by Sara Chen, Graphics & Marketing Summer Teen Volunteer
1. Get a Museum Adventure Pass
Stop by the Youth Services Department to check out a Museum Adventure Pass. This single-use pass grants you access to one of more than a dozen Chicago-area museums and attractions. Passes are good for free or buy one get on admission to most museums.
What's more? Learn more about Explore More Illinois, a new service that provides card holders instant online access to free and discounted tickets to cultural institutions across the state, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the City Lit Theater, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Aikman Wildlife Center, and more.
2. Book a study or meeting room
Want to meet up with friends and study for a class or test? Need a quiet room where you are able to have a discussion with a group of people? Reserving a study or meeting room is the perfect way to have some privacy when studying or having a meeting. It’s simple; just call 847-272-4980 and ask for a study or meeting room and a time, then give your library card number and you have your own library study or meeting room for a time slot. With your library card, you can also go online to reserve a study room or meeting room.
3. Check out some fun things for the kids!
Did you know you can check out a variety of educational play kits from the library? The Youth Services department has a wide array of fun take-home kits such as Grow A Reader and Discovery Skills. These kits are a great way to improve kids' motor skills and help them improve their logical reasoning. Meanwhile, over at the Collaboratory, you can check out different kinds of STEAM kits (Arduino, Cubelets, MaKey MaKey, etc.) and build your science and engineering skills while having fun at home!
4. Automatic Holds
Use your library card to place automatic holds to always be put on reserve for your favorite authors’ new books.
5. Check out an iPad, MacBook, turntable, and more
You can check out an iPad or MacBook at the Reference desk! You can use the MacBooks to design your own website with Dreamweaver and explore the many other software applications.
The Library of Things also has a direct-drive professional turntable that you can borrow. Other take-home technology include DVD/VCR recorders, Roku sticks, projectors, and Google Chromescast!
6. Cut the Cord with Hoopla and Kanopy
Bring the library with you wherever you are 24/7! Take advantage of Hoopla and Kanopy, two different streaming services. With Hoopla, you can borrow digital movies, music, eBooks, and more. Kanopy, an on-demand film streaming service, offers more than 30,000 of the worlds best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie, and classic films, and world cinema.
7. eBooks and eAudiobooks
Integrating technology with books is a great way to make reading more accessible to everyone. The library offers several options for checking out and using eBooks and eAudiobooks; all you need is your Northbrook Library card.
8. Book a Librarian
Need one-on-one help? Just call the Reference desk at 847-272-4873 for an appointment.
9. Check out hundreds of different games
Want to play video games but not want to pay ridiculous prices? With a library card, you can check out a wide variety of Nintendo, PS4, Wii, and Xbox games for free! And if you're in the mood for something more tactile, visit the 3rd floor to browse the library's tabletop board game collection which you can also check out from.
10. Learn something new
Want to make sure you or your kids don’t lose knowledge over the summer? Get live tutoring, homework help, and study guides online using HelpNow by Brainfuse. Or keep you or your kids on their feet and master a new language like French, Spanish, or even Pirate with Mango Languages.
11. Explore at the Collaboratory
The possibilities for learning and creating are endless at the Collaboratory, the library's makerspace! Stop by during open hours to use an array of machines, from sewing machines to laser cutters to 3D printers. It's a space to tinker and complete fun projects of all kind. The collaboratory also runs small, interactive classes only for Northbrook Public Library cardholders.
12. Refresh yourself with 5 Fresh Reads
Looking for your next great read? Let us know what you like to read and our librarians will email you a personalized list of 5 reading suggestions within 3-5 business days. We're happy to provide suggestions for readers of all ages (kids through adult). Try it out and find your next favorite!
