Category Archives: Reference Links

eRead Illinois, Online Library Resources, Reference Links

Biblioboard

Looking for more ebooks? Check out Biblioboard, a free e-book service that anyone standing in the state of Illinois can access! You do not even need a library card! There are no wait times; everything in it is readily available. You can browse through the Recovering the Classics collection or explore new indie books with the limited-time offerings in the Pop-up Picks collection. There’s a little something for everyone on Biblioboard.

Online Library Resources, Reference Links, Uncategorized

FREE Practice Driving Tests

Image Link for Practice Driving Tests

You can now access Free Illinois DMV driving tests from Driving-Tests.org through Schmaling Memorial Public Library. Just click on the “Start Now” button above (or the image located on the left hand side of the library’s home page) and you will be directed to Driving-Tests.org’s range of practice driving tests covering everything from car and motorcycle tests to CDL tests and driving handbooks. Whether you’re a new driver just getting your license or you just need to bone up on those obscure road signs, you’ll find tools to prepare before that big exam!

Highlight, Reference Links

March Monkness

In preparation of this month’s veneration of Patricius, why not imbibe some historical truth about this duly revered saint along with your Irish coffee, Guinness, or God-and-St.Patrick-forsaken green beer:

First, you can actually read his “Confession“, his OWN, albeit brief, account (it was actually written as a defense of his missionary work and personal character) here – http://www.confessio.ie/

He also wrote a letter to some Romans in England that he believed were responsible for kidnapping and murdering some of his newly Irish converts called “Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus“. You may read that here – http://www.confessio.ie/etexts/epistola_english#

For more of his biography and the historical landscape, visit –http://darkagehistory.blogspot.com/2011/08/coroticus-rex-aloo-saint-patrick-and.html.

For something more tangible, Schmaling has an excellent, easy-to-read — yet highly insightful — biography called ST. PATRICK OF IRELAND, by Philip Freeman that contains both of Patrick‘s writings in the appendices.  The children’s department also offers a few books about St.Patrick at various reading levels.

“Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.” 
― St. Patrick

Children's Room, Online Library Resources, Reference Links

Black History Month: A List of Non-Fiction Titles For Children

a collage of book covers that celebrate black history month - for children
In honor of Black History Month here is a list of many outstanding children’s non-fiction books that tell the amazing stories of so many amazing people; it is certainly not exhaustive, and it is not limited to the Civil Rights Movement or slavery.   These titles are definitely worth seeking out regardless of the month. 

 

Picture Books (For ALL Ages):

  • A Splash of Red: the Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
  • All Together Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson and illustrated by E. B. Lewis
  • Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier.
  • Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
  • Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
  • Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier. (about Rosa Parks)
  • Schomburg: the Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Eric Velasquez
  • Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Ron Husband
  • Step Right Up by Donna Janell Bowman and illustrated by Daniel Mintner
  • Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen Deans and illustrated by Joe Cepeda
  • Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton and illustrated by Don Tate

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