Rate, Review, Comment

Would you like to share your opinions about items in our collection? Our catalog has interactive features designed to make it easy for you to do that. Here's how:

To rate an item, login to the catalog with your card number and password.  Search for the title you wish to rate. Below the title you will see a row of five stars. Click on the star that represents your rating – one for poor, three for so-so, five for excellent – you get the idea. The catalog will average all the ratings given to an item. To view or change your ratings, go to My Account and click the My Ratings button.



To the right of the stars are links you can use to review the item, comment on it or add a tag you think will make the item easier for others to find.

Holds on Shelf

We're closing out 2011 with a question raised in our recent patron survey: Why do I sometimes find items on the shelf that I have placed holds on?

Our shelvers print lists of holds and pull the items from the shelves early in the morning every day, and also early in the afternoon Monday through Friday. If you place a hold online in the afternoon or evening, the item will not appear on a list to be pulled off the shelf for you until the next morning.

If you want to have an item pulled for you right away, please call (847-362-2330) and ask to speak to a Reference Librarian. Be sure to mention where you want to pick the item up. If it has to be transferred from one of our buildings to the other, it will go into the next delivery. You will be notified when the item has arrived and is ready to be picked up.

E-book Questions

This week “Ear” heard from Don, who asked, "Is the library pursuing ways to increase the selection of e-books, and perhaps a better way to download?  If not, can you?" This is a timely question, since many patrons will be receiving e-readers as gifts very soon.

Readers’ Advisor Susie Pasini is Cook Memorial’s point person for e-book borrowing. Her contact information is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 847-362-2330 x1144. Contact her to request that a specific title or series be added to our e-book collection, or to arrange for a phone or in-person appointment to discuss e-book or e-audiobook downloading. Here’s Susie’s answer to Don’s question:

“Thanks, Don, for this great question! We are glad you have discovered the library’s downloadable collection at www.MyMediaMall.net, supplied by OverDrive. MyMediaMall is the name of the consortium we belong to with about 60 other Illinois libraries, which means that most of the titles in that collection, as well as new ones added monthly, are shared with all those libraries. This is one of the reasons that many of the titles you are looking for are checked out (when using this service, you are actually checking out a license to read the title file).

One way Cook Memorial Public Library is now making more e-books available to our patrons is by becoming “Advantage” members with a dedicated budget. That means that we are purchasing copies of e-books and e-audiobooks within MyMediaMall that are available only to our own library card holders. It is important to always sign in first when using the service, so that you will see all the titles available to you. More Advantage titles are added to the collection every month.

Some publishers put restrictions on how libraries can circulate their e-books and some, i.e. Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, won’t allow libraries to do so at all. These restrictions, along with budget, limit the number of titles we can purchase. Nonetheless, this nascent part of the e-book industry continues to improve and we are paying close attention to developments.

Downloading e-books to various compatible devices is a challenge for patrons and for library staff. Each publisher has its own negotiations about how e-books can be borrowed by library patrons, and that is why it is so much more complex than when you are buying your own e-books. The library profession en masse has communicated its point of view to both the vendor, OverDrive, and the publishing industry. That point of view is that there should be an easier and more standard procedure for downloading library circulating e-books and e-audiobooks.

While we have no control over the procedures for downloading, what we can do is continue to provide training in downloading e-books and e-audiobooks.  Two sessions of our popular program, iPads and Kindles and Nooks, Oh My! are scheduled for January. Bring your device and we will get you up to speed. Register for the 7 pm January 10th session at Aspen Drive, or the 2 pm January 13th session at Cook Park. Also, you can email or call ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 847-362-2330 x1144) for a personal appointment to learn how to use the MyMediaMall service or to troubleshoot problems.”

Afternoon Noise at Aspen Drive Library

This week's question was submitted by a patron who asked what is being done about noise at our Aspen Drive location during after school hours. Here's the answer from Aspen Drive Library Manager Dave Archer:

Aspen Drive Library staff are dedicated to making the library a welcoming place and providing quality service to everyone in the community.  The Library’s close proximity to Hawthorn Schools makes it an attractive destination for students on weekday afternoons between 2 and 5pm.  Patrons who use the library during these hours know the building is bustling with activity!

Students who visit the library are expected to be respectful of other patrons and library staff and follow behavior expectations we set in our Use of the Library Policy.  Students who misuse the library may be asked to leave, with repeat instances of disruptive behavior resulting in loss of library privileges for a specific amount of time.  Talking in the library is not prohibited, but conversations should be kept at a reasonable level. We have a security monitor on duty during after school hours to assist our staff in enforcing these rules. Please help us keep the library a welcoming place for all by reporting problem behavior to a security monitor, librarian or manager.  

Students in grades 6-12 are encouraged to check out our ‘Homework Café’ on Monday and Wednesday afternoons in the Aspen Drive meeting room. Students can lounge and study, and grab a healthy snack in a relaxed atmosphere.   

Adults seeking a quiet area (no talking) during the post-school afternoon hours are encouraged to use the Reading Room or book a study room (which can be booked up to a week in advance).  When not scheduled for a library program, the Aspen meeting room is open for adult quiet study.  To view upcoming quiet study sessions in the meeting room, please consult Aspen’s Calendar of events.