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The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) reports approximately 41 million people play fantasy sports every year. On the latest episode of Miner Recs, Dave, Tony, Joel and special guest Elliott discuss fantasy football, including their strategies on making draft picks, picking a team name and much more. Hear it on the player below:

Interested in listening to more episodes of Miner Recs? You can subscribe with iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or on our Podomatic page.

For more information about the podcast and the DPPL staff who make it, visit our podcast page.

Just how much do we know about the beliefs inherent in the vast array of religions that surround us on this planet?  

According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, not enough.

Quite some decades ago, a nun took me aside and urged me not to fraternize with a then-close friend and neighbor who also was my classmate in Catholic elementary school. 

Why?

Continue Reading "Are You Religiously Literate?" →

On the latest episode of Miner Recs, Dave, Jami, Tony and Joel discuss Octavia E. Butler's 1979 novel Kindred, as well as the 2017 graphic novel adaptation by Damian Duffy and John Jennings. Hear it on the player below:

Interested in listening to more episodes of Miner Recs? You can subscribe with iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or on our Podomatic page.

For more information about the podcast and the DPPL staff who make it, visit our podcast page.

It has been about ten years since we started providing Overdrive eBooks and eAudiobooks through the MyMediaMall portal.

In that time, the number of you checking out, reading and listening to "e" has grown exponentially!

To support that growth, DPPL has worked continuously to improve and expand our offerings and ensure it is easier than ever to check out, download or stream digital materials for free with your library card.

One very visible sign of that improvement:

Starting July 1st, DPPL's Overdrive MyMediaMall name and web address are changing to Digital Library of Illinois and dlil.overdrive.com.  

Continue Reading "DPPL’s Overdrive MyMediaMall Changing to Digital Library of Illinois" →

Editors Note:  this post originally ran in June 2015.  View current ALA Stonewall Book Award lists here and find all the titles at dppl.org/findit

June is Pride Month.

In many cities, month-long festivities celebrating the hard-won rights, contributions, and diversity of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities culminate on Sunday, June 28 in a Pride Parade.  (NOTE: The 2019 Chicago Pride Parade is June 30.)

This year, I will be back in San Francisco, where the legendary parade’s theme is “Equality Without Exception,” a phrase that speaks volumes about the achievements and struggles of this past year.

It’s also a powerful focal point for thinking and talking about books that deal with the lives and issues of LGBTQIA individuals.

How does a novel, poem, play, or essay address equality, sexuality, and gender? And what does that mean to us, the readers?

Continue Reading "LGBTQ Equality Without Exception" →