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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" →

On the latest episode of Miner Recs, Dave, Jami, Joel and Tony celebrate our space-themed summer reading program by discussing various books about science. These include The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark by Carl Sagan, The Cosmic Cocktail: Three Parts Dark Matter by Katherine Freese, Brief Answers To The Big Questions by Stephen Hawking, and Undeniable: Evolution and the Science Of Creation by Bill Nye. 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.

On the latest episode of Miner Recs, Dave, Tony and Joel discuss The Man In The High Castle, a television series on Amazon Prime which adapts Philip K. Dick's novel of the same name. The book and show depict a dystopian alternate history in which the Allies have lost World War II. 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.

Board games are a multibillion dollar industry that is growing every year.  

So, DPPL is bringing the games to you with our circulating collection.  

That’s right, you can bring a board game home from the library to play with your family and friends.

Continue Reading "4 Reasons to Checkout a Board Game at DPPL!" →