Researching Your Family Tree: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2:30 to 3:30 pm or Oct. 8, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm,  Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street Curious to research your family history but not sure where to start? The Rock Island County Genealogical Society can help! The hour-long session will help participants get their research started.

Irena Sendler: Angel of the Warsaw Ghetto. Tuesday, Oct. 1st, 6:30 to 7:30 pm,

Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.

As a Polish Catholic social worker during WWII, Irena Sendler risked her life to save others. With ingenuity, calmness and courage, she was responsible for rescuing 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. Irena never thought of herself as hero, and said she simply did what needed to be done, and followed her heart. In this 60-minute performance and question and answer session, Judy Winnick will portray this extraordinary woman.

Event presented in partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities.

Independent Movie Night, Thurs., Oct. 3, 6:00 pm.

A father and daughter pose as refugees to find a home with a well-off family in Jerusalem. Hebrew with English subtitles. 89 minutes.

Movies (and popcorn) are free and open to the public. Movies are not rated; content may not be suitable for all.

Friends of the Rock Island Library host their monthly half-price book sale on Thursday, Oct. 3, 9:00am to 8:00pm, Rock Island 30/31 Branch Library, 3059 30th Street. Used book and material sale; benefits Rock Island Library programs.

The Rock Island Public Library has partnered with the University of Illinois Extension on an opinion study aimed at gathering public input on library services, usage patterns, and perceptions.

Library users have until October 5, 2013 to complete an online survey that will provide the library with input on why they do or do not use libraries, the services they find most beneficial, and their feelings about the role of the library in their community. To take the survey, click this link:

A printed copy of the survey may also be picked up and completed at the Rock Island Main, 30/31 or Southwest Branch Libraries.Development of the survey was funded by a grant from the Rock Island Community Foundation.

Uprisings: Illinois Miners Revolt! Wednesday, Oct. 9th, 6:30 to 7:30pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. IllinoisRoad Scholar Rosemary Feurer will discuss the role of miners throughout the state, incorporating the lost history of African-American miners, and the first successful miners uprising in 1897-1898. Also, learn how downstate miners during 1894-1935 created a culture that led to an uprising against their union, mining corporations, and state and federal officials.

This program is made possible in part by an award from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Getting Started with Computers, Monday, Oct. 7th, 11:00 am to noon, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. This one-hour class starts with the very basic lessons on computers and how to start using them. Registration is required - space is limited. Call the Rock Island Library's Reference Desk, 732-7341, to sign up. No computer skills are required.

Library How-To: Download Music, Thursday, Oct. 10th, 2:00 to 3:00 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.Learn how to use the Library's music service, to download music to your computer and personal devices. Participants must have a Rock Island, Bettendorf, Davenport, or Sherrard District Library card to use Freegal.

Getting Started with the Internet, Tuesday, Oct. 15th, 11:00 am to noon, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. This class will help you to use the Internet more effectively. Learn about some of the Library's databases, search engines, and how to move around online. Reservation is required - space is limited. Call the Rock Island Library's Reference Desk, 309-732-7341, to register. Keyboarding and mouse skills required.

Getting Started with Email, Monday, Oct. 21st, 11:00am to noon, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.  Need help setting up an email account or learning how to use yours?  This class should help!  Learn how to send email, attach files, and more!  Registration required - space is limited.  Call the Rock Island Library's Reference desk, 309-732-7341, to register.  Keyboarding and mouse skills required.

Getting Started with Microsoft Word, Monday, Oct. 28th, 11:00am to noon, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Want to learn more about Microsoft Word?  Learn how to create letters, papers, and work on your resume.  Registration is required - space is limited.  Call the Rock Island Library's Reference desk, 309-732-7341, to register.  Keyboarding and mouse skills required.

Library How-To: Download Books, Tuesday, Oct. 29th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, Southwest Branch, Learn how to use the Library's ebook and eaudiobook service OverDrive, to download books to your personal devices and computer.

E. A. POE: Edgar Allan Poe's Imagination!, a one-man show on the work of Edgar Allen Poe with Dan Haughey  will be presented Monday, Oct. 14, 6:00 pm at the Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street.

Actor Dan Haughey becomes a modern literary critic for a prominent newspaper as he interprets excerpts from some of Poe's most entertaining and creative works. In this 45-minute drama some of Poe's greatest poems, short stories, and satires, including   The Raven, Annabel Lee, The Bells, and The Tell Tale Heart  Haughey both performs and critiques Poe's work in the guise of a skeptical critic.

The program is free and open to the public.

Books for Kids Trivia Night, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6:30 to 9:30 pm

Teen Gaming Night, Thur., Oct. 10, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Teens can play Xbox 360 and Wii Games on the library's big screen, try out some board games, and enjoy snacks, For ages 12 to 18 only.

Teen Iron Chef contest: Tues, Oct. 15, 6:00 to 7:00 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.  Teens ages 12 to 18 can take part in a monthly Iron Chef competition. Choose your ingredients and test your culinary skills against other teens for the next Iron Chef crown. Ages 12-18 only.

Teen Allegiant Party, Tues, Oct. 22, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Celebrate the release of the final book in the popular "Divergent" teen book trilogy by Veronica Roth. Snacks, trivia, plus a movie, for ages 12 to 18.

Teen Halloween Party, Thurs., Oct. 31, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.  Celebrate Halloween at the Rock Island Public Library. Snacks, scary movie, costume contest & games for ages 12 to 18.

Works by Dee Schricker will be on display at the Main Library from Oct. 2-31.

Entitled "Unique Techniques," the show is open for viewing during regular library hours.  Works include paint, raku clay work, fabric and metal. Ms. Schricker is a partner in the Boho Chic Fine Arts gallery at Bucktown Center for the Arts,  225 E 2nd Street, Davenport.

"Creating, whether it is clay, painting, fabric art or even a new glaze recipe, is my daily passion.  To make something beautiful out of a lump of clay, a blank canvas, odd pieces of cloth or found objects, gives a satisfaction I cannot find anywhere else.  When someone purchases a piece of my art to display in their home, to me it is an honor like no other," Dee Schricker.

Lectures on "It IS a Small World After All: Globalism's Impact on Literature, Art and Culture" will be offered in the Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street, at 2:00 pm on Tuesdays, October 22, 29, November 5 and 12.

Join us in October for:

Tuesday, October 22: Dr. Peter Kivisto, who holds Augustana's Richard A. Swanson Chair in Social Thought and was this year named Distinguished Professor at Finland's University of Turku, will speak on the role of ethnicity in the 21st century, setting the stage for a series that explores the gradual erosion of racial and societal dividing lines.

Tuesday, October 29: Dr. Margaret Morse, a member of Augustana's Department of Art History, will provide an overview of African Art from the College's collection, examining these works in their original contexts while discussing how Western perceptions of African masks and sculpture have influenced traditional and current artistic production on the continent.

The fall partnership has brought Augustana College professors into the Rock Island Main Library since 1998 for college-level lectures on literature, art, music and the sciences with no tests or grades. This year's series is dedicated to the memory of late library board member Ruth Evelyn Katz, who created the series as part of the Library's 125th anniversary. (The name refers to an architectural feature surrounding the top of the Main Library building.)