Occasionally, we like to check in and see what our patrons are learning about with their free access to Lynda.com. For the month of May, we noticed an emphasis on photography and graphic design. Must be gearing up for those vacation pics and summer video projects! These were the top 10 courses viewed in May.…
Welcome back to what is possibly the most disaster-filled entry in my series on the history of Mundelein! At the end of my last entry, Mundelein was on top of the world: with miles of newly paved roads, the addition of another railroad line running through the town, and Samuel Insull himself giving the dedication…
Jenny, our local history librarian returns to the podcast to talk about Libertyville's 19th century claim to fame- the best spring water in the nation! Jenny shares her research on Libertyville icon Frederick Grabbe, the German immigrant, Civil War hero, and beekeeper who founded the Abana Spring Water company. Read Jenny's blog post Frederick Grabbe…
This is a beautiful story of an Irish Catholic family over two generations; of love, secrets, and reconciliation; of what it means to be a family, and what it takes to remain one. Its plot is deceptively simple: Nora Rafferty’s son Patrick has died in a drunk-driving accident. In her grief, Nora calls her long-estranged…
Have you heard people talking about their membership in the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) or the Mayflower Society and wondered what it was all about? These are just two examples of lineage societies which are an important part of the genealogy world. According to the Lineage Society of America, "A lineage society is…
In this episode of our podcast we meet Becky, one of our library's Bookies, a librarian who you can ask for a book, movie or music recommendation. You can find Becky and all our other Bookies at our library's website. Recommendations in this episode: Movies Hunt for the Wilderpeople I,Anna The Dinner Books The Defense by…
The 3rd annual Lake County History Symposium, held at the Adlai E. Stevenson Home on April 30, focused on Immigrant Stories. Attendees heard about Polish Pioneers in Illinois, the experiences of a select group of families from the “Irish Hills” of Newport Township and the origins of the Lake County’s numerous Irish place names, and the William…
If you're having trouble finding a marriage record for your ancestors, take note of a term called "Gretna Green," which could help you expand your search and finally break through that brick wall. The Old Blacksmith Shop, Gretna Green, Scotland The term "Gretna Green" comes from the name of a town that was close to…
In Elizabeth Strout’s slim best-selling novel My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016), readers were introduced to Lucy and her mother as they tentatively and tenderly reconnected after years of estrangement. In Strout’s newest book, Anything Is Possible (2017) which is a companion book to My Name Is Lucy Barton, the reader takes a stroll through the…
A new month means a new set of miscellany from around the web. See below for a great gardening resource, a podcast and an author profile. Gardening Guidance Spring is here and gardening is on my mind. That's a first for me as this year is the first time I've had a place in which to…
