OPAL programs for February

Join us for a variety of great programs in OPAL this month. A wonderful series on Illinois authors will begin with mystery author Julia Spencer-Fleming; February 16 is the Day of the Digital Audio Book; the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Curator Kim Bauer will talk about some of the curiousities of Abraham Lincoln; and you can discuss the love lives of the British royals.

OPAL programs are web-based programs where people can get together to view a power point, website, and more, and interact via text chat and audio.

All programs are free and open to everyone. To attend a program, to to the OPAL auditorium at
http://67.19.231.218/v4/login.asp?r=67955673&p=0
type your name and click enter.

OPAL programs are sponsored by a variety of member libraries. If your library would like to join OPAL or you have questions about OPAL, please contact OPAL Coordinator Tom Peters at tapinformation@yahoo.com

OPAL programs are web-based programs where people can get together to view a power point, website, and more, and interact via text chat and audio.




Wednesday, February 8, 2006 beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:
Topic to Be Announced
Join us for a fascinating tour of some of the digital riches at the Library of Congress. Presented by the librarians at the Library of Congress.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Wednesday, February 8, 2006 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 2:30 Central, 1:30 Mountain, 12:30 p.m. Pacific, and 9:30 p.m. GMT:
Illinois Authors: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Award-winning mystery author Julia Spencer-Fleming grew up in places as diverse as Mobile, Rome, Stuttgart and Syracuse. Her debut novel, In the Bleak Midwinter, won the St. Martin's/Malice Domestic, the Dilys, the Agatha, the Anthony, the Macavity and the Barry Awards. A Fountain Filled With Blood received a Barry Award nomination, and Julia's latest Clare Fergusson novel, Out of the Deep I Cry, was a 2005 Edgar Award finalist. Julia lives in the Maine countryside with three kids, two dogs and one husband. Organized by the New Lenox Public Library District and the Geneva Public Library. Both libraries will be offering live, on-site showings of this online presentation.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Thursday, February 9, 2006 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 2:00 Central, 1:00 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 8:00 p.m. GMT:
Great British Love Stories: How They Changed the Course of History, and Where You can Read More About It
British history is full of romantic fables, tales, and true stories about royal love affairs and how they affected history: from the love triangle of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot; to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn; to Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville; to our own century with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. This interactive program will introduce or reintroduce you to these fascinating romances, how they affected history, and some fiction and non-fiction books where you can read more about it. Come and share your favorite British love story. Presented by Lori Bell from the Alliance Library System of central Illinois.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Thursday, February 16, 2006 :
Day of the Digital Audio Book
This inaugural event for LibraryU Live! will include online self-paced LibraryU modules combined with a day of live events in the OPAL online auditorium and will feature three separate sessions on the exciting and innovative activities going on in libraries in the area of digital audio books. A bonus "brown bag lunch" will provide participants with the opportunity to listen to experts talk about their experiences with a range of creative digital audio book programs.
This special day of online events and discussions if free of charge, but we do ask that you Register.
Presented by OPAL and LibraryU.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.


Wednesday, February 22, 2006 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 10:00 a.m. Central, 9:00 a.m. Mountain, 8:00 a.m. Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
Lincoln: Ironies, Curiosities & Weird Stuff
Kim Bauer, Curator for Lincoln Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library for the past ten years, will present this OPAL session on "Lincoln: Ironies, Curiosities & Weird Stuff". Mr. Bauer will discuss some of the interesting facts that he has discovered as Lincoln Curator for the Lincoln Collection. Join us for this informative session on Abraham Lincoln. Sponsored by the Rolling Prairie Library System
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Wednesday, February 22, 2006 beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7:00 Central, 6:00 Mountain, 5:00 Pacific, and Midnight GMT:
Book Discussion of the classic Russian novel, The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The melodramatic tale of Fyodor Karamazov and his sons: Alyosha, Dmitri, Ivan, and the illegitimate Smerdyakov. The death of the father and conflicts of faith are key themes in this panorama of nineteenth-century Russia. This novel has it all: love, lust, murder, money-grubbing, religious doubt, social problems....
NLS audiobook version: RC 50370 (8 cassettes; read by Ken Kliban)
This OPAL public event will be held in the Atrium.

OPAL is administered by the Alliance Library System, the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service, and the Mid-Illinois Talking book Center.