Event: Sunday, March 21, 2:00 p.m. Come learn about collecting antique radios from local resident Howie Herman who has collected radios for 20 years. Explore history through the antique radios of the Golden Age of broadcasting, 1930 to 1950, and beyond. Vintage microphones and photos of old time radio personalities from before and after World War II compliment the display. If time permits, a vintage radio broadcast will be played. Not forgotten is the Cold War nuclear era, the nation's craze with UFOs, and the coming of rock music all of which affected radio broadcasting. A slide show will carry viewers through part of radio's long history and explore the fascinating variety of radios built by over 600 American companies including RCA, Zenith, Setchell Carlson, Philco, Trav-Ler, Belmont and others.

Pre-registration is appreciated so that we can have a seat available for you. Call (734-4927), email (mmlib@comcast.net), or stop by the library. Refreshments will be served.

Event: Wednesday, March 24, 2:00 - 7:00 pm. Find out if the State of Illinois has cash or valuables owed to you.

According to the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer, you may be among the millions of people, businesses and heirs who have cash or valuables owed to you in the State of Illinois. Because banks and businesses are required to turn over unclaimed property to the Treasurer’s Office if they are unable to locate the rightful owner after five years, this property can be restored to you.

A representative from the Treasurer's Office will be at the library to help you discover if you are owed property and help you complete and submit the appropriate forms to claim that property.

The library has a list of individuals and businesses that are owed $50 or more. Stop by any time during regular library hours and see if your name appears on that list. You might be surprised! The list includes more than 3500 names of Ogle County residents, with about 350 of these having Mt. Morris addresses.

Best books of the year.

Some of the best books of 2009 are on display --and available for checkout--at the front of the library. These titles appeared on the annual "best of" lists in sources such as Publishers Weekly, New York Times Book Review, Booklist, People Magazine, Amazon Editors' Choice, Chicago Tribune, Library Journal, etc.

Wolf Hall, a work of fiction by Hilary Mantel, appeared on nearly every list. It also won the prestigious Man Booker Prize. Other titles that topped the lists are Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes and Good Soldiers by David Finkel (both nonfiction), and Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon (fiction) and Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (short stories).

100 most popular movies of all time.

We have just added a new DVD collection to our video section. We are now offering the 100 most popular movies of all time, based on box office revenues (adjusted for inflation). This includes titles such as Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, The Ten Commandments, and Cleopatra.

Other video collections include Academy Award Best Picture winners, the American Film Institute's 100 Best American Films and Best Comedies, Golden Globe Best Drama winners, films based on literature, Hollywood classics, musicals, family friendly dramas, documentaries, travel, fitness, and more. And, of course, we have many movies for children and young adults.

There is no charge to borrow movies, however there is a limit of two DVDs per library card. Movies may be kept for one week.

Our weekly preschool storyhour will begin on Friday, March 5. Activities start at 10:30 am and will include stories, fingerplays, songs and treats. The sessions are about 45 minutes long. Children pre-K through kindergarten are invited to attend. If your child has a short attention span, please plan to have an adult stay with him or her. Registration for this program is greatly appreciated. You may call (734-4927) or email (mmlib@comcast.net) or sign up at the front desk.

Please note: There will be no Storyhour on April 2 (Good Friday).