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  • Online events bring authors to library, living rooms

    Karen Keefe|Updated Jan 26, 2022

    A sure sign of success is when your brand becomes a verb. Whether it's Xeroxing a form, Ubering to a meeting or Googling an answer, some services become synonymous with how they are used. The video platform Zoom is one of the latest companies to earn its place in this lexicon. As we've searched for new ways to engage, entertain, and inform community members over the past two years, the Hinsdale Public Library has invited you to Zoom storytimes, tech and travel programs, and au...

  • Many visits for many reasons to library this season

    Stacia Miksys|Updated Dec 22, 2021

    For many of us, winter is a season of welcome. We welcome each other home, we welcome family and guests, and we greet a new year. It's always fun to share the season with everyone in the community. As a regular stop for many Hinsdaleans and their guests, we get to meet visiting grandparents, as children are so excited to share their favorite books and toys in the library. Young adults returning from college wander back in, ready to relax and check out some books they get to se...

  • Hinsdale Assembly culminates year of service

    Alexis Braden|Updated Dec 8, 2021

    Members of the Hinsdale Assembly Class of 2021 soon will be returning home from college to celebrate a year's worth of community service and fundraising for the Hinsdale Hospital Foundation at the organization's annual Assembly Ball. Despite having to cancel its annual St. Thomas Hospice Carnival due to COVID restrictions, this year's class, consisting of 26 debutantes and 24 honor guard, spent their senior year of high school giving back. Service projects included volunteerin...

  • Six healthy eating strategies for the holidays

    Courtney Southwood|Updated Dec 1, 2021

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 1 in 2 U.S. adults have prediabetes (take a minute to check if you're at risk) or Type 2 diabetes. Now we're all about to enter that annual carb carnival of cookies, cakes, casseroles and eggnog - the holiday season. This can be a challenging time of year if you have diabetes or prediabetes or are just trying to eat healthy. At home, at the office, at family gatherings, our heads are going to be dancing with...

  • Rescuing Josh a challenging task

    Lisa Seplak|Updated Dec 1, 2021

    I think we surprised ourselves when we got another dog right away. Cody had been gone only one week when I started looking at Siberian husky rescue sites. "Only for fun," I promised my husband. But the empty backyard and quiet house were too much. I couldn't sleep, so I'd wander the house at night, looking for my dog that I hoped maybe, just maybe, I'd find asleep on the living room couch. We had a small plaque in our kitchen that my son bought in Texas. It read, "A house is...

  • Library helps parents, kids cook up holiday memories

    Jennifer Susina|Updated Nov 23, 2021

    As the holiday season arrives, so do my childhood memories of baking in my family’s kitchen. Spending those moments together was always so exciting. I especially remember how important I felt when I got to help — following directions, measuring ingredients, testing new recipes and eating the results! As an adult, I love spending this time with my 8-year-old niece as she blossoms into quite the baker. These special experiences can happen in the kitchen or somewhere else, and we hope the library will be a place you find ins...

  • Tips for being the adult teens turn to with questions

    Lance Williams|Updated Nov 17, 2021

    One of the most common pieces of advice that is given to parents, guardians, teachers, grandparents and others alike is to be an "askable adult." Quite simply: An askable adult is one young people see as approachable and they feel comfortable asking any question. When kids are young, the "askable adult" role is easy! "Why is the sky blue?" "Why do people wear glasses?" "Why are apples red?" OK, so maybe the questions aren't easy, but they certainly are easier than the topics...

  • Holiday Ball returns to The Community House

    Alexis Braden|Updated Nov 10, 2021

    While it seems like the lights have always been on at Hinsdale's community mainstay, the holiday revelers who have graced Kettering Hall for decades to ring in the season celebrated The Community House virtually last year given the pandemic. This year, the Holiday Ball will return to the brick and mortar building, which has given joy to so many for more than 80 years. "There is nothing quite like the feeling of The Holiday Ball and for people to experience The Community House...

  • Tips for parents on managing conflict

    Alisa Messana|Updated Nov 3, 2021

    Any parent knows conflict with your child is part of the territory. Certain ages and stages are known for higher parent-child conflict; however, they aren't the only time tensions can arise. Conflict is a natural part of life. It's not whether we have it, but how we deal with it that matters. Identifying the root of conflict with your child helps with understanding how to manage it. Is it related to something situational, such as a loss in the family or other trauma?...

  • High schoolers invited to join Junior Advisory Board

    Lizzy Boden|Updated Oct 27, 2021

    Calling all high school students! Are you interested in learning more about the Hinsdale Public Library and helping plan the kinds of programs you and your friends would enjoy? Consider joining our new Junior Advisory Board. Starting in January 2022, the first small group of students to join will brainstorm ideas for library programs, assist our youth services staff with their popular summer reading club for kids and learn what goes on "behind the scenes" at the library. This...

  • Neuroscience, therapy empowers families with ADHD

    Susan Stutzman|Updated Oct 20, 2021

    Parenting an ADHD child is exhausting. Your day is filled with looking for things your child "lost," dealing with careless mistakes, selective listening, fidgeting and epic amounts of redirecting distractibility. And that list is only a small selection of all that you really have to deal with. There are always many other symptoms experienced due to multiple factors - the possibility of multiple diagnoses, your child's biology, personality, environmental settings and life trans...

  • Hinsdale library welcomes October with array of programs

    Molly Castor|Updated Sep 22, 2021

    Changing colors, warm apple cider and cooler days must mean October is around the corner. Anne (of Green Gables fame) once professed, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” We tend to agree. With school back in session, new routines down pat and summer reading in the rearview, we are excited for the fall-inspired events on the horizon. For the full listing, visit https://www.hinsdalelibrary.info/events. The month kicks off with Hinsdale native Olivia Sobie...

  • Examining expectations as a new school year begins

    Alisa Messana|Updated Sep 15, 2021

    The beginning of school is generally a steep climb for parents. Keeping up with the emails, forms to sign, supplies needed and scheduling extracurriculars is a major task. Add on the COVID-19 guidelines and related updates, and it's enough to make the eyes cross for even the most organized parent. First, let's acknowledge that living through a global pandemic has been and still is traumatizing. Many factors remain fluid and continue to change. Pandemic living often has us...

  • Garden walk to help fund school's outdoor areas

    Alexis Braden|Updated Sep 8, 2021

    What started off nearly 15 years ago as a home-based school for children and young adults living with autism has become a beacon of light for those families seeking to provide a positive learning environment for their children. Courtney McClear of Hinsdale was diagnosed with autism at the age of 5 when she lost her ability to speak, had increased anxiety and experienced sensory issues. Five years later, in 2010, Courtney was not progressing in a traditional school setting....

  • Sex education benefits preschoolers to young adults

    Barb Thayer|Updated Sep 3, 2021

    Recently I was with my sister and her two young grandsons. Peggy needed to use the restroom and the boys joined her. Two-year-old Jack said, "You don't have a penis, right Grandma?" To which my sister replied, "No, I don't." Then Jack said, "You have a vulva because you are a girl, right?" My sister said, "Yes, I have a vulva because I am a girl." Her daughter had obviously explained this to Jack previously. Five-year-old Parker said, "Wait! What is a vulva? How does Jack know...

  • Kitchen Walk to highlight Hinsdale's great outdoors

    Alexis Braden|Updated May 12, 2021

    The coveted outdoor spaces of seven Hinsdale homes, with perennials in bloom, pristine pools and immaculately manicured gardens and pathways, will be showcased at this year's Hinsdale Cooks! Kitchen Walk Outdoor Edition next month. Pivoting on the traditional Kitchen Walk fundraiser, consisting of tours of the first floors of several Hinsdale homes, this year the Hinsdale Historical Society is unveiling its new outdoor event to continue to celebrate Hinsdale's history, while...

  • Lessons I learned from my grandmothers

    Gabriela Garcia|Updated Apr 28, 2021

    Growing up, my grandmothers were a source of calm, comfort and reason. When they spoke, I listened, and I was raised to always respect them. After all, it was their immense sacrifices that have allowed me to live the incredibly fortunate life that I do. They were different women in every sense of the word, but the one thing that they had in common was a profound strength and perseverance. As Mother's Day approaches, I look back on three things these extraordinary women taught...

  • Library offerings great for vacations, even at home

    Martha Kennedy|Updated Apr 21, 2021

    The cover of the book was bumpy and grainy. A closer look revealed grains of sand. I smiled and ran a hand over the surface, imagining the reader laying the book on a beach towel, somewhere warm, while sand gathered at the edges and found its way under the cellophane cover. When items leave the Hinsdale Public Library, especially in summer, we consider their travel plans. Items collected for car trips will be on a journey to visit family, National Parks or historic sites....

  • Helping children find the light when darkness looms

    Susan Stutzman|Updated Apr 14, 2021

    A child exhibiting depressive symptoms can feel confusing, scary, overwhelming. It is common to question where it came from and how the feelings started and to wonder where to find hope for their darkness. Depression is a serious condition that should never be ignored. Symptoms such as melancholy, lack of energy and emotion, hopelessness, fog, trouble getting going and tears are warning signs, urging us to do something, change course, slow down and pay attention. When...

  • Kitchen Walk Luncheon goes social this year

    Alexis Braden|Updated Apr 7, 2021

    The Hinsdale Historical Society is taking to social media this month to bring timeless design inspiration to Hinsdale, culminating in its virtual luncheon, "Making Old, New Again" on Friday, May 7. Nationally recognized designers - including Summer Thornton, Sarah Vaile, Lauren Ashley Allan and Kelly Hurliman - will provide custom content via the society's social media channels through May 7 to discuss design trends and lasting interior décor. In preparation for the...

  • Four heart-health strategies for cancer survivors

    Noura Dabbouseh|Updated Mar 31, 2021

    There has been a true revolution in cancer therapy over the past few years. If you are one of the millions of American cancer survivors to benefit from this wave of new, effective therapies, then I hope you're feeling well as you receive your treatments. At the same time, cancer treatment (and indeed, cancer itself) can take a major toll on the heart, putting survivors at risk of developing or accelerating cardiovascular disease. As a cardio-oncologist - a doctor who...

  • Emerging from pandemic, library looks to turn page

    Molly Castor|Updated Mar 24, 2021

    When we closed the library on March 15, 2020, we could not imagine how long it would be until we finally opened the doors again. Staff worked from home by recording storytime sessions with their own kids, creating recipes using cookbooks in our digital collection, and leaving chalk messages on the library's sidewalk. A year later, our hours, services, and programs are still evolving. Even before the pandemic, libraries have always adapted to meet community needs and deliver...

  • Guiding online activity requires open communication

    Betty Barsley-Marra|Updated Mar 17, 2021

    What adult has not heard the sigh from a young person who has just been reminded of the need to be cautious around others they meet? The sigh is often followed by the young person's frustrating reassurance: "Don't worry, I've got this." The drive for independence is a natural part of human development, as is the adult inclination to protect and support our young people. While admonitions to not talk to or take candy from strangers was never enough to equip our youth with the...

  • Infant Welfare Tablescapes to be weeklong affair

    Alexis Braden|Updated Mar 10, 2021

    Ten days prior to hosting the 23rd annual Tablescapes Illuminate luncheon in March of last year, the Hinsdale chapter of the Infant Welfare Society was forced to postpone its event due to the pandemic. Now, a year later, the chapter will hold its coveted event virtually. While the women of the Hinsdale chapter fundraise throughout the year, Tablescapes has long been the chapter's largest fundraising event benefiting the Infant Welfare Society's Angel Harvey Family Health...

  • Sex, drug ed are critical during unprecedented times

    Rachel Simmons|Updated Mar 3, 2021

    There are five main sources where students may learn about sexual health and drugs: school, friends, family, media and their environment. Many schools offer programs focusing on these important topics, allowing students to have access to information from reliable sources. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more students have been learning through online classes and remote learning. These unprecedented times are difficult for both students and educators, as they have had to...

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