Rock Island Library Line April 22

Have some personal documents you want securely shredded?

Bring them to the Rock Island Library Community Shred Day, Thursday, April 25. The drive-up and drop-off event is outside the Main Library downtown, 401 19th Street, along the south (alley) side of the library. Drop off items from 3:30 to 5:30 pm with representatives of Document Destruction & Recycling Services, a certified shredder. Items will be shredded in bulk at the monitored DDRS plant in Davenport. The service is free and open to anyone.

The commonly accepted birthday for William Shakespeare is April 23, but we're hedging our bets by celebrating twice! Join us for two fascinating programs next week on works of the great Bard:

Who is Macbeth? Tuesday, April 23, 6:30 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Don Wooten and the Genesius Guild celebrate the bard's birthday with a look at this fascinatingly complex character and play.Who was MacBeth really? What do we know about him?

Shakespeare's The Tempest: Thursday, April 25, 6:30 pm, Rock Island Main Library. Believed to be the last play Shakespeare wrote alone, The Tempest continues to fascinate actors and audiences. Find out why, as we watch a scene presented by Rockridge High School actors, followed by a discussion from the Prenzie Players.

Independent Movie. Foreign Letters: Thursday, May 2 at 6:00 pm, Main Library. Ellie, a 12-year-old immigrant girl from Israel, is lonely and homesick. Life brightens when she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age. Based on the filmmaker's own experience, Foreign Letters is a story about prejudice, poverty, shame, and the power of friendship to heal us. Movie is in English, Hebrew, and Vietnamese with English subtitles.

Also on May 2 - Monthly half-price Friends book sale at 30/31. Sale open during library hours, 9 am to closing time. Display of quilts also opens at Main Library art gallery.

Bike Touring and Book Writing, Monday, May 13, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, Rock Island Main Library - 401 - 19th Street. Chuck Oestreich will informally discuss his novel, "Bicycle Moon," and lead a discussion about practical tips for touring on a bike.

Andersonville of the North? Rock Island Civil War Prison film/discussion: 6:30 pm, Thursday, May 23. Heritage Documentaries screens a 33 minute on the Rock Island Civil War prison camp on Arsenal Island, with discussion afterward by members of Heritage Documentaries, who made the film.

• Maybe you remember that electric moment when Bob Dylan amped up his guitar, maybe you don't. But the history of classic rock is filled with game-changing moments, some of which we'll explore at our May "America's Music" programs at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street:  
  • Rock 'n' Roll film and discussion:5:30-7:30 pm, Tuesday, May 7. Film: History of Rock n' Roll: Plugging In.
  • Rock Music Performance, featuring Meet the Press. 6:00 pm, Thursday, May 9. First formed in 1984 with Robbie Bahr, John Resch, Dan Allen and Steve Law, Meet the Press reformed in 2012 with Bahr, Resch and Law. The band had local radio hits in 1985 and 1986, and toured with Edgar Winter, Foghat and Head Start.

America's Music is a grant-funded series of film viewings, discussions and performance events at Rock Island, Moline, Bettendorf and Davenport Public Libraries, River Music Experience and Western Illinois University-Quad Cities. For more events in the series, or to add your own musical memories to the Quad Cities Music oral history project,  visit www.americasmusicqc.com

A new awareness service from Prairie State Legal Services is available twice a week at the Main Library, 401 19th Street.

Trained volunteers from Prairie State Legal Services will be available from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays on the 2nd floor to offer information and assistance with navigating public benefits for food, cash, medical assistance, disability and township assistance.

Prairie State Legal Services volunteers cannot offer legal advice.

Start your family's Saturday off right with tales from around the world for the whole family!

Each of the short storytimes start at 10:00 am, and include a fun activity:

Saturday, April 27: Main Library Children's Room