The Village of Lincolnshire will host an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony with Half Day School students at Vernon Area Public Library on Friday, April 29, at 9 a.m.

Two Illinois-native red oak trees will be planted at the library. The ceremony will include educational opportunities, short speeches from officials, and a Q&A session with the Village of Lincolnshire arborist.

Approximately 20 students from Half Day School's Green Team will attend the ceremony. The Green Team is a passionate group of students whose mission is to inspire and empower the learning community around sustainability. The team identifies and implements solutions to help Half Day School operate in a more environmentally sustainable way.

"It's my pleasure to issue a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day on April 29 in the Village of Lincolnshire. Planting new trees with students is how we educate the next generation on the importance greenery plays in the health of our community and world," stated Lincolnshire mayor Elizabeth Brandt. "All you need to do is look up to see how much pride Lincolnshire has in its urban forest!"

Lincolnshire was recognized in 2022 by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA recipient. This is the Village's 33rd consecutive year being recognized with this distinction. Neighboring Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills, and Riverwoods have also earned this designation.

"When this library building was constructed in 1993, planting trees on the library grounds was a priority for the library board," added Cynthia Fuerst, Vernon Area Library executive director. "Their vision and commitment benefitted all who have visited the library for the past 30 years. We are delighted to be partnering with the Village of Lincolnshire to plant new trees on the library campus in recognition of the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day."

The Vernon Area Board of Library Trustees also recognized the occasion with a proclamation at their April 18, 2022, regular meeting.

The Board of Trustees of the Vernon Area Public Library District (VAPLD) in Lincolnshire, Illinois, seeks an experienced leader with vision and enthusiasm to serve as Executive Director.

The library is located in Lake County, Illinois, about 30 miles north of Chicago. It serves approximately 42,000 people who live in an area known for its top-rated public schools, diverse population, strong business environment, and easy access to the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

This is a wonderful opportunity to lead a library that is supported by an excellent staff, dedicated board of trustees, and engaged community. This opportunity is open due to the upcoming retirement of the current Executive Director.

Apply by April 26 for first consideration. Find details and application information at ​https://www.JohnKeister.com/VAPLD/

Like many other things, reader behavior has changed radically in the past two years, including a surge in the popularity of audiobooks. We caught up with local voice talent Anne Marie Lewis to give audiobook fans a peek behind the curtain: a look at how a narrator transforms words on a page into an immersive world in your head.

How did you get into audiobook work?

I am a voracious listener of audiobooks and eventually realized that most narrators were actors. Being a performer myself, and a lover of reading and of
audiobooks, I wondered how I might do such a thing. I took an entry-level voiceover class at a local acting school and asked questions about narrating audiobooks. The instructor sent me info for a class through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) taught by a local Chicago actor/director.

When starting a new project, how do you prepare?

First rule of narration: READ THE BOOK! This is the only way to understand the author’s intent and style, suss out character traits and motivations, and  find out if accents are required. (There are horror stories of narrators who did not prepare thoroughly, only to learn six hours into recording that the main character is Scottish and lisps!) When possible, I ask the author to provide information about the character’s voice qualities, if this minor character could become a main or recurring character in later installments of a series, their dream casting for the character... I do not impersonate an actor in my read, but knowing who an author might have in mind for a character helps me capture the essence of that character.

If there’s a required accent I’ve never done, I research it, call my dialect coach for one-on-one work, and practice! And there’s always researching names and terms to make sure pronunciations are spot-on.

What might people find surprising about audiobook production?

Making an audiobook is not just sitting in front of a microphone and reading. It takes five to six hours of work for each finished hour of audio, plus the time it takes to prep a script.

After annotating the script with pronunciations, making character notes, directorial notes, tone, and so on, I get in my booth and record. If I am very efficient, I can record one finished hour in 2 – 2 1⁄2 hours. 

Once I finish recording the raw audio, it goes to a proofer who checks for misreads, mispronunciations, inconsistencies with voices, and so forth. I get a list of corrections called “pick-ups,” record those, and send them back to the engineer who then inserts them into the proper audio files, edits the book, and masters the files. At this point, the author or rights holder reviews  the recording for approval, and the audiobook is sent on for retail. Depending on the length of the audiobook, the whole process could take about six weeks.

Do you have any audio narration heroes or a favorite performance that you return to?

Katherine Kellgren is one of my favorites. I think I have listened to just about everything she recorded. She passed away in 2018 but she inspired me to go into audiobook narration. I am also a huge fan of Davina Porter, who voices the entire Outlander series. That’s a TON of recording hours. I am slowly making my way through Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, which is almost 50 hours long! Also I just binge-listened to the Irish Village Mystery series by Carlene O’Connor and delightfully read by Caroline Lennon. Other favorite narrators are Sean Pratt, Johnny Heller, Therese Plummer, Edoardo Ballerini, Will Patton, and Robin Miles.

​I’d also like to mention some terrific locally-based narrators, since you cannot tell where narrators are from when choosing audiobooks: Amy Deuchler, Lindsey Dorcus, Amy Johnson, Stacy Gonzalez, Shaina Summerville and Allyson Voller. There are quite a good number of us Chicago-based narrators!

Anything else you’d like to share? 

I enjoy sharing my narration story and journey, and I’m happy to help. If you are interested in learning more about the process or you are an author looking to bring your book to audio life, I invite you to reach out. Even if I am not the right voice for your audiobook, I can point you in the right direction. We narrators are a tight-knit, well-connected group!

Anne Marie Lewis is a Chicago-based audiobook narrator and accomplished stage actor, with more than 30 years’ experience spanning theater to opera. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA. She can be reached via her website at AnneMarieLewis.com.

Mask use became optional for all library visitors after the Illinois mandate expired and the library board approved the policy change at their meeting on Monday, February 28.

To better serve patrons who are immunocompromised or at higher risk — or anyone who prefers an environment where everyone is wearing a mask — early entry for a “mask required” hour is available by appointment. The service is similar to special shopping hours offered by many retail stores.

Beginning Monday, March 7, visitors with an appointment may enter the library one hour before opening to browse the shelves or use the computers or copy center with the comfort of knowing everyone in the space is wearing a mask.

Services during this hour are limited to unaided:

• shelf browsing
• self-service checkout (VAPLD card required)
• self-service public computer use (VAPLD card required)
• self-service copy center use (bring correct change, see Copy Center info for rates)

Personal assistance is not available. Contactless options are available during regular operating hours for library services such as account matters and reference assistance.

Signup is required. Sign up until 12 p.m. the day before for entry from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, or from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sundays, Sign up through the online event calendar at VAPLD.info/calendar or by calling the adult desk at 224-543-1485.

By signing up for this access, you agree that everyone over age 2 in your party will wear a properly fitting mask at all times and in all library spaces during this hour. Library staff passing through spaces accessible by the public will also be masked.

The library has prioritized health and safety of patrons and staff throughout the pandemic. Significant safety measures are in place at all times, including ventilation enhancements, a vaccine mandate for library employees, and constant monitoring of the local environment.

Your questions or feedback are welcomed. Contact us.

OverDrive app users, changes are coming! The legacy OverDrive app is being replaced with Libby, OverDrive’s newer reading app.

For now, if you are already using the OverDrive app, you can continue borrowing and downloading content as before. 

Later this year, you will need to move to the Libby app, but it is not required right now. We’ll keep you updated about plans and timing for officially retiring the OverDrive app and provide plenty of notice to ensure a smooth transition.

That said, you may want to move sooner — Libby is a pretty great app! It is easy to use and full of fun features. 

Just want to see books for kids? Are you only into audiobooks? With the Libby app, you can set preferences to see only the content you’re interested in.

Libby sends push notifications, so you’ll never miss out on a chance to borrow a book you’ve been waiting for.

The Libby app also offers support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to listen to your audiobooks.

Download and try it today! www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/

One Book, One Community is hosted each year by Vernon Area, Indian Trails,
and Cook Memorial public libraries. This winter’s series, the sixth annual, is
an opportunity to join your neighbors in reading and discussing This Is How It
Always Is by Laurie Frankel. The novel has drawn lots of praise, with the New
York Times Book Review calling it a “deeply satisfying...intimate family story.”
We had a chance to ask the author a few questions.

Q: Your writing centers on family — meeting challenges, making things work, come what may. Are there other authors with this focus who inspire you?

A: Some books I adore about families: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, The World According to Garp by John Irving, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (which famously starts off with musings on this very point), A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth L. Ozeki, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. There are threads of Shakespeare in all my novels, and Shakespeare (who, of course, is great on everything) is especially great on families.

Q: What are the challenges of portraying family dynamics in fiction today?

A: I love writing about families, especially unusual or nontraditional ones. I think, in fact, writing about families is getting easier rather than more challenging as we expand our definition of what and who we count as family. Of course family dynamics are endlessly complicated — by definition, they’re the people we’re stuck with, even if they’re people we’ve chosen to be stuck with — which sometimes makes for tough trips home or tough evenings around the dinner table or tough vacations but also makes for excellent novels.

Q: If a reader takes just one message from This Is How It Always Is, what would you like it to be?

A: Wider ranges of normal make the world better for everyone! Can you tell readers about the significance of the title? I can, but I can’t take credit for it.  The line in the book is mine, but it was a sales rep reading an early draft who realized it wasn’t just a line but the titular line. It was certainly the idea with which I went into the book. Most parents won’t have a transgender child, but most parents will have a child who is sometimes gender nonconforming, and all parents will sometimes have a child who is nonconforming somehow. 

Transgender kids are presented so often as so unusual and so anomalous, but in fact, I think this is how it always is. Every parent I know has had the experiences described in this novel, and if the particulars vary (and they do, endlessly) the core — that part where your kid needs something and you’re not sure what but you are sure you’ll go to the ends of the earth to do
the best you can to figure it out — remains the same.

A "One Book, One Community" finale event with author Laurie Frankel will take place on February 26. For more information, visit 1book.org or pick up a program booklet at the library.

After 13 years as head of the much-loved Vernon Area Public Library District, Director Cynthia Fuerst will retire later this spring. 

The search committee of the Vernon Area Public Library Board of Trustees will meet on Wednesday, January 26, to discuss plans for a comprehensive search for the next library director — a task for which they may seek the assistance of an executive search firm.

Fuerst intends to remain in her role until later this spring. No firm departure date has been set. “I wanted to give the board plenty of time to ensure that this will be a smooth transition,” said Fuerst. 

“On the one hand, the board is very sorry to see Cindy leave,” said Library Board President Marc Fenton. “She has been a tremendous asset to the library and our community, and for that, we are thankful. But we are happy for her and excited for her next chapter. She will truly be missed but we wish her well."

Fuerst has served as director of Vernon Area Public Library since January 2009. 

During her tenure, Fuerst has overseen several library building improvement projects, the most recent of which took place in 2021. “A drive-up service window was a wishlist item on the long-term plan,” said Fuerst. “When the pandemic forced the building to close, it became an immediate priority.” The library opened the new contactless service window in July 2021.

Another bold change instituted by Fuerst: In 2015, Vernon Area was among the first public libraries in the Midwest to eliminate overdue fines for patrons. “No one likes library fines. Not borrowers, not libraries: no one,” said Fuerst. “We decided it was time to rethink that approach.” Vernon Area’s successful fines-free program has since been replicated at many other U.S. libraries. 

Prior to taking the helm at Vernon Area, Fuerst served as director of Kankakee Public Library for 13 years. She was nationally recognized by trade magazine Library Journal as a "Mover and Shaker" in 2005. She served as president of the Illinois Library Association in 2018.

“It has truly been a privilege to serve at this exceptional library,” said Fuerst. “It has the winning combination of a supportive Board of Trustees, a dedicated management team, talented staff, and a community that values education. It is well positioned for future success. I am confident that the board will find the right person to be the next library director, and I sincerely look forward to seeing what comes next for Vernon Area.”

Residents in the Lincolnshire–Buffalo Grove area are invited to drop off “Hearts for Heroes” at collection bins at Lincolnshire Village Hall, Buffalo Grove Police Station or the Vernon Area Public Library drive-up window or Youth Services desk through Monday, February 6.

“Hearts for Heroes” asks local residents to buy or make Valentine’s Day cards for local first responders, healthcare workers, veterans, mail carriers and their own personal heroes.

“Taking some time to create a special message for the people who keep us safe, healthy and connected is a thoughtful way to thank them for their service,” said library spokesperson Janice Kellman. “The library is happy to be part of coordinating this expression of thanks from our community.”

Cards for first responders will be distributed to fire and police departments in Lincolnshire and Buffalo Grove. Cards for veterans will be distributed to local veterans by the office of Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10).

Residents are encouraged to distribute their cards for their mail carrier on their own and to create and send cards to others who they might feel especially grateful for right now, such as teachers, childcare workers, delivery drivers and other personal heroes.

A PDF file with templates and dropoff instructions are available for download from the library website.

Vernon Area Public Library is counted among America’s Star Libraries for 2021, as recently announced by Library Journal. The distinction places the library in Lincolnshire among the top 4.6 percent of all public libraries in the United States.

America’s Star Libraries is an annual ranking of public libraries by Library Journal. The index scores libraries according to amount of use, including visits, circulation, program attendance, public Internet computer use and circulation of electronic materials. 

Among the more than 5,800 public libraries assessed for 2021, the top performers — "Star Libraries" — are assigned three, four, or five stars, much like Michelin Guide ratings. The result is a short list of public libraries nationwide that demonstrate the highest level of engagement with their communities. Vernon Area Public Library District received three stars. 

2021 Star Library status was awarded to just 261 libraries nationwide, 15 of which are located in Illinois. Locally, Barrington Area, Ela Area (Lake Zurich), Mount Prospect, and Northbrook public libraries received recognition along with Vernon Area. 

The 2021 scores and ratings are based on data collected from July 2018 through June 2019. 

Ronald H. Balson is a celebrated author and a local resident. His novel The Girl from Berlin won the National Jewish Book Award and was a selection for Illinois Reads. He is also the author of Eli’s Promise, Karolina's Twins, The Trust, Saving Sophie, and the international bestseller Once We Were Brothers. His newest, Defending Britta Stein, was published in September.

Q: Attorney, author, professor...what was your first job?
A: My first job after college was teaching elementary school in Chicago. I taught special education to teenage boys in a Chicago public school for seven years and I loved it. During that time, I went to law school at DePaul University at night. After graduating, I began practicing law, but I didn’t stop teaching. I taught business law at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in their evening program for twenty-five years.

Q: What's your favorite Chicagoland destination?
A: Perhaps Chicago’s greatest asset is to be located alongside the world’s nicest freshwater lake. We have had an open-bow boat since the kids were little, and we have always enjoyed the water and the beaches.

Q: Which authors do you most enjoy reading?
A: My interests lean toward history and historical fiction. For that reason, I enjoy reading Leon Uris, Herman Wouk, James Michener, Jon Meacham, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. For her style and use of the language, I am a big fan of Joan Didion. Because I am writing a story about Roosevelt and World War II, I am currently reading No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A: It seems as though I have always been a writer. I was an editor of my high school and college newspapers. I have been writing briefs, memoranda, and appeals as an attorney for forty-nine years. In the back of my mind, I think I have always had an urge to write creatively. The “inspiration” or “motivation” to write my first novel came when I was involved in a telecommunications lawsuit that took me to Poland. It’s pretty hard to spend time in Poland and not be moved by its history. After my time there, I wrote Once We Were Brothers about a Polish family during the war.

Q: What do you hope your readers take away from Defending Britta Stein?
A: The story of the Danish people and their courage during the Nazi occupation is unique in World War II history. As a country, they rose up together to resist the German takeover of their society. When the order was issued by the German command to deport all the Danish Jews to a concentration camp, the Danish people, acting as a whole, hid all their Jewish brethren from the Gestapo, and shuttled them by fishing boats to safety in Sweden. In Defending Britta Stein, I have attempted to convey the essence of that Danish spirit; that although Denmark was subjugated militarily, the Danish spirit was never conquered.

Q: Is there someone who particularly inspires you?
A: I am continually inspired by my wife and children, who do great things every day.

This interview appeared in the fall 2021 edition of ​Library Quarterly