Apr 04 Saturday
April is Citizen Science Month, and the Library invites the community to take part in hands-on projects that contribute to 2.5 Million Acts of Science, a national America250 initiative celebrating civic participation and discovery. Citizen science empowers everyday people to support real scientific research by observing and sharing information about the world around them.
Featured projects include Stream Selfie, which helps document the health of local streams through shared photos; Globe at Night, an international effort to measure and raise awareness of light pollution; and iNaturalist, a global platform for recording plants and wildlife to help scientists monitor biodiversity. Information on how to participate in all three citizen-science projects is available at the Library. All projects are free and open to the public and are suitable for adults and families alike.
The free AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program will again be available at the DeKalb Public Library and is for people with low to moderate incomes. AARP Foundation Tax -Aide volunteers will be available by appointment most Saturdays from February 7 through April 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Be sure to bring a photo ID and all necessary tax documents, as well as last year’s return forms.
Please sign up for an appointment by contacting Frances at (815) 991-9418.
For more information, please contact the reference desk at (815) 756-9568 ext. 2150 or at reference@dkpl.org.
Apr 05 Sunday
Apr 06 Monday
Apr 07 Tuesday
The Tallest Dwarf follows filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman as she searches for her place in the little people community and unpacks rumors of dwarfism in her own family. Through intimate stories, creative collaborations, and archival history, the film delves into identity and medicine, asking whether society should change people or the structures that limit them. The film is 60 minutes, not rated, and is made possible through Independent Lens.
What do you do when the company that employs your town is also making it sick?
This powerful investigative documentary follows the small, working-class town of Crossett, Arkansas, where decades of pollution from Georgia-Pacific, one of the nation’s largest paper mills and chemical plants, have left residents facing serious health consequences. Georgia-Pacific is privately owned by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch through Koch Industries, a corporation that produces many familiar household brands, including Brawny paper towels, Quilted Northern, Angel Soft toilet paper, and Dixie paper cups.
Crossett’s story is not unique. It represents countless American communities caught in a painful bind: economic dependence on major employers whose operations may be harming public health and the environment. Often unseen and unheard, these towns bear the hidden costs of industrial pollution. The film documents one man’s determined fight to protect his community, and asks urgent questions about corporate responsibility, environmental justice, and who pays the price for everyday products.
The film is 1 hour and 30 minutes, not rated, and made possible through Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.
If flowers could speak, what would they say? Sarah Taylor from the Colonel Palmer House will kick off our Prairie Roots program series to discuss the origins of plant taxonomy, symbolic and historic meanings of flowers, flower arrangements through history, symbolic gardens, and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to create a “Tussie Mussie” craft (a historic bouquet with a secret special message using fresh flowers).
Advance registration is required. Free to attend.
Apr 08 Wednesday
This hands-on program celebrates bees and other pollinators through storytelling and a creative activity. Participants will create pollinator seed bombs using clay, soil, and seeds, offering a fun and meaningful way for the community to learn about and support a healthier environment. This program is geared to youth ages 5 and older and is free and open to the public.