Library to Begin Using Photos
Westchester Public Library will soon begin taking pictures of library patrons which will be used to verify patron identity when materials are checked out. The photographs will help library staff in a number of ways.
1. The display of the photo will prevent someone from using a lost or stolen card and from running up charges on patron accounts.
2. A photo will enable library staff to identify patrons to enable them to check out materials if they have forgotten to bring their library cards to the library.
3. A photo will enable library staff to quickly identity both children and adults in the library in the event of an emergency.
4. A photo will help library staff identify patrons who have been banned from the library for misconduct or who have been observed committing theft or vandalism in the library.
Photographs will be taken when library cards are renewed or new cards are issued. All photographs are confidential library records.
Library patrons can request in writing that the library card photo requirement be waived, stating their reasons for requesting the waiver. If the patron who receives a waiver wishes to check out materials without the library card, or renew a library card, library staff will need to see other forms of positive identification in order to verify the patron’s identity. Additional identification required might include a driver’s license, automobile registration, property tax statement, fishing license, voter’s registration card, or a piece of delivered mail.
Westchester Public Library serves the residents of Westchester Township, and has reciprocal borrowing agreements with most of the other public libraries in the area. The towns of Chesterton, Porter, Burns Harbor, and Dune Acres are in the library district, with two branches available to patrons. The main branch, Thomas Library, is located at 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton (926-7696). Hageman Branch is located at 100 Francis Street, Porter (926-9080).
For more information call the library at 926-7696.
Library to Close for Memorial Day
Both branches of Westchester Public Library, the Westchester Township History Museum and the Library Service Center will be closed for Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. Library buildings will reopen Tuesday, May 27, and will resume regular hours. The Chesterton Adult Learning Center and the office of the Westchester Township Trustee will also be closed on Memorial Day.
Thomas Library, located at 200 W. Indiana Ave., is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Hageman Library, located at 100 Francis St., Porter, is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday from 1-5 p.m. and is closed on Sunday. The Westchester Township History Museum, housed in the Brown Mansion at 700 W. Porter Ave, is open Wednesday-Sunday from 1-5 p.m. The Library Service Center, located at 100 W. Indiana Ave., is open as needed for meetings.
Eating Well for Healthy Living Series at Thomas Library
Adults interested in learning more about how foods affect our bodies in different ways are invited to attend Eating Well for Living Healthy at Westchester Public Library. The program will take place in the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. Registered Dietetic Technician Gia DeMartinis will lead the program. Registration is not necessary.
Fad dieting actually compromises the body’s metabolism. Join DeMartinis on Monday, May 19, from 3:30-4:30 pm to find out how to apply tools that will help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and optimal health in Keys to Healthy Weight Loss.
DeMartinis earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity Christian College with a Biology major and a minor in Chemistry. She also earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Nutrition from Central Arizona College. She has worked at Kraft General Foods performing vitamin analysis of foods. She also served a Dietetic internship at Methodist Hospitals in Gary and Merrillville and Methodist Cardiac Rehab Center and Outpatient Diabetes Clinic, and worked at Methodist Hospital in Merrillville.
For more information, please call the Reference Department at 926-7696.
Bits and Bytes Continues at WPL with Introduction to Google Apps
Bits and Bytes will continue Wednesday, June 4, from 1-4 pm at Westchester Public Library, with Introduction to Google Apps. Attendees will meet in the Bertha Wood meeting room on the second floor of Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. The class is free, but registration is required as space is limited. Registration for the class will begin on May 21. To reserve your spot, visit or call the Serials Department or register online at http://www.wpl.lib.in.us/. Click on the Bits and Bytes link.
Google is more than just a search engine. Google has changed the way people access and interact with information on the internet. Google information tools include Google Maps, Google Books, Google Images, Google Earth and YouTube. Google also creates tools that allow you to combine information about yourself with information on the internet as well as collaborative tools to help you work and play with others.
Some of the collaborative tools that will be explored in the class are Google sites, Gmail, Google Calendar, Latitude and Google Docs and Spreadsheets.
For more information, please call the Serials/Automation Department at 926-7696, extension 1125.
One Book One Community Book Panel Discussion at WPL
Westchester Public Library is participating in One Book, One Community this year with the book The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, and Hageman Library, 100 Francis Street, Porter, each have multiple copies of the book. Patrons are encouraged to check out, read, and talk about The Art Forger.
The public is invited to the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library for a panel discussion about the book. Individual panelists will discuss issues raised in the book (such as forgery and ethical issues) from their professional fields of expertise and research they have done on the subjects, with a question and answer time to follow.
Panel Moderator will be Gregg Hertzlieb, Director/Curator at the Brauer Museum of Art in Valparaiso. Other panetists include Nina Corazzo, Art Historian at Valparaiso University; Lubeznik Center for the Arts (Michigan City) Education Director Janet Bloch, and Terry Hiestand, Attorney from Chesterton.
For more information, call Thomas Library at 926-7696.
Grand Opening for New Permanent Exhibit at the Museum
Join the Westchester Township History Museum staff and guests at the grand opening reception for the new permanent exhibit Westchester Township: Our Story, on Saturday, May 24 at 2 p.m. at the Westchester Township History Museum, 700 W. Porter Avenue, Chesterton. Refreshments will be served.
Westchester Public Library opened the museum in 1998 as a free cultural and educational service to celebrate and preserve the history of this community. In 2005, the museum moved to its present location in the historic Brown Mansion, an 1885 Victorian house located on Porter Avenue in Chesterton. Last year, the Westchester Public Library Board of Trustees approved a project proposal to remodel the exhibit space in the Brown Mansion to create a more modern, visitor-friendly look and layout.
The new exhibit space was designed by Museum Curator Serena Sutliff with the help of staff members Joan Costello, Registrar; Eva Hopkins, Researcher; and Susan Swarner, Educator. The entire staff spent months writing and editing text, choosing images and objects, and organizing the exhibit. The wall designs were created by the Grossbauer Group of Chesterton.
New elements of the exhibit include kid-friendly text delivered by the exhibit's new guide, "Little Eva." Little Eva will give kids and adults interesting bits of information about local history.
After such hard work, the staff is proud to announce the completion of the space and have planned a celebration to officially reopen the permanent exhibit. Join special guests State Senator Karen Tallian and State Representative Scott Pelath as well as several county, township, and town leaders. House tours will be scheduled throughout the afternoon.
The museum is open to the public Wednesday-Sunday from 1-5 pm or by appointment.
For more information, please call the museum at 983-9715.