Community Calendar

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.

Take part in the 2026 City Nature Challenge and join the Boone County Conservation District on guided hikes to explore different habitats and see what's blooming!

Join NRM staff Ben Davies and Aaron Minson to explore the habitats of Distillery Conservation Area while looking for different flora and fauna species! Expect a longer hike as we take the time to capture the beauty of this site. An introduction to iNaturalist will precede the hike.

iNaturalist is a free, fun, and easy app and website that allows people to post observations about wildlife and plants. Researchers from around the world can use the data uploaded to help them make informed land management decisions and better understand local plants and animals.

City Nature Challenge is a worldwide movement to document nature and help fight biodiversity loss! Every observation made of WILD nature is a data point that helps scientists and researchers understand and protect nature for all. It began in 2016 as a friendly competition between San Francisco and L.A. and quickly grew to 159 cities across 6 continents in 2019. Last year alone, City Nature Challenge had 35,000 participants that made nearly 1 million wildlife observations and documented over 1,000 rare, threatened, and endangered species. It is organized by California Academy of Sciences and Natural History Museum Los Angeles County.

Enjoy a three-day motorcoach trip from NIU to Shipshewana, Indiana Countryside Amish Adventure. Motorcoach transportation, 2 nights lodging, 4 meals, guided tour of Indiana's Amish country, Amish homestead dinner, visit Nationally recognized Shipshewana Trading Place & downtown Shipshewana.

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.

Join us each month for a fun and relaxed art or craft class designed especially for older adults. Each session features a simple, hands-on project — no experience necessary! Come enjoy creativity, conversation, and the satisfaction of making something to take
home. Class costs range from $10-25 depending on project.

April Project: Pages From a Pulp: A Handmade Paper Workshop
Create beautiful handmade paper and transform it into personalized mini books
or greeting cards in this fun, hands-on workshop.

This documentary examines the events leading up to the May 4th, 1970, shooting of unarmed students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University, which left four students dead and thirteen wounded. Told through firsthand accounts, the film places the tragedy within the broader civil rights and anti–Vietnam War movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

The shootings sparked the largest student strike in U.S. history, spreading to more than 3,000 campuses nationwide. Just ten days later, police killed two students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, an event that received far less national attention. The film traces how years of organized activism, racial injustice, opposition to the Vietnam War, and inflammatory political rhetoric created the conditions for these acts of state violence.

Featuring more than twenty personal testimonies, Fire in the Heartland offers an intimate look at a pivotal moment in American history and provides critical context as campus protests and state responses once again shape national conversations. The film is 56 minutes, not rated, and made possible through Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.

Adults ages 19 and older are invited to join a hybrid community book club that brings readers together to explore the American Revolution through shared reading, short film clips, and conversation. Each month, participants will view a preview from the PBS documentary The American Revolution by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, along with additional short videos connected to the featured book, followed by an informal group discussion.

The featured title for this session is “The Ride: Paul Revere and the Ride That Saved America,” by Kostya Kennedy, a vivid and newly researched retelling of Paul Revere’s April 18–19, 1775 mission. Drawing on archival records, letters, diaries, and contemporary accounts, the book reveals the ride as a far more complex and precarious event than the familiar legend, one involving a loosely coordinated network of riders, near-disaster, capture by British forces, and crucial contributions from lesser-known figures who helped spark the opening moments of the Revolution. Written with pace and drama, the book restores the tension, teamwork, and high stakes of this foundational American story.

The program runs approximately 45–60 minutes and is free and open to the public. Virtual registration is available at: https://shorturl.at/XejdY. Copies of the book are available at the Granville Branch.

Early childhood educators play an essential role in shaping the social, emotional, and physical development of young children—yet their own wellness is often overlooked. To support those who care for the youngest learners, a professional development training, “The Eight Dimensions of Wellness for Early Childcare Providers,” will be offered, providing 1.5 hours of Gateways credit to Illinois early childhood professionals.

This engaging and interactive session explores how the eight dimensions of wellness—emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual—impact both teaching practices and overall well‑being.

Participants will walk away with practical strategies they can implement immediately in their classrooms, as well as tools to support their own health and professional sustainability.

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.

Lowden Gallery Artist: Ellen "Ellie" R. Bartels
March 1 - April 30

​Ellie has a BA degree in Education and a BFA in Studio Art , both from the University of Washington. She taught art, K – 12, in Orangeville, Il for 12 years. She currently lives in Freeport, Il.

Ellie states, “ The process of transforming paint and canvas into an appealing and effective image scares, frustrates, excites and inspires me.

My work starts out with a subject or theme in mind, usually based on my personal response to nature or a past experience, and a general plan on how to accomplish my goal. As it progresses spontaneity and intuition take over and my unconscious becomes the director.
​
I have found that both oils and acrylics work well as vehicles for translating my inner vision to outer reality. Both comply with my enjoyment of layering paint and working the canvas by scraping, rubbing, scratching through, dry brushing, etc., to create depth and texture and to bring the surface to life.

It is my wish that the viewer will want to spend time with my work, to contemplate its meaning, discover its complexities, or to just enjoy the colors and shapes.