Women's History Month
In March, join us as we spotlight the contributions of women to American life, past and present. Browse our book lists, engage with displays around the library, and attend one of our upcoming events.
Upcoming Events
Movie Night: Half the Picture
Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 6:30 pm
After watching the film together, share your questions and comments in a discussion with Chris and Sharon.
This documentary features Ava DuVernay, Brenda Chapman, Penelope Spheeris, and more.
Why are so few women directing films? Director/writer Amy Adrion interviews women who recount personal experiences and the issues they face inside the industry--routine discrimination, unequal opportunities, and gender bias. They also discuss ideas and actions concerning how things should and can change.
2018 -- 95 minutes -- Not rated -- Documentary
Watch the trailer for Half the Picture.
Find Half the Picture in the library catalog.
Find Ava DuVernay movies in the library catalog.
Empowering Women in Business
Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 6:30 pm
Dynamic women in business share their own stories, challenges, and strategies for success in this panel presentation.
Connect with fellow entrepreneurs and business owners while gaining valuable insights from speakers who are shaping a more inclusive future for women in business.
Panelists include Brittany Coleman, community engagement librarian and business advisor for the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Oakton College; Erlene Howard, founder and co-op board president of Collective Resource Compost Cooperative; Linda Lamb, CEO of Linda C. Lamb International, LLC; and Reena Panjwani Khowaja, director of development and franchisee of Panjwani Network Restaurants Dunkin' Baskin Robbins.
9 to 5: The Story of a Movement
Friday, March 21, 2025, 1:00 pm
This documentary film highlights the creation of the 9 to 5 movement, which was established to fight for workplace equity and address wage discrepancies between men and women.
The movement served as the basis for the feature film 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin.
In the early 1970s, secretaries in Boston decided to fight against humiliating, harassing, and illegal work environments. Their movement became national and is a largely forgotten story of U.S. 20th-century history. Director Julia Reichert was an Academy Award and Emmy Award winning documentarian.
9 to 5--The Story of a Movement: Online Event
Friday, March 21, 2025, 1:00 pm
Watch this award-winning documentary at home. This film highlights the creation of the 9 to 5 movement, established to fight for workplace equity and against wage discrepancies between men and women.
The 9 to 5 movement was the basis for the feature film, 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin.
In the early 1970s, secretaries in Boston decided to fight against humiliating, harassing, and illegal work environments. Their movement became national and is a largely forgotten story of U.S. 20th-century history. Director Julia Reichert was an Academy Award and Emmy Award winning documentarian.
This film is available to watch at home anytime starting at 1 pm Friday, March 21, through 11:59 pm Sunday, March 23.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.
ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com
Register here and you'll receive an email with a link to watch the film.
Past Events
Christy Bennett Sings the Music of Irene Higginbotham: Oft-Overlooked Songwriter
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 3:00 pm
Irene Higginbotham, an important yet overlooked 1940’s composer, wrote songs recorded by Billie Holliday, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington, and Nat ‘King’ Cole.
Like many women of her time, Irene Higginbotham's story has remained untold for years. A remarkably talented Black woman who broke barriers in the male-dominated field of songwriting, her ability to sustain herself through songwriting and her songs that made it into the modern jazz canon are feats few other women have achieved. She was unique, driven, and well-connected, yet her name remains unfamiliar to many.
Singer Christy Bennett has been influenced by and performed the work of her share of jazz legends, but her specialty is uncovering the gifts of lesser known songwriters, especially women. Her new album is Good Morning, Heartache: The Music of Irene Higginbotham. Christy's research includes videos, recordings, and written material on her website: www.nerd-mountain.com.
Free tickets will be given out to those present starting at 2:30 pm.
LitLounge: Pelican Girls
Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 7:30 pm
This month we'll be discussing Julia Malye's richly detailed historical fiction debut, inspired by real events.
Pelican Girls follows the journey of the Baleine Brides, a ship full of young women plucked from a Paris asylum and sent to marry settlers in North America's rough Louisiana Territory.
This discussion is in partnership with Morton Grove Public Library.
Breakthrough! Dances for Curious Minds
Sunday, March 9, 2025, 3:00 pm
The Evanston Dance Ensemble shares a preview of their spring show, which celebrates the scientists, seekers, and dreamers of the world.
Enjoy the talents of 30+ highly skilled high school dancers as they honor women scientists Marie Curie, Katherine Johnson, Rachel Carson, and Flossie Wong, among plenty of others. The full production takes place at the Josephine Louis Theater at Northwestern University, April 3-6.
Free tickets for this preview performance will be given out to those present starting at 2:30 pm.
Seeing and Celebrating Women: International Women's Day Service Project
Saturday, March 8, 2025, 3:00 pm
Contribute to a display of books about strong girls and women, get service hours, and help us celebrate International Women's Day.
Make buttons, bookmarks, or tissue paper flowers to promote awareness of this day when people across the globe celebrate women. If you like, you can write a short note about why a particular character or book featuring an awesome girl or woman is a must-read.
Participants will earn service hours. Fill out this contact form to be added to our list of interested teen volunteers and be one of the first to know about volunteer opportunities.
Email the teen team if you have questions. For grades 6-12.
Friday Film: 9 to 5
Friday, March 7, 2025, 1:30 pm
A hilarious ode to female friendship and workers' rights released 45 years ago, this film's themes are still startlingly relevant today.
In this classic workplace comedy, Judy, Violet, and Doralee work for “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” Franklin M. Hart Jr., a vice president of Consolidated Companies. They’ve had enough and plot their revenge. Both music and performances were nominated for Grammys, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe. Featuring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton.
1980 -- 109 minutes -- Rated PG for thematic material -- Comedy
This fictional movie was loosely inspired by the real-life 9 to 5 movement, established to fight for workplace equity and against wage discrepancies between men and women. A documentary about that movement will be screened at the library (or from home) later this month.
Exploring Space with Coralie Adam: Online Event
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7:00 pm
Coralie Adam leads the multimission Optical Navigation team at KinetX Aerospace, the first privately held company to provide deep space navigation and flight dynamics expertise to NASA.
During her 13 years at KinetX, Coralie has had lead roles on the navigation teams for NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and OSIRIS-APEX missions.
Coralie’s work enabled the first exploration of the Pluto system and the historic sample collection of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. In addition to leading the OSIRIS-REx optical navigation team, she coconvened the scientific investigation of Bennu’s active particle ejection phenomena.
She is currently the deputy navigation chief on NASA’s Lucy mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids and is a navigation lead and science coinvestigator on the OSIRIS-APEx extended mission to asteroid Apophis. She also supports several commercial and government exploration initiatives to the moon and beyond.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.
Illinois Libraries Present is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com