March 2009

PIPELINE RELOADED: The children’s theatre production Pipeline Reloaded will be presented at 10am & 1pm Saturday, March 7, in the NPL Community Room. The play will be performed by the Western Illinois Regional Touring Theatre Company, and has been described as similar to Blue Man Group, but without blue faces! That means lots of energy, amazing music, juggling, magic and excitement, interwoven into an inspiring program with themes of friendship, cooperation and teamwork. This FREE family program should last approximately 1 hour. For more information, call the Children’s Department at 454-4668. THANKS to the Friends of Normal Public Library for sponsoring this event!

FAMILY STORY HOURS: Family Story Hours will be offered at 10 a.m. Friday, March 13 & Saturday, March 14 in the Community Room. This FREE family activity is designed for preschoolers accompanied by an adult, and includes stories, songs and a craft activity. There is no registration required for this program. If you are planning to bring a large (more than 10) group of children, please notify Jennifer at the library 2 days in advance so that we can have enough craft supplies on hand. For more information, call 454-4668.

REGISTER FOR SPRING STORY HOUR: Spring Story Hours for ages 3-5 will begin March 31 for five weeks. Registration is required and begins Tuesday, March 17, for Normal residents and Friday, March 20, for residents outside of Normal. The 40-minute structured programs include storytelling, fingerplays, songs, games and crafts. Classes will be offered Tuesdays at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m, and Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 and 11 a.m. For more information, or to register, call 454-4668. Story Hours fill up quickly, so don’t delay!

SING-ALONG MOVIE DAY: Bring your family to NPL on Monday, March 23, to watch a movie and sing along! The featured films are: Enchanted (PG) at 10 a.m., and High School Musical 3 (G) at 2 p.m. Enjoy our big screen in the Community Room, and join us whether you know the words or not! No registration is required for this FREE family program; children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 454-4668.

TUESDAY TALES: Preschoolers and their families are invited to the Children’s Department Book Nook every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. to enjoy stories. No registration is required for this free story time.

For more information about these and other activities,
call the Children’s Department, 454-4668.

Morningstar Investment Research Center
Training Offered

Sign up for a virtual tour of Morningstar Investment Research Center, a service provided by the Normal Public Library to NPL cardholders! You can conveniently access the training session from any location with a phone and Internet connection – at home, the office, or other favorite spots.

On Wednesday, April 29, at 3pm, you will discover how to use this valuable database to search for stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs. Learn how to evaluate retirement and portfolio holdings, and get independent analysis reports, helpful articles and industry commentary to help you make sense of this challenging market.

To register, visit Morningstar Investment Research Center on the NPL web page www.normal-library.org (scroll down, the Morningstar box is on the right side). Go to the ‘Help & Education’ page; you will find a link in the lower right corner under the heading ‘Live Patron Web Training.’ Simply click on it and be sure to mention Normal Public Library with your e-mail.

For more information, call Jeanne Moonan at 452-1757.

Teen Activities at NPL

The Anime/Manga Club will meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 & 17 to watch episodes of anime and discuss manga we have read. All junior & senior high students are welcome, and snacks are provided.

NPL’s Teen Advisory Council will meet at 4 p.m.Thursday, March 12 & 26, in the Community Room. We will discuss Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan on the 12th, and belatedly celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the 26th. All teens in grades 7-12 are welcome, and snacks will be served.

NEW! Game Day for teens will be held at 4-6pm Wednesday, March 11 in the Community Room. Games will include Dance Dance Revolution, Rock Band, and board games.
Contact Kristi at 452-1757 for more information about any of these events.

Movie Matinee for Adults at NPL

NPL’s Movie Matinee series continues this month at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19. This month’s offering is The Shop Around the Corner starring Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart. Alfred and Klara can’t stand each other at work, but unknown to either of them, they have been communicating through the mail and are falling in love! (You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan is a remake of this film) Bring a friend and enjoy the afternoon – free, and snacks provided!

“Swing Into Spring” at NPL

Looking for a friendly face? NPL would like to invite all adults ages 25 through 110 to attend “Swing Into Spring” at 2pm Friday, March 20. A variety of games will be available, including cards, board games, and the popular Nintendo Wii video games! There will also be areas to just sit, relax and enjoy refreshments while chatting with new and old friends. Come and join the fun, and invite a friend to come along! For more information, call Mary Lou at 452-1757.

VITA Tax Assistance Location Change

The VITA tax services will NOT be meeting at the Normal Public Library this year. VITA has consolidated the sites where assistance is available (call VITA at 1-800-829-1040 for further information). The tax assistance sites for 2009 are:

Bloomington Housing Authority (Wood Hill Towers):
Jan.24 - Feb. 28 M, T, W, Th 5:30-8pm and Sat. 9:30-Noon
Mar.1 - Apr. 11 M, W 5:30-8pm and Sat. 9:30-Noon
Normal Senior Center: Jan. 23 - Apr. 10 Fridays 9:30-11:30am & 12:30-2:30pm
Heartland CC Workforce Development Bldg: Jan. 29 - Apr. 9 Thursdays 5-7:30pm
Mid-Central Community Action: Jan. 26 - Apr. 13 Mondays 9am-2pm

Library Patrons Can Park in Deck for FREE!

The public parking deck just east of the Bank of Illinois has opened, which will provide 600+ additional parking spaces for library patrons. Library patrons can park in the deck for free. Vouchers to use in the deck’s payment machines will be given to library patrons whorequest them; you will need to request a voucher each time you visit the library and park in the deck for longer than the first free hour.

Donate Your Used Books

The Friends of NPL are happy to accept donations of used book throughout the year.
Bring them to the library marked ‘for the Friends book sale’. Please DO NOT leave your book donations at the off-site book drops!! All donations for the sale must be brought in to the library. Thanks!