Forest Park Review Archives - Available now online!

Curious about the history of Forest Park? The Library is now offering access to the Forest Park Review Archives through the library website, dating as far back as 1917.

You can search the Review by keyword (names, places, etc.) or browse through each issue by date. In addition to news articles, the archives feature advertisements, editorials, notices of births, deaths, and marriages. The quality of the earlier papers prior to 1950 does affect searching. We recommend that you scan these earlier papers through manually in addition to trying the "Search" function.

To find the archives, visit our home page at www.fppl.org and click on "Online Research." The Forest Park Review is listed under the link for "Magazine and Newspaper Articles."

Need help getting started? Contact the Reference Desk by phone at (708) 366-7171 or through the Contact Us link on our home page.

Summer of Music (Part 1)

Music can define a summer: driving with the windows down and the stereo turned up; sitting on the porch with friends listening to a favorite CD; the smell of charcoal lighter fluid mixed with the sounds of that perfect summer hit.... Everybody's got a different summer playlist, of course. But here's some music that might end up on yours.

All these CDs are available, for free, at the library. Click on the album name to check our online catalog, or give us a call and we'll set our copy aside for you.

The White Rabbits brought in the summer with their May release, It's Frightening, on TBD Records. This Brooklyn band was named one of the top three bands at SXSW 2008 by NME Magazine, and the Rabbits' mix of inventive rhythms and brooding melody makes It's Frightening a stand out early summer album.



The Black Eyed Peas latest offering is The E.N.D., and the hit single "Boom Boom Pow" may be hard to avoid this summer. Not that anyone would want to.



Japandroid's Post Nothing, out on CD in August, is exactly the kind of trashy, lo-fi garage rock that you want to accompany a night of cheap beer and maybe a charred burger or two. It's music about girls, and guitars, and being frustrated, and not caring, and girls, and maybe a little bit of melancholy. This is an album full of teen anthems, but it's also a reminder that growing up doesn't have to mean giving it all away.

"We used to dream/ Now we worry about dying/ I don't want to worry about dying."



The idosyncratic Bitte Orca from the Dirty Projectors might not provide the summer's best sing-along, but the Projectors' mix of unusual song structures with orchestral beauty may make this the perfect album for a lazy summer Sunday.



For Saturday night, though, there's Passion Pit's new CD Manners. It's the thick synth lines and dance-floor beats that anchor Passion Pit's music, but main contributor Michael Angelakos isn't afraid to bring in horns, a string section, and even a children's choir when the muse takes him. This is music which sees melodrama as a virtue, but these hyperemotional tracks will definitely get your summer block party moving.



There's a lot more music coming out this summer, of course. What's your standout track for Summer 2009?

Summer Reading Thanks!

Ways to Stretch a Dollar

Looking for tips on how to stretch a dollar? In tough economic times, the Internet can provide a wealth of tips on how to save money and live frugally. The Frugal Family Examiner is one excellent example of the great tips available on the Web. Check out tips on saving money on school supplies. Trying to reduce your weekly grocery store bill? This article on Mahalo has some helpful money-saving tips on frugal shopping.

There are also a wealth of government websites that are often overlooked by many Internet users. Check out Mymoney.gov for more information on how to plan a budget. You can also find a free downloadable Excel template to begin your planning your family budget here.


Interested in books about frugal living? Check out some of the following new titles available at the library:

10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Full Budget, Wise Bread (2009)
365 Ways to Live Cheap, Trent Hamm (2009)
$3 Meals: Feed Your Family Delicious Healthy Meals for Less than the Cost of a Gallon of Milk, by Ellen Brown (2009)
Eat Cheap But Eat Well, by Charles Mattocks (2009)
Taste of Home Dinner on a Dime, Readers Digest (2009)
Money Savings Meals, by Sandra Lee (2008)

FPPL Book Club - August selection

Next month's selection for the FPPL Adult Book Club is The Book Thief by Mark Zusack. We will meet to discuss the book on Monday, August 10 at 7:30 pm. Copies will be available at the Circulation Desk. They haven't arrived quite yet, but should be in within the next week so stay tuned.

Join us! And don't forget to check out the Book Club site on Ning, the best way to keep up with future book happenings!

***UPDATE: A handful of books are now available at the Circ Desk!

Introducing the Museum Adventure Pass Program!

Beginning September 1^st, Forest Park Public Library library card holders can receive free admission to 17 exciting museums and cultural institutions throughout the Chicago area. Passes will be available for the whole year. This special opportunity is made possible by a generous contribution from Macy’s, in partnership with the Metropolitan Library System.

You will need to visit the library to pick up a one week pass for the museum of your choice. Each museum is contributing four weekly passes, for two or four free admissions, depending on location. They are available on a first come, first served basis. The Adventure Pass Program replaces the popular Brookfield Zoo Pass program previously offered at the library.

Please note: You can only check out passes from your home library. One Museum Adventure Pass may be checked out per person, per loan period. As of July 1, passes will no longer be holdable in advance.

For a full listing of participating institutions and for check-out guidelines, go to www.museumadventure.org, or visit the Reference Desk for more information!

Happy Birthday, Obliviousness

On July 1st, 1979, Sony changed the future of music listening. That was they day they introduced the Sony Walkman, the world's first portable stereo music player. Pitched as a way to enjoy music anywhere, the Walkman had to overcome some skepticism from people who thought wearing headphones in public was just for the old and hard of hearing. But the new lightweight headphones shipped with the first Walkman caught on, and the product quickly became an iconic symbol of the 20th century.

You can read Sony's own history of the device, or see what happens when a modern 13-year-old trades his iPod for an original Walkman. The online Walkman Museum shows an admirable dedication to nostalgia, and includes a great selection of old ads (including the one pictured here).

Retro- enthusiasts might want to check out the book Retro-electro : collecting technology from Atari to Walkman by Pepe Tozzo. This brightly-colored book includes both a price list and online buying guides. For even more nostalgia, the DVD 80s Tech, originally broadcast on the History Channel, takes a look back at the technologies and inventions that defined a decade.

As 2010 gets closer, we can begin to look back at the first decade of a new millennium. What are the iconic gadgets of the 00s? The iPod? The Roomba? And what do you think is on the horizon for the 10s? Personally, I'm hoping for jetpacks.

-Ben