Arlington Heights Memorial Library

The library's Summer newsletter is available online! Discover what's happening at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library this summer including upcoming Small Business Coffee & Connect and Pathmakers Meetup events in June and August, Introduction to Reference Solutions on June 24, Fundamentals of Food Businesses on June 19 and more. Read the Summer newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gY-vm8J9 The online edition includes live links to easily register for your favorite programs and services. Plus, register through our online calendar or call 847-392-0100.

The library floated to new heights at this year's annual Fourth of July Parade where we celebrated with countless balloons that brought a giant spider, butterflies, ladybugs and more to life. The balloon creatures elevated the spirits of parade goers as they made their way down the parade route, all coming together to represent this year's summer of reading. Our parade entry also included the library's bookmobile and thousands of Summer Reading paper crown giveaways. The giveaways were made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Special thanks to all of the library staff and volunteers, library board members and members of our community who helped represent the library during the parade and passed out giveaways to parade goers. A big thanks also to the Arlington Heights Frontier Days organizers for another incredible parade day in Arlington Heights!

Our third annual Lit Stroll event took place on Saturday, June 22 and 170 attendees strolled from Mago Grill & Cantina, Hey Nonny - Arlington Heights and Arlington Ale House in downtown Arlington Heights to hear authors Mary Kubica, Nick Medina and Kathleen Rooney speak about their journeys towards becoming published authors, behind the scenes details of their newest novels and more. Throughout the day attendees listened to the authors, enjoyed appetizers and mingled with other literary lovers. The event concluded with a book signing with books available for sale courtesy of The Book Stall. Thank you to all of the authors, local venues and The Book Stall for helping us bring this event to Arlington Heights!

Join us at the Makerplace next week for Pathmakers Meetup! Sharpen your business skills, discover dynamic resources and connect with makers, entrepreneurs and library staff at the Makerplace. Each month, we’ll focus on a different topic so creators in all career fields can explore new opportunities to help your new business or side hustle achieve success. Date and time: Thursday, June 27, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Location: Makerplace, 112 N. Belmont Ave. Register: https://lnkd.in/gVxp__ca

Join us at the library next week to learn all about Reference Solutions. Reference Solutions is an online research tool that offers access to comprehensive business and consumer listings. We'll learn how to use it to get started creating customized lists, conduct market research and locate research companies. Date and time: Monday, June 24, 1-2 p.m. Location: Training Center Register: https://lnkd.in/gZtAfJtj

If you've ever wanted to know what it takes a open a restaurant or start a food truck business, join us on Zoom for Fundamentals of Food Businesses! Kevin McVearry, a restaurant/bar hospitality specialist, has spent 25 years starting and operating restaurants, bars and industry-related events across the country. Join him as he shares how to establish new ventures, including venue selection, conceptual design, construction, budgeting, menu development, promotions, and customer acquisition and retention. Date and time: Wednesday, June 19, 7-8 p.m. Location: Live on Zoom Register: https://lnkd.in/gXVgQYXk

Join us next week for our Small Business Coffee & Connect - drop in to connect with entrepreneurs and other members of your local small business community to share ideas, make connections and get inspired. Date and time: Tuesday, June 11, 9-10:30 a.m. Location: Hendrickson Room Drop in.

Your nonprofit does great work, but what's most important is the impact of that work. Join us for Introduction to Measuring Your Impact and learn the basics of shifting focus from your nonprofit's activities to its outcomes. Date and time: Tuesday, May 28, 1-2:30 p.m. Location: Live on Zoom Register: https://lnkd.in/gAhSfK8R

Thank you to the fifth-grade students from Olive-Mary Stitt Elementary School, Dryden Elementary School and Windsor Elementary School who stopped by the library throughout the past few weeks to become library employees for a day! The students were able to get actual work experience in the library's Circulation department and Kids' World. They learned about checking in books and other items, assisted in the drive-up window, explored the bookmobile and more. This experience was part of World of Work (WOW), a program that gives kids the opportunity to act as employees for a day for local businesses that interest them.

"Blooming with Gratitude" was the theme of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library's annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration and Concert, which honored the library’s more than 500 volunteers who contributed more than 24,400 hours of service in 2023, which was almost a 25% increase from the previous year. "Both behind-the-scenes and customer-facing in almost every library department and the Friends of the Library, your volunteer service helps us cultivate a vibrant place where the community can learn, grow, and thrive," said Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Begich to the large gathering of volunteers on Tuesday, May 7. "And for that, I say 'Thank you.'" Later in the evening, The Four Star Brass Band played music for everyone's enjoyment and 25 volunteers received special recognition for achieving Hours of Service milestones from 500 hours to 11,500 hours. Years of service were also recognized and spanned from three years to 25 years of service. The top honors of the day went to Gwen Adams and Maryann Hernandez. Hernandez was named Newcomer of the Year and Adams was named Volunteer of the Year. Read more about the celebration here: https://lnkd.in/gBBPYUHu