Your Library Card: Get it. Bring it. Use it.

If you've seen our site this month, you probably noticed that September is National Library Card Month. It's a chance to libraries to promote the value that libraries offer to people. Think about it. Signing up for a little 3.5" by 2" plastic card makes thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, and online content available to you for free!

Get It

Obviously if you want to take advantage of the library, you need to get a library card. Traditionally residents of incorporated Des Plaines could come to the library and sign up for one. This month we just launched a new online library card application. The application takes you through the process of determining your eligibility and submitting your application.

If you aren't sure if you are eligible for a card, checkout the map of Des Plaines on the application. If live inside the blue area on the map, you are eligible for a card. You can search for your address and a marker will appear on the map showing where you live. Still confused? Just call the library at 847-376-2788 to confirm your eligibility.

After you complete the application, we will have your card ready in 3 days. Bring a valid ID and proof of address with you to pick it up. Remember that a child's parent or guardian must accompany him or her to pick up a card.

Bring it, Use It

Now that you have your card, don't forget to bring it with you and use it. Here's just some of the things you can get with your card:

• Unlimited access to more than 362,669 books, audiobooks, DVDs & CDs
• Free access to Mango Languages &ndash learn more than 39 foreign languages online
• Free eMusic downloads from the Sony Music Catalog
• Free eBook downloads and eReaders available for check out
• Free access to ReferenceUSA, Consumer Reports, Morning Star, Ancestry.com, World Book Encyclopedia and over 100 other online reference resources
• Live online homework help from expert tutors for 3rd grade and older

Enjoy your library card!

Uncutting Star Wars

So, you think you've seen Star Wars, right? Well, get ready for the Emmy winning "Uncut" version of the film, remade in a series of 15 seconds clips by devoted fans around the world. Come to the library on September 22nd at 6:30 p.m. and experience Star Wars like you've never experienced it before.

Casey Pugh led the project, allowing hundreds of fans to claim clips from the. Once claimed, the clip had to be completed in 30 days then uploaded to the Star Wars Uncut website. An editor came along and pieced the pieces together, mixed in the sound track, and unleashed this wonderful creation on the world.

The idea of remaking Star Wars isn't new. In fact, Star Wars Uncut is the culmination of years of Star Wars inspired fan films. A quick search on Youtube for "star wars fan film" returns over 16,000 results! There is an annual contest and award for the best fan films. Whether made with live action, stop motion, starring people, or featuring Lego figures, these films are a testament to how deeply embedded these movies are in the popular imagination.

Now, you might be asking yourself, "Is this legal?" In this case, Lucasfilm worked with Pugh to support the project. But the larger question of remaking and reusing culture is a complicated one. People like Lawrence Lessig write and speak about the importance of allowing fair use and remixing in culture.

Star Wars Uncut speaks powerfully to the idea that wonderful things happen when people remake things. Why don't you come to the library on the September 22nd and see for yourself?