Movie Matinee: Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Putnam Condit

Movie Matinee: Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Thursday, February 12th, 4:00 p.m. Join us for a special screening of this powerful documentary highlighting the extraordinary life and legacy of Thurgood Marshall. As a pioneering civil rights attorney,......More

Movie Matinee: Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Thursday, February 12th, 4:00 p.m. Join us for a special screening of this powerful documentary highlighting the extraordinary life and legacy of Thurgood Marshall. As a pioneering civil rights attorney, Marshall achieved a historic victory in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), ending legal segregation in public schools and reshaping the course of American history. For two decades—through the Great Depression and World War II—Marshall traveled throughout the Jim Crow South, courageously challenging segregation case by case. Despite threats, violence, and countless barriers, he secured more Supreme Court victories than any lawyer in U.S. history. His groundbreaking work laid the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement and helped pave the way for future leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Mr. Civil Rights is a 57-minute documentary, not rated, and made available through Kanopy. This program is free and open to the public.

Movie Matinee: How It Feels to Be Free Putnam Condit

Movie Matinee: How It Feels to Be Free Thursday, February 19th, 4:00 p.m. How It Feels To Be Free is a powerful and inspiring documentary that honors six trailblazing African American women who transformed the entertainment industry and reshaped American culture. Thro......More

Movie Matinee: How It Feels to Be Free Thursday, February 19th, 4:00 p.m. How It Feels To Be Free is a powerful and inspiring documentary that honors six trailblazing African American women who transformed the entertainment industry and reshaped American culture. Through the extraordinary careers of Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, and Pam Grier, the film reveals how these groundbreaking performers challenged Hollywood’s racial barriers and stereotypes, forging new paths for representation, artistic freedom, and social change. Featuring rare archival footage, intimate interviews, and heartfelt reflections from those who knew them best, the documentary offers a deeply personal look at their courage, creativity, and lasting influence. It also includes insights from contemporary artists inspired by their legacies including Alicia Keys, Halle Berry, Lena Waithe, Meagan Good, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Gail Lumet Buckley, daughter of Lena Horne. Based on Ruth Feldstein’s acclaimed book How It Feels To Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement, the film situates these women’s artistry and activism within the broader fight for racial and gender equality, illustrating how their voices continue to echo in today’s movements for justice and representation. The film runs 1 hour and 53 minutes, is rated TV-14, and is made available through Kanopy. This program is free and open to the public.

Chapter 250: Reading America’s Story Together (Youth – Condit Branch)

Chapter 250: Reading America’s Story Together (Youth – Condit Branch) Thursday, February 26th, 5:00 p.m.   Chapter 250: Reading America’s Story Together is a community book club that explores the American Revolution through shared reading, discussion, and film. The yo......More

Chapter 250: Reading America’s Story Together (Youth – Condit Branch) Thursday, February 26th, 5:00 p.m.   Chapter 250: Reading America’s Story Together is a community book club that explores the American Revolution through shared reading, discussion, and film. The youth group, open to participants ages eight through fourteen, will meet on Thursday, February 26th, at 5:00 p.m. at the Condit Branch, with a virtual option available via Zoom. This month’s selections are “Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak,” by Kay Winters and “Love Thy Neighbor: The Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson,” by Ann Turner. In Colonial Voices, an errand boy races through Boston to spread secret news of rebellion, offering readers a vivid look at colonial trades and opinions as tension rises toward the Boston Tea Party. In Love Thy Neighbor, a young Tory girl in 1775 Boston watches friends become enemies as revolution brews, torn between her family’s loyalty to the King and the world she’s losing. Through Prudence’s eyes, the American Revolution unfolds from a rarely told Loyalist perspective. Before the discussion, participants will watch a 26-minute preview from the upcoming 2025 PBS documentary “American Revolution,” by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. The preview explores religion and religious diversity in the 18th century, offering insight into how faith helped shape the nation’s early history. Copies of the books will be available at the Condit Branch beginning in January. For more information, please contact the Library at 815-339-2038. To participate via Zoom, please register via Zoom: https://shorturl.at/dEreQ. Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation, and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Indie Lens Pop-Up: The Inquisitor GPutnam Condit

Indie Lens Pop-Up: The Inquisitor  Thursday, March 5th, 4:00 p.m. Explore the life and legacy ofBarbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas  congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moralclarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impea......More

Indie Lens Pop-Up: The Inquisitor  Thursday, March 5th, 4:00 p.m. Explore the life and legacy ofBarbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas  congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moralclarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles,her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced  struggles few ever knew of. The film is 60minutes, not rated, and is made possible through partnership  with Independent Lens. The program is freeand open to the public. 

Books & Brunch Putnam (Condit)

First Saturday of every month in Putnam (Condit). Food, Books, and Friends.

Bunco Club Putnam (Condit)

Bunco Club Wednesday, March 18th  3:00 P.M. Join Bunco Club at the library thirdWednesday every month.

Citizen Science Month @ the Library

Citizen Science Month @ the Library April 1st to April 30th April is Citizen Science Month, andthe Library invites the community to take part in hands-on projects  that contribute to 2.5 Million Acts ofScience, a national America250 initiative celebrating civic  pa......More

Citizen Science Month @ the Library April 1st to April 30th April is Citizen Science Month, andthe Library invites the community to take part in hands-on projects  that contribute to 2.5 Million Acts ofScience, a national America250 initiative celebrating civic  participation and discovery. Citizen scienceempowers everyday people to support real scientific  research by observing and sharing informationabout the world around them.  Featured projects include Stream Selfie,which helps document the health of local streams through  shared photos; Globe at Night, aninternational effort to measure and raise awareness of light pollution;  and iNaturalist, a global platform forrecording plants and wildlife to help scientists monitor biodiversity.  Information on how to participate in allthree citizen-science projects is available at the Library. All  projects are free and open to the public andare suitable for adults and families alike.

Books & Brunch Putnam (Condit)

First Saturday of every month in Putnam (Condit). Food, Books, and Friends.

Docs & Dialogue: Ship of Dreams: Titanic Movie Diaries Putnam

Docs & Dialogue: Ship of Dreams: Titanic Movie Diaries Thursday, April 9th, 4:00 p.m. This documentary explores theenduring legacy of James Cameron’s Titanic through rare, personal  reflections from cast members and devotedfans. Actors read from their 1997 diaries f......More

Docs & Dialogue: Ship of Dreams: Titanic Movie Diaries Thursday, April 9th, 4:00 p.m. This documentary explores theenduring legacy of James Cameron’s Titanic through rare, personal  reflections from cast members and devotedfans. Actors read from their 1997 diaries for the first time in  25 years, offering an intimatebehind-the-scenes look at the making of the blockbuster film. Titanic  superfans also share their deep connection tothe ship’s history and the movie, showcasing remarkable  collections of costumes and memorabilia thatcelebrate this cultural phenomenon. The film is 1 hour and  34 minutes, not rated and made possiblethrough Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.