Library Press Display: Bringing the World's News to You

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Are you interested in getting news from other countries or cities across the U.S.? Or looking for foreign perspectives on American issues or to improve your language skills? If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then you'll love Library Press Display.

Library Press Display is a great resource for current newspapers from Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as Chicago and other cities in the U.S.. The collection includes 1,200 titles in 48 languages with a 60-day backfile.

You can choose to have articles read to you or translated. All newspapers come to you in their original format, in full color with photos and pages you can turn or enlarge. Classified ads and advertisements are included.

The 3rd floor kiosk for accessing Library Press Display

You can access Library Press Display from home with a DPPL library card or in the library at our dedicated press display terminal on the 3rd floor near the current newspapers. It is also available from any public access computer in the library. It’s like having the actual newspaper in your hands.

Can I access this resource from home?

Yes, you can!

With a valid Des Plaines Public Library, the link above will take you right to the online resource.

Don't have a library card? Stop by sometime and get one. Any Des Plaines resident can apply.

National Poetry Month

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It's April and that means that it's National Poetry Month, which offers a good excuse to read and share poems that we enjoy. One of my favorite poems is "Frost at Midnight" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Coleridge is best known as one half of the dynamic duo that wrote Lyrical Ballads, published in 1798, that kicked off the Romantic movement (in England at least). "Frost at Midnight" is often referred to as a "conversational poem." And, by 19th century standards, it's very talky.

In the poem, the speaker (ie Coleridge) is sitting alone at midnight. Everyone is asleep and he's holding a baby in his arms.

The inmates of my cottage, all at rest,
Have left me to that solitude, which suits
Abstruser musings: save that at my side
My cradled infant slumbers peacefully.

This is a very quiet and reflective poem. Coleridge is trying to capture a mood and his passing thoughts in this moment. The speaker reflects on his past, but also has high hopes for his child's future.

My babe so beautiful! it thrills my heart
With tender gladness, thus to look at thee,
And think that thou shalt learn far other lore,
And in far other scenes!

I appreciate how personal and intimate the poem is. We experience someone working through their fears and concerns. The poem doesn't just offer up canned wisdom or pithy statements. When poetry is good, this is what it does best--makes us think and reflect both on the poem, but also on ourselves.

What does good poetry do, in your opinion? I'd love to know!

Don't forget about the...


Poetry Scavenger Hunt

Bring your kids to the second floor and take part in the Poetry Scavenger Hunt. Find the poems and win prizes!

Air Books: The Future of Reading

Once in a while a product comes along that makes your jaw drop in wonder. We are very excited to share such a product with you, our library users. Starting this April, anyone with a valid Des Plaines Public Library card can enjoy the future of reading...Air Books.

Air Books is an exciting product and a revolutionary idea. "They've managed to make the reading experience seem effortless, even magical," Roberta Johnson, the library's acting assistant director explained. "When I saw the product demoed at a conference, I knew that we needed it for our patrons."

So what makes Air Books so magical and new? Air Books delivers a rich, complete reading experience without the weight and bulk of a physical item. "We really went back to drawing board when we set out to create Air Books," according to Bernie Etherton, Air Books' founder and inventor. "The first thing we thought was, 'What if you could get rid of the book, the file, and just read.'"

And that's what Air Books offers. You'll experience a seamless, weightless reading experience, no matter where you are, without the hassle of paper and screens. So, in the coming weeks and months, you will begin to see more and more Air Books in the library. Who knows maybe the library of the future will look like this: