FROM THE DIRECTOR

I am so excited to share that we have received a large donation for the library vehicle and are close to reaching our goal of $225,000! Heidi Charleson recently paid a visit to the library for the first time since she and her late husband Louis E. Woodworth made significant contributions to the library's renovation. Heidi and her family spent the morning touring the library and learning about our strategic plan accomplishments over the last couple years. After listening to us speak about expanding our outreach into the East Moline and Hampton communities and buying an outreach vehicle, she said she wanted to help. Heidi's donation has gotten us close to our goal, but we still have a little bit of work to do. We will continue fundraising through the end of 2026 and have our vehicle on the road in spring of 2027. We are so grateful for all the support Heidi and her family have provided to the library over the years and for her continued support as we expand our reach. 

Director’s Bookshelf

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar Akkad: This was a Goodreads 2025 Choice Award Nominee for Nonfiction. It was a very hard read, but I am glad I read it. From the publisher: "From award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in the heart of an empire that doesn't consider you fully human. On October 25th, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: "One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." This tweet was viewed more than ten million times. One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This chronicles the deep fracture that has occurred for Black, brown, Indigenous Americans, as well as the upcoming generation, many of whom had clung to a thread of faith in Western ideals, in the idea that their countries, or the countries of their adoption, actually attempted to live up to the values they espouse"

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan: This book was mentioned to me by a fellow city employee who received the recommendation from a middle school teacher. The narrator for this book was amazing; she perfectly nailed the personality of the 12-year-old genius protagonist who is hyper-focused on the medical field. While written for juveniles, the protagonist is a genius, and the sophistication of her thoughts creates an engaging read for the adult reader. While Willow's journey is heartbreaking, the writing is at times laugh-out-loud funny and heartwarming from start to finish. I also appreciated the depth of knowledge the author invested into the story to create a convincing genius main character. 

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick: This was also a Goodreads 2025 Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction. This story follows a group of married women in the 1960s who form a book club. The books they read ultimately lead them to question societal expectations of women during that time. Each of the four women goes through their own journey, finding a path to truly having it all. I enjoyed reading about women of this time period, their marriages, and family dynamics. A lot of detail went into the cooking, chores, and endless number of tasks that married women had to keep up with. I'm not sure if there is a correlation, but I spent 3 hours cleaning over the weekend, made a lasagna, and baked cookies from scratch! Yet their struggles were also included, such as not being able to open a bank account without their husband's approval or being unable to receive a recommendation to graduate school because a woman's place was thought to be at home. 

The FRIENDS of the East Moline Public Library Store is now open!

Shop in the FRIENDS of the East Moline Public Library Raygun Store! Pick out something for yourself, a family member, or someone you know that loves the library. Part of the proceeds from every purchase will go towards the library outreach vehicle fundraiser.

Click here to shop!

ADULT PROGRAMS

TEEN PROGRAMS (Grades 9-12)

Mixed Media Birch Tree Painting

Aug 12, 4-7pm



Come make beautiful birch tree creations using mixed media - paint, book pages, newspaper, magazines, etc! Click here to register!

Movie Night in the Teen Vault, Project Hail Mary

Aug 19, 4-7pm



Join us in the Teen Vault for a fun movie night! Popcorn, candy, and soda provided! Click here to sign up!

TWEEN PROGRAMS (Grades 4-8)

CHILDRENS AND ALL AGES PROGRAMS

Family Bingo

Aug 8, 11-12:30pm

Enjoy some rounds of Bingo for a chance to win a prize! Popcorn will be served. Sign up here!

Butterfly Garland

Aug 15, 12-2pm

Make your own butterfly garland out of recycled magazines! This is a drop-in style program, please come whenever works best for you within the two-hour timeframe. Recommended for tweens and up. Click here to register!

Bilingual Storytime

Aug 15, 11-11:30am

Join us for a fun and engaging bilingual storytime told in both Spanish and English.

Acompáñanos en una divertida y entretenida sesión de cuentos bilingüe, narrada tanto en español como en inglés.

For more information on programming, please email outreachandprogramming@eastmolinelibrary.org

NOTES FROM THE FRIENDS

It seems like we were just welcoming summer and now our thoughts turn to BACK TO SCHOOL and soon to be fall. I hope you are enjoying SUMMER READING and all the great programs that the library has been offering! Also, perhaps this has been a time to catch up on some of your reading and the books you have been setting aside to read.

As we look forward to fall, I want to let all of you know of the Fall Craft and Vendor Fair at the library on Saturday, September 19th from 9am-2pm. If you are a vendor and are interested in a space, please call the library for information. Enjoy the summer and keep reading and keep cool!

Marcia Lintz, President of the FRIENDS of the East Moline Public Library