The OverDrive App is Being Discontinued

OverDrive is discontinuing the legacy OverDrive app for iOS, Android, and Windows 8/10 on May 1, 2023, and transitioning users to the Libby app. We understand that OverDrive has been a familiar and reliable source for digital materials, and we appreciate your use of this service over the years.

 

However, we are excited to transition over to the Libby app, which is an innovative digital lending platform that offers an even better user experience. Libby was created by OverDrive, and it is designed to be more user-friendly and intuitive, with a modern and clean interface.

 

Libby will offer many of the same features as OverDrive, including a wide selection of eBooks and audiobooks, as well as access to digital magazines and newspapers. The transition from OverDrive to Libby will be seamless, with your current holds and loans transferring automatically to the new platform.

 

We are confident that Libby will provide you with a better and more enjoyable digital reading experience. We encourage you to download the Libby app on your mobile device or tablet, or visit our website to access Libby on your computer.

 

Thank you for your continued support of our library, and we look forward to seeing you on Libby soon.

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• Tags to categorize books however you’d like—you can even sync your OverDrive wish list into a tag!
• A central bookshelf for all loans and holds
• Customizable notifications for ready holds, new magazine issues, and more
• Compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sonos speakers
• Extra learning and entertainment resources, like Universal Class
• A way to discover and express interest in titles our library does not yet offer
• Easy access to Libby support staff

Yes! Your loans, holds, and wish list items will be waiting for you in Libby when you add your library card.

Libby Tutorial

2023 Board Minutes

 

2023 Seed List

2023 Seed Offerings

Below is a list of the BCPL Seed Library’s offerings for the 2023 season. Click on any seed for a photo and description; on that page, be sure to scroll down to “Links” where you can learn more about each seed’s growing information. You can also browse all of our seeds in the Library’s online catalog, by searching “BVD seed“. 

 

With your Bensenville Community Public Library card, you may borrow up to five packets consisting of no more than two of each variety of seed. Please note that seeds are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

10 Vegetable Seeds to Direct Sow Right Now

Curious about starting seeds directly in your garden?

 

Let’s take a little break from the seed of the week to talk about direct sowing. It’s not too late to pick up seeds from our Seed Library! There are plenty of seeds that can be started now and sown directly in the ground outside.

 

We put together a list of ten seeds that we have in our seed library that can be started outside. What’s your favorite to grow?

Dill

Dill is easy to grow, and self-seeds easily. Dill is a versatile spice that is found in many dishes.

Pumpkin

A fall favorite, pumpkin seeds actually do better when planted directly in the garden.

Lettuce

Lettuce is cool season crop that does well sown in spring or late fall, directly in the garden.

Cilantro

A popular spice used in many Mexican dishes, cilantro is another cool season crop that can planted directly in the garden in the spring or fall.

Squash/Zucchini

Squash seedlings are sensitive to being transplanted, so direct sow is the best method to growing these veggies.

Spinach

Spinach is another vegetable that prefers the cooler weather. It will bolt as soon as the weather gets warm in summer. The Bloomsdale longstanding variety tends to withstand the heat better than other varieties.

Beans

Beans are an easy seed for beginners to grow. Beans start quick and are best started directly in the garden.

Peas

Peas are frost hardy, so they can be planted early.  Sow the seeds directly into your garden 4-6 weeks before your last frost date, once the soil is workable or in the fall in mid-August for a fall harvest.

Carrots

You should always direct sow carrots seeds because any type of root disturbance can lead to deformities. Always plant carrots in light fluffy soil.

Cucumber

Cucumbers are not fans of being transplanted, so it is better to plant seeds directly into your garden. Wait until the soil has fully warmed in the spring and plant in a sunny location.

Want more seeds? Check out our Seed Library!

With your Bensenville Community Public Library card, you may borrow up to five packets consisting of no more than two of each variety of seed. Each packet contains enough seeds to grow at least 3 plants. Please note that seeds are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt

Can’t make it downtown to catch the Art Institute of Chicago’s current exhibit: Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt? Check out your Bensenville Library’s beautifully illustrated tomes on the Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt!

About the exhibit: Experience over 3,000 years of arts from ancient Egypt in a dynamic new gallery. The transformed space explores aspects of life and the afterlife in the Nile Valley with the first new installation of works from the museum’s historic collection of ancient Egyptian art in a quarter-century. Striking artifacts—displayed along one wall of the gallery in a series of innovative cases that promote viewing from multiple vantage points—provide insight into the beliefs and practices of this illustrious North African culture.

Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs

by Lorna Oakes

This beautiful volume is a fascinating guide to the myths, religions, pyramids, temples, and more that make up the allure of ancient Egypt. Readers will gain a unique understanding of this captivating culture through breathtaking, full-color illustrations, in-depth text, detailed maps, and comprehensive chronologies.

The Art of Ancient Egypt

by Gay Robins

From the awesome grandeur of the Great Pyramids to the delicacy of a face etched on an amulet, the spellbinding power of ancient Egyptian art persists to this day. Spanning three thousand years, this beautifully illustrated history offers a thorough and delightfully readable introduction to the artwork.

The Pharaohs: Master-Builders

by Henri Stierlin

This is a popular account of Egyptian architecture which discusses building techniques and technologies before examining the great monuments of Egypt in roughly chronological succession, ending with the temples at Philae. Very attractively illustrated in colour, this remains a serious book which juxtaposes glossy (and some unusual) photos with temple plans and other pictorial sources for reconstructing the architects and builders lives.

Tutankhamun: the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs

by Zahi Hawass

Mysterious boy king Tutankhamun returns to the U.S. in 2008, bringing rare treasures never before seen outside Egypt. For the millions of fans wanting a keepsake and chronicle of this magnificent new exhibition, this book will delight. Created by world-renowned art historians under the guidance of Zahi Hawass–director of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and a well-known media personality–it surveys 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history by focusing on the lives and lifestyles of great pharaohs.

The Golden King: the World of Tutankhamun

by Zahi Hawass

These books make palpable the excitement, beauty, riches, and mysteries of ancient Egypt. Zahi Hawass brings these fabled figures and their tumultuous, astonishing age to life, with an authoritative text highlighted by scores of stunning photographs, including archival images from the first great era of Egyptian archaeology, when Carter and other Westerners reawakened the world to the golden glory of the ancient civilization explored in this dazzling book.

Want more recommendations?

 

You can check out all of our online booklists (for kids and for adults), or reach out to us! Our staff is ready and willing to make reading, listening, or viewing recommendations to you! Email us at reference@benlib.org or contact us via our online form!

If You Liked… Ken Burns’ Benjamin Franklin

Ken Burns’s two-part, four-hour documentary, Benjamin Franklin, explores the revolutionary life of one of the 18th century’s most consequential and compelling personalities, whose work and words unlocked the mystery of electricity and helped create the United States. Franklin’s 84 years (1706-1790) spanned an epoch of momentous change in science, technology, literature, politics, and government — fields he himself advanced through a lifelong commitment to societal and self-improvement.

All of the titles featured here in this booklist are available in our catalog. To see if an item is available to check out or place on hold, click the cover image or button to the right of the description.

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

by Walter Isaacson

Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us… the one who seems made of flesh and blood rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin’s life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Walter Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year life, America’s best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders.

Young Benjamin Franklin: The Birth of Ingenuity

by Nick Bunker

From his early career as a printer and journalist to his scientific work and role as a founder of a new republic, Benjamin Franklin has always been ab embodiment of American ingenuity. But in his youth, he had to make his way through an often harsh, colonial world where he fought many battles with his rivals, and also with his own wayward emotions in trying to balance virtue against ambition. This volume chronicles that story.

Writings

by Benjamin Franklin

One of 17 children, Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He ended his formal education at the age of 10 and began working as an apprentice at a newspaper. Running away to Philadelphia at 17, he worked for a printer, later opening his own print shop. As a man of many talents and interests, as a writer, publisher, scientist, inventor, diplomat and politician he authored many works during his 84 years that are collected in this volume.

Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings

by Benjamin Franklin

This Library of America collection of Franklin’s works begins with letters sent from London describing events and diplomacy preceding the Revolutionary War, political satires, bagatelles, pamphlets, and letters written in Paris where he represented the revolutionary United States at the court of Louis XVI, as well as his speeches given in the Constitutional Convention… including his last published article, a searing satire against slavery. Also included are his shrewd prefaces to Poor Richard’s Almanack with their worldly, pungent maxims and finally, the classic Autobiography, Franklin’s last word on his greatest literary creation–his own invented personality—completely faithful to Franklin’s own manuscript.

Poor Richard's Almanack: Being the Choicest Morsels of Wit and Wisdom

by Benjamin Franklin

A collection of maxims, arranged in approximately thirty categories, selected from various editions of Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanack.”

Want more recommendations?

 

You can check out all of our online booklists (for kids and for adults), or reach out to us! Our staff is ready and willing to make reading, listening, or viewing recommendations to you! Email us at reference@benlib.org or contact us via our online form!

2022 Board Minutes


Women’s History Month | for Kids!

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society. It has been annually observed in the United States in the month of March since 1980 when President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.

Check out these books in our collection about notable women and celebrate their contributions to the world!

 

  • All of the titles featured here we have in our collection. To see if an item is available to check out or place on hold, click the cover image or button to the right of the description.

She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World

by Chelsea Clinton

Profiles the lives of thirteen American women who have left their mark on U.S. history, including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Margaret Chase Smith, and Oprah Winfrey.

Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World

by Vashti Harrison

Featuring the true stories of women creators and thinkers from around the world, throughout history, this book shows that sometimes seeing things a little differently can lead to big changes. As you’ll see, the women profiled here not only made a place for themselves in the world but made the world a better place to live.

Rebel Girls Lead: 25 Tales of Powerful Women

by Rebel Girls

This collection of 25 stories includes the most beloved stories of leadership from the first three volumes of this New York Times best-selling series, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Rebel Girls Lead celebrates the leadership of women from Michelle Obama to Malala Yousafzai. It is illustrated by female artists.

Brave, Black, First: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World

by Cheryl Willis Hudson

Published in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, discover over fifty remarkable African American women whose unique skills and contributions paved the way for the next generation of young people.

Be Bold! Be Brave! 11 Latinas Who Made U.S. History / ¡Sé audaz, Sé valiente! 11 Latinas Que Hicieron Historia en los Estados Unidos

Available in English and Spanish, this bilingual book highlights 11 Latinas who excelled in various fields including medicine, science, sports, art and politics. By presenting the true biographical stories of these outstanding Latinas in rhyming verses, young readers will easily follow their journey to success.

Eleanor, Quiet No More: the Life of Eleanor Roosevelt

by Doreen Rappaport

A biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, the most socially and politically active — and controversial — First Lady America had ever seen. Ambassador, activist, and champion of civil rights, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the soul of America forever. Includes selected quotes from Eleanor’s own writings.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

by Debbie Levy

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what’s right for people everywhere. This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG, tells the justice’s story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements.

Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers

by Michelle Obama

The honest and fascinating account of Michelle Obama’s life. She shares her views on how all young people can help themselves as well as help others, no matter their status in life. She asks readers to realize that no one is perfect, and that the process of becoming is what matters, as finding yourself is ever evolving. In telling her story with boldness, she asks young readers: Who are you, and what do you want to become?

Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice

by Nikki Grimes

Discover the incredible story of a young daughter of immigrants who would grow up to be the first woman, first Black person and first South Asian American ever elected Vice President of the United States in this moving picture biography.

I Am Sonia Sotomayor

by Brad Meltzer

Sonia Sotomayor was the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. From her home in the Bronx to law school, Sonia Sotomayor was always driven by her love of learning and her commitment to justice. With the support of her loving family and supportive mentors, she pursued a career in law and proved there’s no limit to what someone can accomplish.

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight

by Kathleen Krull

A biography of the former first lady who has become a senator, Secretary of State, and a presidential candidate, discusses her childhood dreams of flight, her career as a lawyer, and her determination to pursue her dreams.

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

by Malala Yousafzai

Malala is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner. In these young readers edition of her best-selling memoir we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world – and did.

Who is Oprah Winfrey?

by Barbara Kramer

We all know Oprah Winfrey as a talk-show host, actress, producer, media mogul, and philanthropist, but the “Queen of Talk” wasn’t always so fortunate. She suffered through a rough childhood and went on to use her personal struggles as motivation. Oprah’s kindness, resilience, and determination are just some of the many reasons why her viewers, and people all around the world, love her. The richest African American person of the twentieth century, Oprah is often described as the most influential woman in the world.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul

by Carole Boston Weatherford

Aretha sang with a soaring voice that spanned more than three octaves. Her incredible talent and string of hit songs earned her the title “the Queen of Soul.” With words that sing and art that shines, this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves.

A Girl Named Rosita: the Story of Rita Moreno — Actor, Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer!

by Anika Denise

The life of Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer Rita Moreno, from her girlhood journey to the United States to her rise as a timeless superstar.

Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos

by Monica Brown

Chronicles Frida’s life, from her childhood to her rise as one of the world’s most influential painters, capturing the beauty and strength of Frida’s creative spirit, which carried her through tragedy and triumph, and the animals that inspired her along the way.

The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown

by Mac Barnett and Sarah Jacoby

An exceptional picture book biography of Margaret Wise Brown, the legendary author of Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny, and other beloved children’s classics, that’s as groundbreaking as the icon she was herself.

Fossil Huntress: Mary Leaky, Paleontologist

by Andi Diehn

What was the world like millions of years ago? Did early humans walk on all fours? Did giant sloths lie in trees? Did dinosaurs have feathers? Even as a young girl, Mary Leakey was fascinated by questions like these! Meet Mary as a girl growing up in France and visiting the site of archeological wonders, such as Pech Merle, Fond de Gaume, and La Mouthe. As an adult, Mary leaps at the chance to travel to Africa, where she spends much of her life working in the field in Tanzania, making discoveries that change the face of paleontology forever. True grit, passion, and high standards for scientific rigor made Mary a pioneer in the field of paleontology!

Maria Tallchief

by Christine Day

Maria Tallchief loved to dance, but was told that she might need to change her Osage name to one that sounded more Russian to make it as a professional ballerina. She refused, and worked hard at dancing her best, becoming America’s first Indigenous American prima ballerina.

Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement

by Stephanie Roth Sisson

As a child, Rachel Carson lived by the rhythms of the natural world. Spring after spring, year after year, she observed how all living things are connected. And as an adult, Rachel watched and listened as the natural world she loved so much began to fall silent. Spring After Spring traces Rachel’s journey as scientist and writer, courageously speaking truth to an often hostile world through her book, and ultimately paving the way for the modern environmental movement.

Want more recommendations?

 

You can check out all of our online booklists (for kids and for adults), or reach out to us! Our staff is ready and willing to make reading, listening, or viewing recommendations to you! Email us at reference@benlib.org or contact us via our online form!

Aspen: A New and Improved Catalog Experience!


Beginning Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the Bensenville Community Public Library will be transitioning over to a new catalog, Aspen.

 

Aspen has all the features of the previous catalog — plus many more — to make it easier to search for materials and manage your account. Aspen also includes all of the Bensenville Community Public Library’s resources as well as materials from 99 other libraries in the SWAN consortium.

 

Our current catalog, Enterprise, will be discontinued as of April 26. If you have created lists in our current catalog, please transfer them over to the new catalog, as they will not be accessible after April 26! Watch our video for a step-by-step tutorial. If you have opted into saving your checkout history, those will be transferring over to the new catalog.

If you have any questions about how to transfer lists over, how to set up an account, or other questions about our new catalog, please contact the Library at (630) 766-4642.

What are some of Aspen's new features?

  • Rate the materials you read, listen to, or watch. Your ratings will help the catalog recommend other titles you may be interested in.
  • Easily and conveniently add items to your lists without clicking into a title’s detail page.
  • Make purchase suggestions through your account if you cannot find what you are looking for.
  • Results are now grouped by format! Easily view what formats are available, such as: print books, audiobooks, eBooks/eAudiobooks, OverDrive, Axis360, Kindle, DVD and CD.
  • Searching in the catalog clearly shows if items are on shelf, available from another library, available online to download, or if all copies are checked out. You will see how many copies are owned and how many people are on the wait list for an item.
  • View “Explore More” features, which provide access to online resources such as newspapers, magazines, and research databases relevant to your search.

What will I be able to do in my account?

  • View materials you have checked out, including Overdrive (eMediaLibrary) and Axis360
  • View titles you have on hold. You can cancel holds, freeze holds, choose the hold pickup location, and see recommended titles based on your holds
  • View titles you have rated and recommendations based on what you have rated
  • Set pickup location preferences
  • Change contact information
  • Pay for lost books and fines your account with a debit/credit card or with PayPal
  • Opt into saving your checkout history
  • Set up text messaging to receive notices
  • Link family accounts to manage them all
  • Reset your PIN
  • Set preferences for Overdrive
  • View your search history
  • Create and manage lists of materials

If You Like… Julian Fellowe’s The Gilded Age

Enjoying Julian Fellowe’s HBO original drama series, The Gilded Age?

If you’re interested the times and social milieu of this era, check out this booklist!

The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of great conflict between the old ways and brand new systems, and of huge fortunes made and lost.

All of the titles featured here in this booklist are available in our catalog. To see if an item is available to check out or place on hold, click the cover image or button to the right of the description.

What Would Mrs. Astor Do? The Essential Guide to Manners and Mores of the Gilded Age

by Cecilia Tichi

A beautifully illustrated tour of the Gilded Age, transporting readers to New York at its most fashionable. A colorful tapestry of fun facts and true tales presenting a vivid portrait of this remarkable time of social metamorphosis.

The Gilded Age: 1876-1912 — Overture to the American Century

by Alan Axelrod

The Gilded Age–the name coined by Mark Twain to refer to the period of rapid economic growth in America between the 1870s and 1900–offers some intriguing parallels to our own time. As, truly, the overture of the ‘American Century, the author also looks at how it presaged our current time, which many are calling the “Second Gilded Age.” Photographs, political cartoons, engravings, news clippings, help bring this fascinating period into focus.

An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew

by Annejet van der Zijl

Born to a pioneering family in Upstate New York in the late 1800s, Allene Tew was beautiful, impetuous, and frustrated by the confines of her small hometown. At eighteen, she met Tod Hostetter at a local dance, heir to one of the wealthiest families in America. From the vantage point of the American upper class, Allene embodied the tumultuous Gilded Age. And from the hopes of a young girl from Jamestown, New York, Allene Tew would become the epitome of both a pursuer and survivor of the American Dream.

The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home

by Denise Kiernan

The fascinating true story behind the magnificent Gilded Age mansion Biltmore–the largest, grandest residence ever built in the United States by railroad/shipping magnate George Vanderbilt.

The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married Into the British Aristocracy

by Anne de Courcy

A deliciously told group biography of the young, rich, American heiresses who crossed The Pond and married into the impoverished British aristocracy at the turn of the twentieth century.

Gilded: How Newport Became America’s Richest Resort

by Deborah Davis

Gilded takes you along as you explore the fascinating heritage of the Newport elite, from its first gilded residents the Astors, the Vanderbilts, Edith Wharton and others to the newest of its new millennium millionaires in a narrative filled with colorful characters and lively tales.

Want more recommendations?

 

You can check out all of our online booklists (for kids and for adults), or reach out to us! Our staff is ready and willing to make reading, listening, or viewing recommendations to you! Email us at reference@benlib.org or contact us via our online form!