Spring 2021: Programs for Teens & Adults

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May


Virtual Volunteering: Review Bookmarks

Tweens & Teens
Tuesday, May 4–June 30

Help your peers find their next favorite book by reviewing your favorite YA title. Submit a short review of your book and a design of your choosing in a 2"x7" bookmark format and submit it to us. We will format and print your bookmarks and put them on display in our Teen Scene.

1 bookmark earns you 2 hours of community service; 4 hours total earned maximum per person.

More About Review Bookmarks


Felt a Hedgehog!

Adults and Teens
Tuesday, May 4, 6—7 pm
Zoom Meeting (Pick up kit at Library before meeting)

Join fiber artist and educator Natasha Lehrer Lewis as we create an adorable little hedgehog with wool. Using needle felting techniques, we’ll walk you through how to transform wool into a figurine. All supplies are included to create this virtually at home in this fun Zoom workshop.

All registrants will receive the craft and a Zoom link to the tutorial session. You must register in order to receive a craft kit. Registration required to attend program. All kits have been claimed.


Google Drive for Genealogists with Thomas MacEntee

Adults
Tuesday, May 11, 6–7 pm
Zoom Meeting

Learn how to use Google Drive—a free cloud computing application complete with spreadsheets, word processing and more—to your advantage while performing genealogy research. We’ll cover how to create new documents, import documents from your hard drive, and how to use the basic functions of each component. Presented by Thomas MacEntee.


Trivia Night at Beggars Pizza

Adults
Thursday, May 13, 6–8 pm
Beggars Pizza

Looking for something fun to do on a Thursday night? Look no more! Join us for a brain-busting evening at Beggars Pizza in New Lenox (650 Maple Street, New Lenox, IL). Enjoy pizza and drinks and answer questions on a multitude of topics. Play by yourself or as part of a team for prizes! Registration required to attend program.

Masks will be required to enter the restaurant. Mask requirements within the facility are determined by restaurant staff.


Cutting the Cable Cord

Adults
Tuesday, May 18, 6–7 pm
Library Meeting Rooms AB & Zoom Meeting

Amazon, Apple and Netflix offer just a few of the options available for people who are interested in cutting the cable cord. Find out all the best services as well as streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV.

This program will be presented both in person and through Zoom. For those attending through Zoom, a Zoom link will be sent the week of the program. Registration required to attend program. Masks are required to attend programs in the library building.


Virtual Movie Discussion: Mother (Canceled)

Adults
Wednesday, May 19, 6–7 pm
Zoom Meeting

In honor of Asian American Heritage Month, join us for a virtual film discussion of the movie Mother (2010). “A mother desperately tries to overturn her son’s murder conviction, find the killer who set him up, and have him released from prison.” Watch this movie (available through Hoopla) at home, and join us for an informative discussion.


Wellness Wednesday: Restorative Yoga

Adults
Tuesday, May 26 at 10 am
Prerecorded Video on Facebook, NLPL website, & YouTube

Join us for a Wellness Wednesday yoga session on the last Wednesdays of April, May, and June! These sessions will focus on different types of yoga meant to help you live your healthiest life.

Presented by yoga instructor and motivational coach Gina Slager, these programs will allow you the opportunity to work on both your mental and physical well-being.


End of School Tween Trivia

6th–9th Grade
Friday, May 28, 4–5 pm
Zoom Meeting

Let’s celebrate the last day of school with some trivia fun! Start out the summer season right with an hour of brain-bending trivia questions, fun, and prizes! Grab some friends and join as a team or go solo!

A Zoom link will be sent to registrants the week of the program. Prizes must be picked up in-person at the New Lenox Public Library, and all participants must register with a valid library card.

Register for Program


April

Poetry Contest

Poetry Contest Logo

Adults & Teens
Monday, March 15 — Thursday, April 15

Calling all poets: Let’s celebrate National Poetry Month together! The New Lenox Public Library will be hosting a month-long poetry contest to highlight your creativity. Submit a poem on any topic and in a style of your choosing. For more information and to submit your poem, go to 3rd Annual Poetry Contest.


Take & Make Stress Relief Kit

Adults
Tuesday, April 6 – Friday, April 17
Kit Pickup at Library (All Taken)

Stressed? Need a little rest and relaxation? Come by and pick up our April Relaxation Take and Make. There will be instructions and supplies to make your own stress ball. The kits also include a relaxing activity and some treats! All kits have been claimed.


Paying for College Without Going Broke

Adults & Teens
Monday, April 12, 6–7 pm
Zoom Meeting (Live)

Explore the complex world of need-based and merit-based financial aid. Parents and students will learn strategies for lowering their EFC (Expected Family Contribution), and tips for optimizing college admissions and scholarships. Presented by the myCollege Planning Team.


Genealogy Club: Charts and Forms, Who Needs Them?

Adults
Tuesday, April 13, 6–7 pm
Zoom Meeting (Live)

Are your genealogy documents shoved in a box or tossed on your desk? Do you have trouble remembering what you were searching for and what you have already discovered but simply forgot? Please join us as we demonstrate why, when and how to use those genealogy charts and forms in your genealogical research. These organizational tools could help you break through one of your genealogy brick walls! View more Genealogy resources on the Library website.


A Fireside Chat with Author John Sandford

Adults
Wednesday, April 14, 7–8 pm
Zoom Meeting (Live)

New Lenox Library has teamed up with over 70 RAILS libraries to bring you a fantastic virtual program with John Sandford, just in time for his new book, Ocean Prey! Fan-favorite heroes Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces when the killings of three federal officers at sea ignite an investigation into a maritime drug cartel—with deadly consequences.

John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of 29 Prey novels; 4 Kidd novels; 12 Virgil Flowers novels; 3 YA novels coauthored with his wife, Michele Cook; and 3 other books.


Paying for Care with Veteran's Benefits

Adults
Thursday, April 15, 6–7 pm
Zoom Meeting (Live)

Find out if you or your loved one are eligible for the VA Pension with Aid and Attendance in which Wartime Veterans and spouses can receive monthly pension to pay for assisted living care in the home or in an assisted living community.

We also discuss how to protect your life savings and your home from rising healthcare and or nursing care costs! VA Accredited Claims Agent Jerry Schmitt CFP® will present our topic.


Teen Take & Make DIY Sharpie Mug

Teens
Tuesday, April 20–30 or while supplies last
Kit Pickup at Library

Looking for a creative way to show someone how much you love them? These sharpie mugs make great gifts, and Mother's Day is right around the corner. Pick up a sharpie mug-making kit right here at the library. You don't have to be an artist to create somthing unique and special. Be as simple or as ornate as you like. No matter what, you will have fun with this craft! While supplies last.


Earth Day Bingo

Adults & Teens
Tuesday, April 20, 6–7 pm
Zoom Meeting (Live)

Want a chance to win prizes and learn about way to help our planet? Come celebrate Earth Day with us as we play a game of bingo inspired by our awesome planet. Learn ways that you can be sustainable and play for some eco-friendly prizes, including a pair of passes to the Morton Arboretum!


Wellness Wednesdays: Chair Yoga

Teens
Wednesday, April 28, 10 am
Prerecorded Video on Facebook, NLPL website, & YouTube

Join us for a Wellness Wednesday yoga session the last Wednesdays of April, May, and June! These sessions will focus on different types of yoga meant to help you live your healthiest life. Presented by yoga instructor and motivational coach Gina Slager, these programs will allow you the opportunity to work on both your mental and physical well-being. In April, we're focusing on Chair Yoga.


March

Poetry Contest

Adults & Teens
Monday, March 15 — Thursday, April 15

Calling all poets: Let’s celebrate National Poetry Month together! The New Lenox Public Library will be hosting a month-long poetry contest to highlight your creativity. Submit a poem on any topic and in a style of your choosing. For more information and to submit your poem, go to 3rd Annual Poetry Contest.

Nutrition Week

Adults & Teens
Monday, March 22 — Saturday, March 27

March is National Nutrition Month, so our library is cooking up something special! Come by the library, pick up a copy of our “Staff Cookbook” full of healthy recipes, and check our social media throughout the week for nutritional tips and tricks!


Take & Make Seed Starter Kit

Adults
Tuesday, March 2 – Friday, March 5
Kit Pickup at Library

Spring is fast approaching, which means it’s almost gardening season! Stop by the Adult Services desk upstairs and pick up a seed starting kit for your vegetable or herb garden. It’ll be the perfect way to start your garden growing for the season. While supplies last.


Introduction to Hoopla

Adults
Wednesday, March 3 from 6 – 6:45 pm
Zoom Meeting

What is Hoopla? Join us on Zoom for an introduction to Hoopla Digital, the library’s newest digital media service, which lets you borrow movies, TV shows, music, ebooks, audiobooks, and more! This presentation will cover the basics, such as how to search and borrow materials on Hoopla. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the week of the program. Registration required.


Stitch & Make Together

Adults & Teens
Thursday, March 4 from 6 – 8 pm
Zoom Meeting

Do you knit, crochet, or do other crafty handwork? Looking for something social and cozy to do during the winter months? Join other stitchers and fiber artists of all kinds in our Zoom chat. Join our hangout any time between 6 – 8 pm, and see what projects everyone’s working on. Come and go as you need.


Genealogy Club: Internet Archive for the Family Historian with Tina Beaird

Adults
Tuesday, March 9 from 6 – 7 pm
Zoom Meeting

Tina Beaird will be demonstrating how to set up a free account for this non profit library resource. She will also show us several of the vast databases we can use for our genealogical research.


Zoom Trivia Night (Cancelled)

Adults
Thursday, March 11 from 6 – 7 pm
Zoom Meeting

Join us for your favorite bi-monthly program of an evening of trivia on Zoom! Play by yourself or with a team for prizes!

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the week of the program. Registration required.


Stitch & Make Together (Cancelled)

Adults & Teens
Thursday, March 18 from 6 – 8 pm
Zoom Meeting

Do you knit, crochet, or do other crafty handwork? Looking for something social and cozy to do during the winter months? Join other stitchers and fiber artists of all kinds in our Zoom chat. Join our hangout any time between 6 – 8 pm, and see what projects everyone’s working on. Come and go as you need.

A Zoom link will be emailed after you register. Registration required.


Let's Chat About Video Games!

Teens
Thursday, March 18 from 6 – 7 pm
Zoom Meeting

Your Teen Coordinator needs your help! Jump on Zoom and help her navigate the wide world of video games and gaming systems. This will be an informal chat where you can talk about your favorite gaming systems, how to use them, and what kinds of games, consoles, and systems you think the library should purchase. Your input could set us on the path to something amazing!

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the week of the program. Registration required.


By Necessity and By Choice: An Early History of Women in the Workplace

Adults
Tuesday, March 23 from 6 – 7 pm
Zoom Meeting

Women’s labor has always been necessary to maintain daily existence and economic growth.

Presented by actor, lecturer, and visual storyteller, Annette Baldwin, this visual journey will take us through:

  • The 19th Century Industrial Revolution
  • The transition of women from domestic roles to the American workplace
  • Historical and fictional composites highlighting women’s climb to the glass ceiling

This celebration of women in the workplace throughout history is sure to inspire and entertain! A Zoom link will be emailed to you after you register. Registration required.


A Woman’s Place: A Panel of New Lenox Women Business Owners

Adults
Tuesday, March 30 from 6 – 7 pm
Zoom Meeting

Our community is filled with amazing businesses run by amazing people. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we invite our community members to join local women business owners as they discuss:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Personal branding
  • The importance of having women-run businesses
  • Challenges of the pandemic, and more

Join us for this exciting and informative discussion! A Zoom link will be emailed to you after you register. Registration required.