Chicago Deskset 2nd Annual Book Drive

One year ago, the Chicago Deskset had our very first event at The Grafton.

chicago deskset

Come join us again for our one year anniversary! We will be taking book donations for the incarcerated teens at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center. This is a great cause and last year we were able to raise hundreds of books! Let’s do it again! Here is a breakdown:

Where:

The Grafton Pub and Grill         (Western stop, Brown Line and there is also ample street parking and a paid lot across the street)
4530 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL


When: Saturday, April 9th, 2011 2:00pm-5:00pm

What to bring: as many YA books as your tote bag can handle!

Who is invited: Library workers, students, book lovers, friends, family! If you are interested in our mission, then you are invited!

We’ll also be raffling off a gift certificate to Unabridged Bookstore!

Please make sure you RSVP if you plan on attending.

If you are interested in helping out or you just have questions, shoot us an email at:

chicagodeskset@gmail.com

Also check out our website: http://chicagodeskset.com/

We look forward to seeing everyone!

– The Deskset Crew

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DeskSet, March 18th 2011 | Tags: , ,
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Chicago Deskset: Successful first event

Hey all,

Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for attending, and for those who could not make it we have heard you.  Save the date for the next event, Sunday May 23, 2010.  Location and more information will be forthcoming.

So the first event was a MAJOR SUCCESS.  We had over 100 people attend and collected more than 350 books for the teens.  We made connections, shared stories, and had a great time.

We just want to take a moment to thank the Grafton for letting us take over their bar.  We want to thank the Unabridged Bookstore for donating the gift certificate.  We want to thank Leah White, Adam Girard and Anthony Molaro for organizing the event and the organization.  Most importantly, we want to thank YOU!!!  Thank you for stepping up and donating!  Thank you for stepping up to offer help with future events, and steering the organization!  Thank you for letting your voices be heard!  And thank you for just hanging out!!!

A survey for those who could not make it and pictures will be forthcoming.































-Anthony Molaro, on behalf of the Chicago Deskset

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DeskSet, April 11th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
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Deskset Book Drive – Tomorrow

Hey All,

The big day is tomorrow!!!  Just wanted to send out a final update.  We have over 70 people marked as coming with another 50 or so as maybe.  We are looking for a big turnout.  As for books, new paperbacks is what we are looking for.  Other books will gladly be accepted and rerouted to another institution.

We have received some great publicity.  Check out the feature on the Chicago Deskset over at the Chicagoist.

We hope that you are as excited as we are.  The article shows the need for us to come together and step up, and I’m glad that we are doing it.  We are looking forward to meeting and seeing everyone tomorrow.  We have been busy planning this and future events.  And to those who cannot make it this time, we look forward to seeing you at the next event!

P.S. If you forgot, here are the details of the event:

Where: The Grafton Pub and Grill (Western stop, Brown Line and there is also ample street parking and a paid lot across the street)

When: April 10th, 2010 3:00pm-5:00pm

What to bring: one (or more!) age appropriate paperback book, ideas of future charities/fundraisers you would like to support

Who is invited: check out our About Us page for details but just about everyone! Library workers, students, book lovers, friends, family! If you are interested in our mission, then you are invited!

We’ll also be raffling off a gift certificate to Unabridged Bookstore, mingling and just getting together to decide where this group will go next!

Here is the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=363072017991

Please make sure you RSVP if you plan on attending. If you don’t have a facebook account, please leave a comment below letting us know you plan on attending. Also please note that The Grafton has asked us to have table by table tabs. So be prepared with either cash or be willing to split tabs! And if you are interested in helping out or you just have questions, shoot us an email at:

chicagodeskset[at sign]gmail[dot]com

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DeskSet, April 9th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
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Another Message from the Chicago Deskset

Wow, just wow!  We have over 200 members and over fifty confirmed attendees with another 50 maybes.  Please RSVP and share the Deskset.  The group has taken off far faster than we thought.  We have been interviewed by local journalists, and will share the links when they are available.  We have also been spotlighted over at the Gapers Block.

From the last post:

We look forward to celebrating the beginning of National Library week with you. We are asking, because this is our first event that you RSVP as attending or not attending.  We need to provide firm numbers for the Grafton so that they place us in the proper room and have sufficient staff.

We believe the time for a grassroots organization like this is at hand. Let’s begin to bring change to the profession and our beloved city.  This group will bring us closer together and allow us to be more socially responsible to our beloved Chicago.  We recognize that we are stronger together.  This is our organization, our profession, and our city.  This is our voice, these are our stories, this is our conversation, and we will not be shushed anymore!

To close, an excerpt from the Prisoner’s Right to Read Statement, “Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours. When free people segregate some of their own, they acquire the responsibility to provide the tools required to bring the prodigal home. Chief among those tools is a right to read.”

-Anthony Molaro, on behalf of the Chicago DeskSet

P.S. If you forgot, here are the details of the event:

Where: The Grafton Pub and Grill (Western stop, Brown Line and there is also ample street parking and a paid lot across the street)

When: April 10th, 2010 3:00pm-5:00pm

What to bring: one (or more!) age appropriate paperback book, ideas of future charities/fundraisers you would like to support

Who is invited: check out our About Us page for details but just about everyone! Library workers, students, book lovers, friends, family! If you are interested in our mission, then you are invited!

We’ll also be raffling off a gift certificate to Unabridged Bookstore, mingling and just getting together to decide where this group will go next!

Here is the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=363072017991

Please make sure you RSVP if you plan on attending. If you don’t have a facebook account, please leave a comment below letting us know you plan on attending. Also please note that The Grafton has asked us to have table by table tabs. So be prepared with either cash or be willing to split tabs! And if you are interested in helping out or you just have questions, shoot us an email at:

chicagodeskset[at sign]gmail[dot]com

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DeskSet, April 1st 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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First Event!

Come one, come all and start off National Library Week with the very first meeting of the Chicago Deskset! We are getting together to meet up, hang out and hold a book drive for incarcerated teens in the Chicago area. The Juvenile Temporary Detention Center at Ogden and Damen is looking for age appropriate, paperback donations. (examples: Harry Potter books, Twilight Series, Percy Jackson books, etc.) Here is a breakdown:

Where: The Grafton Pub and Grill (Western stop, Brown Line and there is also ample street parking and a paid lot across the street)

When: April 10th, 2010 3:00pm-5:00pm

What to bring: one (or more!) age appropriate paperback book, ideas of future charities/fundraisers you would like to support

Who is invited: check out our About Us page for details but just about everyone! Library workers, students, book lovers, friends, family! If you are interested in our mission, then you are invited!

We’ll also be raffling off a gift certificate to Unabridged Bookstore, mingling and just getting together to decide where this group will go next!

Here is the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=363072017991

Please make sure you RSVP if you plan on attending. If you don’t have a facebook account, please leave a comment below letting us know you plan on attending. Also please note that The Grafton has asked us to have table by table tabs. So be prepared with either cash or be willing to split tabs! And if you are interested in helping out or you just have questions, shoot us an email at:

chicagodeskset[at sign]gmail[dot]com

We look forward to meeting everyone!

9 Comments

DeskSet, March 13th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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Keep it local!

At Chicago DeskSet we believe in strengthening our local community. By choosing a local focus we aim to have fun, encourage networking, provide an engaging forum for the development of information-focused projects and to find creative ways to “give back” to  groups that we can help out.


Please contact us to find out how you can get involved.



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DeskSet, March 12th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
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About Us

The Chicago Deskset is a group of bibliophiles, librarians, archivists, information professionals, friends of libraries and those just crazy enough to support us. Our goal is to create an environment in which collective intelligence can thrive through social events and give something back to our community, supporting charities near and dear to our hearts. We believe that our local focus will make our projects more effective and rewarding for everyone involved. In other words, it’s where social responsibility hits the streets of Chicago, librarian-style.


The Chicago DeskSet was founded on 2/20/2010 to connect Chicagoland librarians by Adam Girard, Leah White and Anthony Molaro who believe that united we can make the profession more successful. We were inspired by The Deskset and owe them a debt-of-gratitude for spear-heading the idea.







Anthony Molaro is the Head of Technical Services and Automation for the Messenger Public Library of North Aurora. Anthony is currently a PhD student at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science where he holds an MLIS.  Anthony is also an adjunct instructor in the Library Technical Assistant program at Waubonsee Community College.   He is also an information activist, and advocates for the removal of barriers between people and information.








Adam Girard

Adam Girard is a librarian at the Highland Park Public Library. He has worked in several different libraries in diverse roles from audio preservation assistant to reference librarian. His professional interests include academic librarianship, scholarly communication, open-source technology and international librarianship. When he’s not developing innovative ways to serve his community, you can find him picking a banjo.









Leah L. White is a Reader Services Librarian at the Northbrook Public Library and a 2012 Library Journal Mover and Shaker. She created and managed the Young Librarian Series and spends too much time on her tumblr and twitter. She also tries to write an occasional article. When she isn’t librarianing she enjoys riding her bike on the lake front path, hanging out at Unabridged Bookstore or playing with her tiny dog Shinji.

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DeskSet, March 5th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized