Indian Trails Public Library notes

For information or to register, call (847) 459-4100 or visit www.indiantrailslibrary.org.

Almost all Indian Trails Public Library District programs are free and everyone is welcome; however, most programs require registration in advance, unless otherwise noted.

Coffee House: High school students can express themselves in poetry, art, song or short stories at 7 p.m. today. Refreshments will be available.

Chess for All Ages: Bill Harrison will be available to teach people of all ages the joys of playing chess at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. All skill levels are welcome. No registration is required; just drop by.

Family game day: All ages are welcome to play Nintendo Wii, Guitar Hero II and Dance Dance Revolution at 2 p.m. Sunday. Water and snacks will be provided. Children 6 and under must be accompanied by an adult caregiver. No registration is required.

Book discussions: Heather Resnick will lead a discussion of "A Redbird at Christmas" by Fannie Flagg at 7 p.m. Monday. Registration is required.

• Tom Hermann will discuss "The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness" by Joel Ben Izzy from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Registration is required.

Bells of St. Mary's: Come and enjoy the English hand bells and hand chimes, preformed by the students of St. Mary's School at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The group is composed of students in fifth through eighth grade. Brigid Cantagallo and Joyce Campobasso will direct the choir. Registration is required.

Storytimes: Toddler Family Storytime will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Encourage a child's preliteracy skills with stories, songs and finger plays. This 30-minute program is designed for ages 18 months through 36 months and their caregivers.

• Bilingual Storytime: Children 3 to 7 years and their families are invited to listen to stories, rhymes and sing songs in English and Spanish from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 22.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows": The final book is out, and fans know how J.K. Rowling ended the tale, but students in third grade and up can share how they would have ended it and discuss what happened to all of the other characters from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Refreshments will be served. Registration is required.

Create Wrapping Paper: Students in sixth through 12th grade can create their own wrapping paper from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Registration is required.

Poetic License: Poetic License, a writer's group specifically for poets, will meet at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 26. Members share creative ideas, learn about publishing markets, engage in writing exercises, and read poems aloud with co-facilitators Charlotte Willour and Sharon Faciana. Registration is required.

Feed the Birds: Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will make a simple bird treat to hang outside, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Dec. 28. Registration is required.

New Year's Eve Party: Kids ages 5 to 10 are welcome to ring in the New Year at the library's early party from 11 a.m. to noon Dec. 31. Make a craft, play a game, make some resolutions and have snacks while waiting for the "midnight hour" at noon. Registration is required.

Read-With-Me: Children ages 5 and under and their parents can join the Winter Read-With-Me program and "Take a Ride on the Reading Railroad." Sign up at the "Ask Here" desk. Those who complete the program will receive a free paperback book. The program runs through Feb. 18; the last day to register is Feb. 9.

Read-to-Succeed: Children between the ages of 6 and 14 can join the Chicago Wolves' "Read to Succeed" program by signing up at the "Ask Here" desk. Participants will be given a reading log to keep track of time spent reading through Feb. 18. Upon completion, participants will receive a free paperback book, and a chance to win prizes from the Chicago Wolves. The last day to register is Feb. 9.

IM help available: The library is ready to provide information via instant messaging through AOL or Juno: indiantrailslib. IM the librarians to receive timely information.

E-Media: Movies can be downloaded and watched on laptops or PCs. Print e-books can be read on computers and PDAs. Digital audiobooks can be played on PCs and transferred to many portable devices, and many can be burned to CD for playback on a portable CD player or car stereo.

A valid Indian Trails Public Library District card is needed to download digital books. Download, install and activate the free reader software from the library's Web site, select the desired books, check them out with a library card, download and listen or read.

Online homework: Help Indian Trails Library patrons have access to Live Homework Help for both Macs and PCs via the library's Web site.

Professional tutors will answer all questions related to English, math, science or social science for fourth through 12th grade, up to pre-college work.

In English, this service is available from 2 to 10 p.m. seven days a week. It is available in Spanish from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Visit the library's Web site and go to Live Homework Help. Students ask questions via instant messaging. No advance appointment needed, just an Indian Trails Library card.

AskAway: Get assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week with AskAway, a reference service staffed by professional librarians. Access this service via the library's Web site.

Trace your family tree: Indian Trails Public Library District has new resources that use technology to make tracing family trees easier. HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Editions, Web-based reference tools from ProQuest Information and Learning, will allow patrons to start exploring their roots by searching a surname. Anyone with an Indian Trails Public Library District card can log on to HeritageQuest Online through the library Web site or come into the library to dig into Ancestry Library Edition's millions of records, as far back as the 1700s.

War records database: The Indian Trails Public Library District now offers a database that makes 90 million war records, from Jamestown in 1607 through the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, available to everyone seven days a week.

With wars come millions of records that can shed light on family history, detailing everything from soldiers' height to their stats in military baseball leagues.

Beyond the military records, Ancestry Library Edition makes it possible to search census, Social Security, immigration, birth and marriage records.