Illinois Holocaust Museum and Resource Center (Library)

First hand information enriches student research, and the recently opened Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, located in Skokie offers students at CLC researching topics of worldwide genocide today, World War II and the Holocaust access to an incredible collection of artifacts, artwork, videos.

The facility also houses the Brill Resource Center --a library with a collection of 13,000 items, all of which are searchable through the library’s online catalog, and soon available through the OCLC WorldCat (FirstSearch) database. Although the library does not allow materials to be circulated, there is a reading room and 16 computers with access to databases and of the library’s resources during open hours. Access to the library is free and open to the public (12 years or older unless supervised by an adult). This Pioneer Press article provides more information about the Resource Center.

For readers, these are some recommended titles about the Holocaust. Check CLC and your local public library.

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Boy in the Striped Pajamas (John Boyne)
Hana’s Suitcase (Karen Levine)
A Mad Desire to Dance (Elie Wiesel)
Nazi Officer’s Wife: How one Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust (Edith Beer)
Stones from the River
Those who Save Us

Zookeeper's Wife

Museum Adventure Pass

Use your public library card to receive free admission or a substantial discount to 17 Chicago area cultural destination. Sponsored by Macy’s, this program runs until August 31st, 2010.

Check out http://www.museumadventure.org/ to see if your public library is participating in this program and also to see which attractions are offering free or reduced admission.

Celebrate the Day of the Dead

I attended a wonderful event yesterday at the College of Lake County. Students gathered to celebrate the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos.

Want to know more? You can find local celebrations occurring throughout the Chicago area this weekend.

Nearby public libraries are celebrating the event:

Lake Zurich, at the Ela Area Public Library, an event featuring acclaimed storyteller Antonio Sacre will occur tomorrow, Saturday, November 1. from noon-2 p.m. Click here for more information about the library and the event.

Mundelein, at the Fremont Public Library, bring your children to a story time from 2-3:30 pm. Click here for more information about the library and the event.


The holiday is being celebrated in many places around Chicago. Click here for information about the annual Day of the Dead celebration in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago on November 3.

Infringing Rights--of Citizens & Others

My reading this summer has taken a decided turn away from detective fiction toward nonfiction on the theme of government infringement of rights. As Citizens of the U.S.A., we believe the Bill of Rights protects us, but what about when the government believes it has grounds to toss out our legal protections? It is, in fact, not the first time in our history... READ on...

These are three books I highly recommend to gain insight and inspiration.

In Writing in an Age of Silence, author Sara Paretsky through a telling of her
life and art, considers the government policies and rights infringements
occuring today in the context of her experience with the Civil Rights movement in Chicago.





Books on Trial while not exactly a page-turner, is an engrossing account of the raid of an Oklahoma City bookstore and the World War II era trials of several innocent people who were arrested, tried, and sentenced under the "criminal syndicalism" laws .
Find Books on Trial at the CLC Library.

Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror
Steven T. Wax considers contemporary rights infringements in a book based on his experience defending two men who suffered as a result of the U.S. government's post-911 anti-terrorism zeal. Wax draws on his experiences defending Adel Hamad, a Sudanese hospital administrator working in Pakistan, held in detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps in Cuba, and Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon lawyer and convert to Islam, who was falsely accused of a role in the Spanish al Qaeda train bombing.

Chicago Bears

yeah, yeah, Sunday was disappointing. But hey, you can still read about our beloved Bears. Check out the Murphy Library resources below -

Calling the Shots by Mike Singletary

McMahon by Jim McMahon

Bear Memories by Beth Gorr

The Chicago Bears: An Illustrated History by Richard Whittingham

Chicago Bears History by Roy Taylor

Mudbaths and Bloodbaths by Gary D'Amato

Chicago Adventuring

Now that the holiday break has arrived at CLC, you might have a little extra time on your hands. If that's the case, here's a few sites to surf for a little adventuring in the Chi-town.

City of Chicago --> Mayor's Office of Special Events

The Chicago Reader

Chicago Traveler

Metromix from the Chicago Tribune

Here's Chicago

Chicago Field Museum

Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of GeneticsSeptember 15, 2006 – April 1, 2007

Regarded as the father of modern genetics, Gregor Mendel and his work are presented in a special exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum.

Original manuscripts, photographs, and scientific instruments evoke the world of scientists in the 1800s and early 1900s. Attendees will see the only remaining artifacts from the life of this great scientist. Plus, hands-on interactive displays allow you to conduct Mendel’s famous pea experiment yourself.

from the Field Museum's website

The Chicago Fire

"Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" was not the cause of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. She had a whole barn full of cattle - but none were the culprit. In 1893, reporter Michael Ahern admitted to making the whole thing up for a juicier story. Source: Chicago Cultural Center

For stories and statistics regarding the fire, visit the Chicago History Museum .

History has had many other devasting fires which can be viewed at Fire Extinguisher 101.