Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District News

Paula McLain Tickets

Most of us know or think we know who Ernest Hemingway was -- a brilliant writer full of macho swagger, driven to take on huge feats of bravery and a pitcher or two of martinis -- before lunch. But beneath this man or myth, or some combination of the two, is another Hemingway, one we have never seen before.

Join us as we celebrate the many faces of Hemingway with The Paris Wife author Paula McLain at an exclusive cocktail party and book talk on July 19. Buy tickets at http://obtv.eventbrite.com/

- (Posted on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 11:12 AM)

Access us on the go!

Use your mobile device to find what you want.

Search and reserve books and movies on the fly. Download eBooks and eAudiobooks to your phone or tablet. Find and register for library programs. Scan the ISBN barcodes of books you find in bookstores, or even at a friend’s house, to see if they are available at your library.

The Winnetka-Northfield Library mobile app gives you the power to search and explore the library, wherever you are! Search for books, movies, music, and more. Place holds or renew items, find out about upcoming events, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us.

To install the Winnetka-Northfield Library mobile app on your iPod, iPad, or iPhone, go to itunes.com/apps/winnetkanorthfieldlibrary. To install the app on your Android device, visit winnetka.boopsie.com.

- (Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 2:37 PM)

Notice of change in meeting

The Study Session of the Board of Trustees of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District that was scheduled for April 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm has been changed to a Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District. The Special Meeting will take place on April 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm at the Winnetka Library located at 768 Oak Street, Winnetka, IL 60093.

- (Posted on Monday, April 2, 2012 at 3:23 PM)

Board Names Two New Trustees

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday, March 19 to appoint Winnetka resident Jennifer Merlin and Northfield resident William Frazier to the board.

“The Library Board was fortunate to have fourteen outstanding candidates. We are delighted that so many residents volunteered to serve the library district, and our decision was not easy,” said Board President Bob Sanfilippo. “The Board would like to thank all of the candidates for applying.”

Merlin, a banking consultant, is an active member of the Winnetka community. She currently serves on the Winnetka Women’s Golf Club, and has been active with the Winnetka Chamber of Commerce, Winnetka Hockey Club, Winnetka Women’s Club, and the Junior League of Evanston. “I have been impressed with the way the Winnetka-Northfield Library [District] has tried to change and meet the needs of the community over the recent couple of years,” wrote Merlin on her application. “Technology has changed the way people will use libraries and other research sources, [and] I would like to participate in that planning.”

Frazier, an avid reader and frequent library user, is serves as Associate General Counsel for the University of Chicago Medical Center. A graduate of the Harvard Law School, he is also a member of the New Trier Board of Education Caucus and the Middlefork Tennis Club officer. “I am sure there many challenges in this time of changing technologies yet limited resources, and I feel it is important that the communities have adequate resources in this regard,” Frazier wrote on his application.

Frazier and Merlin will be sworn in at the April 16 regular Board meeting. The Board of Trustees had two vacancies after Trustee Kathleen Hamilton and Trustee John Jansson resigned for personal reasons. According to state library law, the Board of Trustees is charged with filling the vacant positions by appointment. Merlin and Frazier will serve unexpired terms through May 2013.

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District serves a population of 17,000 Winnetka, Northfield, and Kenilworth residents. The District has a $3.3 million budget and operates two facilities.

- (Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 3:40 PM)

Board Names New Director

The Board of Directors of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District is pleased to announce that Tena Wilson will be the district’s new Library Director. Her appointment is effective April 23, 2012.

Ms. Wilson currently serves as Public Services West Team Manager for the Cleveland Public Library, where she oversees the daily operations of 14 libraries staffed by more than 130 staff members. Before joining the Cleveland Public Library in 2006, Ms. Wilson worked for the Stark County District Library in Canton, Ohio where she planned and implemented programming for middle and high school students. Ms. Wilson is an active member of the American Library Association, with experience serving on committees and presenting at conferences. Prior to entering the library field, Ms. Wilson spent 15 years in corporate marketing and sales with much of her work focusing on equipping libraries.

Ms. Wilson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Secondary Education from Tennessee Temple University and a Master of Library and Information Sciences degree from Kent State University.

In making the announcement, Bob Sanfilippo, President of the Board said, “On behalf of the Board, we are delighted that Tena will be joining the library district as Library Director. Through her experience at the Cleveland Public Library and Stark County District Library, Tena has developed a set of library management skills that we believe will be invaluable in leading our library district. We are most impressed with Tena’s focus on customer service, a factor that is very important to our residents. We look forward to working with Tena to fulfill the library district’s mission of providing exceptional service, reliable information, enriching programs, and welcoming spaces for our residents.”

In accepting the position, Ms. Wilson said, “What a privilege it will be for me to serve the residents of Winnetka, Northfield and Kenilworth – patrons who very obviously support and appreciate their libraries. I look forward to working with the talented library staff to continue to introduce new and innovative services to the community.”

Residents will have the opportunity to meet Ms. Wilson at a reception on April 16 at 8 p.m. at the Winnetka Library. The reception will follow the Board’s regular monthly meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.

The Board would also like to recognize the dedication and hard work of Juli Janovicz, Head of Adult Services and Assistant Library Director, who was appointed last October as Interim Library Director. Ms. Janovicz will continue to serve in that capacity until Ms. Wilson begins her service on April 23. Board President Sanfilippo said, “Juli’s willingness to step in and lead during this transition period is a testament to her professionalism. We appreciate her commitment to the library district and that of the entire, outstanding district staff.”

- (Posted on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 9:40 AM)

Board Seeking New Members

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District Board of Trustees is seeking two new trustees, one from Winnetka and one from Northfield, to fill vacancies on the Board.

The Board of Trustees is charged with filling the vacant positions by appointment, according to state library law. The selected individuals will serve unexpired terms through May 2013.

The Library Board’s primary responsibilities are to hire and supervise the Library Director, adopt a strategic plan for the Library District, determine the library policies, determine the Library District’s annual budget and tax levy, and approve and audit the Library District’s expenditures.

The Board conducts its business through monthly regular Board meetings and monthly study sessions. The average time commitment for a trustee is usually approximately 15 hours per month. To be eligible to serve as a trustee, an individual must be a resident of the Library District and a registered voter.

To apply for the trustee position, individuals must download the application from the library’s website and submit it to Interim Library Director Juli Janovicz by March 5, 2012. The Board plans to interview the candidates at 7 p.m. on March 14 at a special meeting.

For more information, please email questions to julij@winnetkalibrary.org or call the Interim Library Director at (847) 446-7220.

- (Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 2:42 PM)

Board Names Interim Director

The Board of Trustees voted on October 17 to appoint Juli Janovicz as the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District interim director. Janovicz is currently the Library Assistant Director and Head of Adult Services.

Janovicz joined the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District staff as the Head of Reference in 1989. She was quickly promoted to the Head of Adult Services and, this year, appointed Assistant Library Director. She holds a Masters of Library Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and previously worked for the Zion-Benton Library District and the Kenosha County Public Library District.

“The Board is pleased that Juli Janovicz has agreed to serve as the Interim Library Director during this period of transition,” said Board President, Bob Sanfilippo. “With her long tenure as Head of Adult Services and her recent acceptance of Assistant Library Director responsibilities, Juli brings to this position a clear understanding of how the Library District operates and the needs of its patrons.”

Library Director David Seleb announced his resignation to the library board and staff on September 26. Seleb accepted the position as library director of the Indian Trails Library District in Wheeling, IL and his last day at the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District will be October 26.

The Board of Trustees is in the process of selecting an executive search firm to assist in its search for the new director.

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District serves a population of 17,000 Winnetka, Northfield, and Kenilworth residents. The District has a $3.3 million budget and operates two facilities.

- (Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:01 AM)

Board Recognizes the Service of Four Residents

At their October 17 regular board meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District recognized the contributions of four district residents who served on the Strategic Planning Committee.

The four residents honored are Kate Azar, Suzanne Canfield, and Dina Crnkovich of Winnetka, and onathan Don of Northfield.

The Board of Trustees appointed the residents to the twelve-member Strategic Planning Committee in December of 2009 to study the needs of the community regarding library district services, to recommend a process and timetable to develop a strategic plan based on its findings, and to create and recommend a strategic plan for final adoption by the board.

The plan, which was approved in July, provides a new mission and vision statement for the district and will serve as a guide for the future.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the residents of the Library District, I want to thank these four individuals for agreeing to serve on this important committee and for their conscientious work over a seventeen-month period,” said Bob Sanfilippo, President of the Board of Trustees.

“The members of the Strategic Planning Committee, both staff members and community members, met tirelessly for over a year and a half to deliver a plan that outlines a bright future for the Library District. Their contributions were invaluable, and I thank them sincerely for their service,” said Library Director David Seleb.

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District serves a population of 17,000 Winnetka, Northfield, and Kenilworth residents. The District has a $3 million budget and operates two facilities.

- (Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 9:59 AM)

Library Director Resigns

Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District Director David Seleb announced his resignation to the library board and staff on September 26. Seleb has accepted the position as library director of the Indian Trails Library District in Wheeling, IL. His last day at the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District will be October 26.

In his resignation letter, Seleb wrote, “I am proud of my accomplishments of the past four years, in particular my leadership of the Strategic Planning Committee and completion of the district’s new strategic plan. I am confident that this plan will lead to a stronger future for the library.” Seleb added, “The staff members of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District are the best with whom I have ever worked, and I leave the library in their capable hands.”

Seleb joined the library district in November 2007 after serving as director of consulting and continuing education for the Metropolitan Library System in Burr Ridge, IL.

“I want to thank David, on behalf of the entire Winnetka-Northfield library community, for his many contributions to the library district over the past four years. David’s leadership in the development of the district’s recently adopted strategic plan was especially valuable,” said Bob Sanfilippo, president of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District Board of Trustees. “We wish David much success in his new position at Indian Trails.”

The Board of Trustees will meet soon to discuss the naming of an interim library director and to develop a plan for a library director search.

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District serves a population of 17,000 Winnetka, Northfield, and Kenilworth residents. The District has a $3 million budget and operates two facilities.

- (Posted on Monday, September 26, 2011 at 4:02 PM)

Northfield Branch Closed

The Northfield Branch is closed on Sunday, August 14 due to a power outage.

The Winnetka Library is open as usual.

- (Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 1:19 PM)