Assistant Library Director Ryan Johnson wrote about upcoming Library events in the recent edition of the O’Fallon Weekly. As part of the celebration of National Poetry Month in April, Ryan said, we will host our first-ever Open Mic Poetry Night, April 19, at 6 PM.
Come recite (or read) your favorite poems, read some that you’ve written or just listen to the poems being read. This event is for adults and teens 14 and up. Click here to sign up beforehand. Ryan’s early announcement gives you plenty of time to write a poem or select one that speaks to you.
Ryan also described the next “save the date” April 14. “Each year, a collaboration of the O’Fallon Township High School Instructional Media Center and the O’Fallon Public Library brings the Distinguished Speaker Series to the O’Fallon community to enrich understanding and encourage dialogue,” he said. This year, Julie Smith—author of Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save Our Plugged-in World and professor at both Southern Illinois (Edwardsville) and Webster Universities— will discuss topics such as fake news and media literacy, Ryan said.
This event will be at the Instructional Media Center (IMC), OTHS Smiley Campus, 600 South Smiley Street, O’Fallon, IL. Register here.
Smith advocates critical thinking in a world exploding with misinformation and “truthiness.” With her expertise in media literacy and her passion for researching how people share information online, Smith helps everyone from educators to parents, grandparents to students make sense of the digital world in which we live today.
Ryan also recommended a new tool on the OFPL website – free Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles practice tests for library patrons. “This resource is dedicated to driver safety and education,” Ryan said. Accessibility tools are available that allow the user to hear sections read aloud, make them into MP3s, translate into other languages, magnify text, and mask portions of the screen for greater visibility. Ryan added, the “Rules of the Road” just got an upgrade!
To locate this site, go to the OFPL homepage and click on eResources, then Research in the drop-down menu.
On the Research Page, scroll down to Self-Paced Learning and click on the plus sign on the right side of the window to open up the menu; then click on Driver Education.
That will take you to:
In other areas, Ryan gives a big thanks to all who came to the recent book sale. He said, “Because of your support and the tremendous work of our Friends of the Library and other volunteers, the weekend sale was a huge success.” If you missed that one, the annual sale is May 10-May 14.
Ryan also reminded parents that the Fun & Furry: Read to a Dog on the first Thursday and the second Tuesday of each month is a great way for young readers to build confidence and self-esteem by practicing reading aloud in a relaxed and judgment-free zone.
Plus, who can resist these cutie-pies?
As always, we give a big shout-out to the O’Fallon Weekly for supporting the Library. You can check out the current or future editions online or on newsstands each Wednesday.
The O'Fallon Public Library News 