For community events, see the Harvard Happenings web page or
the biweekly Harvard Happenings newssheet.

Announcing Summer Reading Club:
The Read-O-Lympics!

Training has begun at the Harvard Diggins Library Stadium in preparation for opening "games" of the 2008 Summer Reading Club Read-O-Lympics. Medals are being polished, prizes ordered, and events planned to encourage our Harvard young people to participate in the winning game of Reading!

Teachers tell us they can identify the kids who keep up their reading during the summer, because they are able to vault a higher reading bar when they return in the fall. Proficient readers are gold medal winners in life skills.

Again, this year we encourage all Harvard children to "get in the games" for five weeks of reading fun, events, prizes, and treats. Kids meet eligibility requirements simply with a valid Harvard-Diggins Library card. (If you don't have a card, stop by the library—it's easy to get one and is FREE if your residence is within the city limits.)

We are having game days for all ages, a hands-on visit by a couple of snakes, a spooky ghost story evening, animal games, a dinosaur event, a movie, crafting times, our annual library hunt, and more. The Read-O-Lympics close in July with a family pool party the the Harvard Pool with treats and some more prizes.

We light our Read-O-Lympics torch at the Opening Ceremonies on June 16.

Sign-up begins on June 16, and you can come in any time after that date as well. We are preparing the Read-O-Lympics Stadium at the library, so if you have any questions, just give us a call at 815-943-4671. We look forward to cheering all our Gold Medal Readers on.

Roots of Illinois: Rural Music

The Harvard Diggins Library Enrichment Committee presents another Illinois Humanities Program that focuses on Illinois history—its music. Singer-songwriter Chris Vallillo, from Macomb, has been entertaining audiences with music that portrays the joys and sorrows, and ups and downs, of Midwestern life for over 25 years. Chris was the former host and co-producer of the nationally syndicated Rural Route 3 public radio program. Illinois is unique among all the states in that its access to the major waterways of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois Rivers, as well as the Great Lakes, made it a virtual crossroads of peoples, cultures, and ideas. As railroads surpassed the rivers as means of transportation, Illinois would become the central hub for the nation's rails. This mingling of people produced a rich body of roots music which paints a colorful portrait of our heritage and gives detailed insight into the people and times that forged the state we have become. From the songs of the first pioneers through the era of steamboats, trains, and early radio, award winning folksinger and music collector Vallillo brings this rich heritage to life in a lively performance and discussion of the roots music of rural Illinois and its impact on our lives today. Join us the evening of Thursday, June 19 at 7:00 pm. Admission is free of charge.

NewsBank now Available

The library is pleased to make the full text of articles from the Northwest Herald available to users at home as well as inside the library building. Just click on the logo at the top of this paragraph for access. If you are connecting from home, you will need to have your library card number available. In addition to the Herald, the Newsbank database includes access to major US news magazines. It's easy to use, so give it a try.

New Downloadable Audiobooks

You can now download selected audiobooks from the library's collection and play them back on your own portable audio player. You must have a player that plays audio in Windows Media Player format and is compliant with the Windows digital rights license format, and you need Windows Media Player version 9 or higher and a high speed internet connection in order to download the files. You also need a NetLibrary account, which you can set up when visiting the library. Once the account is set up, it may be used from anywhere in the world as long as an internet connection is available. To check out the available titles or for more information, go to the NetLibrary Audiobook Center online pages, or ask at the desk the next time you are in the library.

Online Genealogy Resources Added

The library is pleased to announce the availability of Heritage Quest Online to all users who visit the library in person. If you have a valid Harvard Diggins library card, you may also use the Heritage Quest databases from your home computer and internet browser. Heritage Quest includes US census data for 1790 through 1930 (some years and areas are still being added,) a collection of family histories, Revolutionary War records, and the noted PERSI index to genealogical information in periodicals. Just use the underlined link at the beginning of this paragraph, or visit our Genealogical Resources page.

For Laptop and Notebook Computer Users

If you use a portable computer that has 10Base-T (10MHz twisted pair) Ethernet capabilities, you can now take advantage of the library's broadband connection. Your computer must be set up to accept address assignment via DHCP. Power and RJ45 outlets are available, and if you need a cable, you can check one out from the desk. Connections are firewalled but not filtered, and there is presently no time limit on use. Please note that library staff cannot help you to configure or operate your computer or software.

Harvard Happenings

The library has launched the Harvard Happenings. This new community calendar newsletter will appear on paper every second week at various locations in Harvard, as well as being available on the web. This project is funded by a federal LSTA grant for library community services. Deadlines and publication dates appear on the library's event calendar page.

E. A. Burbank, Son of Harvard

Elbridge Ayer Burbank (1858-1949) was born in Harvard, son of Abner and Anna Burbank. He studied at the Academy of Design in Chicago (now known as the School of the Art Institute) and lived in various locations before his 1898 portrait of Geronimo established him as primarily a portrait artist specializing in native American subjects. He went on to paint and sketch many famous and lesser-known native Americans, as well as other scenes and subjects of the American West. Harvard-Diggins Library is pleased to host a major web site on Burbank, created by local resident Mark Sadler. The library has now mounted a permanent display of works by this artist. Inquire at the desk for an opportunity to view them.

New at the Library: Digital Audiobooks

The library now offers digital audiobooks (called 'E-Audio' in the online catalog) for regular three week loans. These books sound just like the familiar audiobooks on compact disc or cassette, but they are played back with a small device (shown at left) that is preloaded by library staff. This experimental project is funded in part by a federal grant, and now has six  loanable players and a selection of about 150 book titles. If you are interested in trying the digital audio, ask for details at the Circulation desk or read more here (Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view. You can download it here free of charge.) Try an author search for "Audible Inc." in the online catalog to see the complete title list.

 Thank You for Visiting us and, again, Welcome!

Harvard Diggins Library 

900 East McKinley Street

Harvard, IL 60033