In the past year the library has presented storytimes, STEM clubs, book discussions, author visits, exhibits, summer reading programs and more. We've welcomed the community to celebrate the arts at the District 25 art show and reception, a fairy tale exhibit and costume gala and months of themed programs exploring fairy tales. Arlington Heights came together to read and discuss the themes behind the One Book, One Village book selection and tweens and teens found opportunities to learn and discover together. Local entrepreneurs gathered to share their experiences with small business owners and the library continued to offer new tools

 

Launchpads Take Off in Kids’ World

 

New Launchpad learning tablets are now available for check-out in Kids’ World. Each tablet is pre-loaded with learning games for children. Search “launchpad” at ahml.info to see available tablets and games or look for them in the STEM area in Kids’ World.

 

"Fairy tales were and still are comfort reading to me," said Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West during a special library-sponsored appearance at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday evening, March 9. 

 

More than 200 people turned out to hear Maguire deliver a lively 75-minute exploration of creativity and storytelling titled, "No Rest for the Wicked: On Reading and Writing Fantasy....and the Magic of Broadway." 

 

"Life itself is the most wonderful of fairy tales," began Maguire by quoting one of his favorite

What better way to learn about writing, theater and the creative process than to meet a bestselling author. That's what happened for close to 200 District 214 students who had the opportunity to meet Gregory Maguire, creator of Wicked:The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, on Wednesday, March 9 during the author's library-sponsored visit to Arlington Heights. 

 

Maguire spoke with students, many from the theater, English and creative writing classes, at Rolling Meadows High School and shared with them his experiences as a young boy who spent a lot of time at his local

 

The library continued its celebration of all things fairy tale by welcoming tween fairy tale author Liesl Shurtliff to the library on February 25. Shurtliff, the author of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin and Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk, talked with a group of more than 150 fairy tale fans about myths and legends, where they come from, how they change and what they mean to us today. More than 40 tweens joined Shurtliff for a writing workshop earlier in the day for fourth- to sixth-grade students.

 

Please join us for an upcoming

Following a six-month pilot period in 2016, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library Board of Trustees voted to extend the library’s weekend hours, remaining open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and opening the library an hour earlier, at 11 a.m., on Sundays. The cost for the library’s extended hours was managed within the library’s approved budget.

 

The library’s new hours are:
Monday–Friday  9 a.m.–10 p.m.
Saturday  9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Sunday  11 a.m.–8 p.m.

 

The pilot program was based upon a survey of library customers which indicated many residents wished the library offered more hours on the weekends

 

The library celebrated all things Harry Potter on Thursday, February 4, with an evening of fun fit for a wizard. Wearing costumes and signature Harry styles, participants soaked in the magic and rolled up their sleeves for Hogwarts-themed activities in the Marketplace and The Hub: Harry Potter Bingo, O.W.L. Trivia, Jumping Frog Origami, a Design a Patronus activity and a costume drawing. Participants visited the Sorting Hat to show their House Pride and stopped by Ollivanders to pick out a wand and the latest edition of the Quibbler. Wizards and Muggles alike enjoyed Harry Potter-inspired treats.

The library's annual

 

Flipster magazines are now available to AHML cardholders.

Visit the library's Flipster collection to download current issues of these popular magazines:

 

 

Thank you to all of our wonderful customers, staff and community groups, 558 books were donated for children and teens for Wheeling Township’s Adopt-a-Family program. Special thanks go to library staff, the Rolling Green Nine-Hole Golf League and Chamber of Commerce Professional Women’s Council. Teen books were identified as a particular need this year, and Arlington Heights answered our call for materials needed for a broader age of readers, with many titles donated for teens and tweens. Since starting the holiday book drive in 1998, the library has donated 15,031 books to children in need. Thank you for helping