 33 dancers, musicians, and poets, 50 volunteers, 60+ vendors, and all our generous sponsors! We gave out 537 books to help build home libraries and were thrilled to share free food and free icy treats with all. Presented in partnership with Champaign Park District. See photos from Juneteenth on the library’s Facebook page »
Above: Noah I. Brown performs “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Below: Volunteers and families enjoyed the day! |
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HAVE YOU HEARD? The library is expanding! The Studio Expansion Project encompasses an 8,000 sq. ft. space on the lower level. The design includes a makerspace with creative tools like 3D printers, sewing machines, Cricut machines, and a Glowforge—in addition to a computer lab, gaming area, and recording studios outfitted with a green screen. This innovative area will be utilized for library programs, including hosting teens after school, and is scheduled for completion later this summer. Sketches and project updates » |
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Tuesdays at Ten: Treasures of Spurlock Museum |
STOP BY TUESDAYS AT TEN for coffee, socializing, and a chance to learn something new from Spurlock Museum of World Cultures Director Elizabeth Sutton (July 11 & 18 at 10 am). The museum’s collection includes 44,000 items but only 3 to 4% are on display. She will be bringing artifacts that are rarely seen—you’ll be able to view them up close and even have a chance to touch some.
>> View the Spurlock Museum Artifact Collection
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Bee Creative! Summer Reading Challenge for All Ages |
YOU CAN JOIN 2,963 community members and read together this summer with the all-ages Bee Creative! Summer Reading Challenge. We’ve already given out 1,255 prize books to kids and teens! In addition to books, prizes include rainbow pencils for kids, plus pool passes, restaurant coupons, and a cool tumbler for teens. Adult readers can win grand prize gift baskets (up to $350 value)—with creativity, a night out, and technology themes plus swag from local businesses. Sign up! » |
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LIKE TO WRITE? Hone your skills and connect with other area writers at one of our summer workshops.
Writer’s Workshops, Wednesdays, 7 pm »
7/5 · Writers Lounge
7/19 · Developing Your Writing Style – Ted Sanders
8/16 · Solving Your Story Problems – Ekta Garg
8/30 · How to Write a Novel – Molly MacRae |
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TECH QUESTIONS? This month’s Getting Started with Tech series (Tuesdays at 2 pm) includes hands-on workshops introducing Chromebooks, iPhones and iPads, plus Android phones and tablets. Our evening Tech Workshop on July 17 is designed to help you get started with digital file organization. Sign up online or give us a call at 217/403-2000. We are happy to help! |
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Job Seekers & Entrepreneurs |
LOOKING FOR A JOB or launching a business? We can help! Shannon McFarland will share her expertise in communications and content strategy, as part of the Telling Your Story summer series (July 6 & 20, Aug 3). This month’s presenters also include Scott Clanin of Clanin Marketing (July 11 & 25) and Tristan Brown of Justine PETERSEN (July 25).
Career Workshops »
7/11 · Career & Job Help | Drop-in Hours, 11 am–1 pm
7/20 · Cover Letter Basics, 7 pm
Business Workshops »
7/6 · Telling Your Story | Design & Create, 12 pm
7/11 · VIRTUAL: Selling Products on Facebook & Instagram, 2 pm
7/20 · Telling Your Story | Branding & Positioning Power, 12 pm
7/25 · VIRTUAL: Email Marketing Essentials, 10 am
7/25 · Access to Capital for Small Businesses & Startups, 7 pm
• Thursdays: Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Office Hours with SBDC Director Madeleine Wolske in Launch Business Center. Drop in 12–3 pm |
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FriendShop Bookstore Sales |
DURING JULY, get a Free Book coupon with any purchase at the FriendShop Bookstore. This friendly shop is open to everyone and includes more than 20,000 used books, movies, and audiobooks. Most items are $2 or less. And the best part? All the money you spend goes right back to the library. Open Wednesday through Saturday, from 12–3 pm.
• July 12-15 · Half-Price Sale for Members
• July 26-29 · Tag Bag Sale, take home a bag of books for just $1
Want to help? Library Friends memberships start at $10. We also need help during shop hours. Volunteer » |
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CONGRATULATIONS to these young readers who stopped by recently to pick up their Summer Reading prizes—and to check out *more* books! |
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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR ALL AGES
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Comedy Juggler Troy Roark
Sat., July 15
Three shows:
11 am + 1 pm + 3 pm
Get ready to laugh and be amazed by this entertaining juggling, magic, and comedy show! |
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Coffee and a Craft: T-Shirt Bag
Thu., July 13, at 2 pm
Douglass Branch |
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Friday Night Jam Session
Fri., July 28, at 6 pm
Douglass Branch
Sign up to perform »
For adults & teens |
Project READ Tutoring
Fridays, drop in 9:30–11:30 am |
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Gale Courses Start Monthly |
NEW SESSIONS start each month for 375 online Gale Courses. Learn how to write your life story, get started with game design, or find out the secrets to better photography—there’s something for everyone. Sessions run six weeks and are taught by college instructors. Gale Courses start July 12, Aug 16, & Sep 13 » |
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FOR TEENS
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LIKE CRAFTING? So do we! Stop by Tuesday afternoons from 1–4 pm. We provide the supplies, so all you need to do is drop in! Meets in the Robeson Pavilion. |
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DIY Kids
Wednesdays at 3 pm
Douglass Branch
7/5 · Plastic Cup Stacking
7/12 · Tech Toys
7/19 · Pool Noodle Structures
7/26 · Extreme STEAM |
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Bee a Pollinator!
Tue., July 25, at 3 pm
Douglass Branch |
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Make & Take for Preschoolers
Thursdays, 10 am |
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Mother Goose on the Loose Storytime
For infants to age 6. Meets at 11:15 am:
7/26 · Main Library
7/31 · Douglass Branch |
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WHAT’S NEW? New Releases hit the shelves on Tuesday morning. Reserve your copy or give us a call at 217/403-2000. We’ll let you know when your hold items are ready for pickup! |
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LIBRARY CLOSED
Both locations will be closed on Tuesday, July 4. Book returns are always open.
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