Give the Gift of Reading: November 1-30
Donate new children's books throughout November. All books will go to families in our area whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold and will be distributed through the Wheeling Township Adopt-a-Family program. We are collecting new books for children and teens from infancy to age 18. Books in Spanish are also welcome. Drop off your book donation in the collection bin on the first floor of the library. New books only please.

Is your school, community group or business interested in collecting books for the book drive? For more information on how

As holiday season approaches, shopping goes into high gear! Whether you’re looking for great gifts, buying items or services for yourself or your home/business, or even planning a health resolution for the new year, you can use the library’s online resources to help make your purchases smarter! Try these tools: 

ConsumerReports.org
Our most popular source for reviews, ConsumerReports.org gives you thousands of unbiased reviews on cars, electronics, appliances, health care products and much, much more. Its handy, mobile-friendly site makes it easy to check at the store, where you can compare the products on the shelf in front of you! 

It all began with a photo of Kim Kardashian.

Bestselling author Fiona Davis began Tuesday’s signature One Book, One Village (OBOV) event by sharing the moment that sparked her idea for The Stolen Queen. It all started with an unexpected New York Times article about the 2018 Met Gala involving Kim Kardashian. The piece described how Kardashian posed beside an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus on the red carpet, and how those viral photos ultimately led to the artifact’s repatriation.

“I read that and I thought, okay, that’s the story,” Davis recalled. “We’ll use the Egyptian wing and this ancient art, and

Need help?
In addition to the pantries listed below, many local churches also have food pantries. Google ‘food pantries near 60004’ or call the library at 847-392-0100. Call the location to learn more about what they offer.  

Local food pantries:

• Northwest Compass: Call 847-392-2344 or email info@NorthwestCompass.org to access the Food Connection Program at 1300 W. Northwest Highway, Mt. Prospect.
• Wheeling Township: Call 847-259-7730 to access the Food Pantry. Food Pantry shopping appointments are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.
  • If you have registered for the Food Pantry before, please call for an appointment

National Native American Heritage Month, celebrated each year in November, is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation. Learn more at ahml.info/native_american.

The library's November newsletter is now available online! Discover what's happening at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library this November including our Native American Heritage Month programming, our Holiday Book Drive, our news about the catalog and more.

Read the November newsletter here.

The online edition includes live links to easily register for your favorite programs and services. You can also register through the library's online calendar or by calling 847-392-0100.

Visitors who stop by Recreation Park can take a stroll while enjoying the library's new StoryWalk®. The seasonal children's story currently on display is Follow the Track All the Way Back by Timothy Knapman, a story about Little Train who goes out on the track all by himself for the first time. The new permanent StoryWalk® at the park is funded by the Arlington Heights Park District and the Arlington Heights Memorial Library Foundation.

The Arlington Heights Memorial Library StoryWalk® debuted in June 2025 as part of the Arlington Heights Park District's 100th anniversary celebration at Recreation Park. The StoryWalk®

What do Queen Amidala from Star Wars, Rita Repulsa from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Drizella from Cinderella all have in common? They’re just some of the many characters that award-winning cosplayer, costume designer and Makerspace Specialist Lisa Hale has brought to life.

Graduating from Dominican University with a degree in Fashion Design in 2006, it was just a few years later when Hale discovered the art of cosplay. Cosplay, which is a blend of the words “costume” and “play,” is a type of performance art where costumes are used to bring life to characters from movies, TV shows, video

On Saturday, September 27, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library welcomed over 200 guests for One Book, One Gala, a special after-hours event inspired by New York City’s iconic Met Gala. The celebration was designed to reflect one of the key settings in this year’s One Book, One Village selection, The Stolen Queen by New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis. It marked the second gala in the library’s history, with the first being the Fairy Tale and Fantasy Gala held in 2016. 

Guests were greeted with a red-carpet experience with cameras flashing as attendees posed for photos in a scene

Whether you're in middle school, high school or college, the school year brings research assignments - and the library has a great selection of online tools that let you find reference and magazine articles, detailed overviews, and even one-on-one live tutoring when you need help with a class or topic. Find these sources and more under Research>Databases.

Summon & Summon Research Assistant
Magazine, journal, newspaper and reference articles from multiple databases and vendors at once. The new "Summon Research Assistant" link leads to an AI-powered tool that summarizes articles based on natural-language questions, based on published articles.

Google Scholar