September is Hunger Action Month!
Bloomingdale Public Library is a collection location for Hunger Action Month throughout September. Please bring non-perishable food to the library and fill our lobby drop-boxes with materials to feed those in need.
Stop by for Free Comic Books!
We’re partnering with Keith’s Komix to offer free comic books for all ages!

Stop by the Adult Services Reference Desk for your free comic now through September.

For children, drop in to Youth Services for a giveaway bag of comic books and nerdy crafts, and enter to win a special prize!

All comic giveaways are while supplies last through the month of September.
Digital Resource & Programs
We have been working to bring our usual range of information and programming to the virtual world. Keep a look out for more information as available.
Click here for updates on accessing your favorite databases from home,
like Ancestry.com, CreativeBug and Kanopy.

You can also watch previous programming on our
YouTube channel at your convenience
Lewis & Clark's Trail
(Outbound, 1804 & 1805)
Monday, September 14
7:00 p.m.

In this Zoom presentation, outdoor enthusiast John Lynn features photography from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail,  focusing on the outbound portion of the journey from the Mississippi to the Pacific coast. Drawing on Lynn’s modern travels by mountain bike, the program places special emphasis upon the Corps of Discovery’s difficult 400-mile crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains in today’s Montana and Idaho, the last 180 miles down the Columbia River and along the Pacific Coast in today’s Washington and Oregon, and on to winter quarters at Astoria, the saltworks at Seaside, and over Tillamook Head to its point of farthest reach at Cannon Beach, Oregon. 

Wednesday, September 16 | 7:00 p.m.

Join us for a Zoom presentation by Gary Sosniecki, author of The Potato Masher Murder: Death at the Hands of a Jealous Husband. The author will discuss his book about his great-grandparents, and answer questions about the methodology involved in writing about family members. Click here to register.
Virtual Computer Programs
Google Docs & Cloud Computing
Monday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Google provides a number of free cloud applications perfect for safe storage or collaboration with friends, family, or colleagues. Learn the basics of working with these tools to create, edit, and share documents. We will also discuss various online backup and storage options for security or convenience.

This program will be available on our YouTube channel. See all of our Computer Class videos on our YouTube Computer Classes playlist.

Virtual Teen Programs
Teen CHICAGO Scavenger Hunt
September 13-19

Take part in a virtual scavenger hunt for a chance to win an e-gift card. Winners will be announced when the scavenger hunt closes. One entry per teen, grades 7-12. Click Here to Start!
Teen Take & Make - STRING ART
Registration begins September 14

Follow the step-by-step instructions to learn three simple techniques to make creative images, including a fun fox, a darling dandelion, a cute cat, and an awesome owl.

Please email Katie Yager on or after September 14 to register for a kit: kyager@mybpl.org
Limited to 10 teens.
Virtual Weekly Youth Storytimes & Programs
As virtual programs begin to be more plentiful, check our calendar and our Facebook events for more details and availability.
Tech Time Online:
How Do I School Online? Google Docs Secrets
Week of September 6-12

Grades 3-6

Using a Google Classroom, children can access different lessons to get computer help online. We will cover the basics of Google Drive and give them some secrets to success. We will also cover some other fun ways to tune up children’s computer skills.  If there is a question that is not covered by the lesson, submit it to lblount@mybpl.org and the topic will be added to the lessons.
Take It, Make It:
Baby Storytime
Video available now!

Register for Baby Storytime at Home then pick up your free bag that includes a board book, shaker egg, bottle of bubbles, and booklet filled with lap bounces, fingerplays and songs! Be sure to watch Miss Keri's video on BPL's YouTube channel to get tips on how early literacy is incorporated into this at-home storytime with your baby. Click here to watch the video on our YouTube channel.
Take It, Make It:
Space Out!
Grades 1-6
Material Pick Up: September 21-25
Video Available: September 25

We will provide you with materials to learn all about space virtually through crafts, stories, and activities. Pick up a kit that will have materials to make constellations in your room, practice materials for putting planets in order, and more.  
Virtual Program:
Wednesday Storytime
Wednesdays, 10:00-10:30 a.m.
(then available any time*) on YouTube
*Copyright restrictions only allow our storytime videos to be shown for a limited time and will be removed based on agreements with publishers.
Outdoor Kids' Activities
Outdoor Photo Scavenger Hunt for Kids
Calling all detectives: Join our Outdoor Scavenger Hunts! Each month a new page will be in the new box to the left of our front door. Grab your sheet, look for the matching images, unscramble the clues and spell the mystery word! Once you've found all of the clues and solved the puzzle, bring your sheet to the Youth Services Desk to receive a prize!
Kindness Rocks
Take a walk along Fairfield Way and check out our Kindness Rock Garden!
Take one for inspiration,
Share one for motivation,
Leave one to help our garden grow!
Take It, Make It - Kid's Craft Kits
Want to create a craft? Each week, staff will design new craft kits for 24/7 pick-up at our library craft container along Fairfield Way. Stop by anytime to take a kit to make at home!
BPL General Information:
The library has resumed normal business hours. All in-person library programs and meeting room reservations are cancelled through October 31, 2020.

Virtual Programs: Enjoy our virtual programming via FacebookYouTube, and Zoom.

Online Services: Many services are available online when the building is closed: library card registrationeBooks and downloadsonline learning.

Questions: Please check our FAQ or contact us.
Latest Updates: Check our websiteFacebook page, or by signing up for our eNewsletters.
PLEASE remember that, at this time, we are NOT accepting material donations of any kind. Do not leave boxes of books, papers, DVDs/CDs, etc, outside our doors. We are not able to bring these materials indoors, and left outside they are a hazard and will be damaged by weather. Please hold materials until an announcement is made after we reopen that we are once again accepting donations. We thank you for your patience.
Zoom a Librarian
Need some help with our Library eBooks, streaming movies, databases, or other services? Set up a one-on-one Zoom appointment with us, and a librarian will teach you via video chat.

To make an appointment, call us at 630-924-2730 and leave a voicemail or email us at bdref@mybpl.org
Rent a Tech...from home!
Want 1 on 1 computer assistance on any topic? Call Sean at
630-924-2766 to schedule a phone or Zoom appointment with someone in our Computer Services department. 
Wi-Fi Extended throughout Parking Lot
BPL has installed an exterior Wi-Fi antenna to our building so that our Wi-Fi signal now extends throughout our parking lot and Gazebo area. Residents without home Wi-Fi may now use this resource for remote learning, downloading of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines and more. We have designated the back row of our parking lot as the official Drive-Up Wi-Fi location and is signed as such. Please remember to keep up social distancing rules. Remember that this is a parking lot that is still used by the Village of Bloomingdale and others, so observe all safety precautions as normal. Wi-Fi is availabe 8:00am to 10:00pm every day.
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