Civic Lab

Civic Lab offers information, activities, and discussion on issues facing our community. The Civic Lab pops up at the library around different events and topics. Check out upcoming Civic Lab appearances below. If you’re interested in learning more about a previous topic, click on past events below.

Have Questions?

Amy Koester, Learning Experiences Manager

Email – 847-324-3121

Upcoming Events

Civic Lab: What to Know about Weed in Illinois

Friday, January 17, 2020, 11:30 am

HANDOUTS

Curious to learn more about any of the topics that we’ve explored in the Civic Lab? Each event includes a handout with resources to read, listen to, and watch in order to explore the topic and its implications. Click on any of the past events below to access the handouts.

We also create handouts with more general information: 

Go-To News Sources

Past Events

Civic Lab: What to Know about Weed in Illinois

Monday, January 13, 2020, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Impeachment

Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Impeachment

Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Built for Whom?

Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Labor Laws and Wage Equity

Friday, August 16, 2019, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Labor Laws and Wage Equity

Wednesday, August 14, 2019, 2:30 pm

Civic Lab: LGBTQ+ History

Thursday, June 27, 2019, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: LGBTQ+ History

Wednesday, June 19, 2019, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: Genetic Editing

Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Genetic Editing

Monday, June 10, 2019, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: The Story of Stuff

Friday, June 7, 2019, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: The Story of Stuff

Monday, June 3, 2019, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: The History and Legacy of Contraception

Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: The History and Legacy of Contraception

Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: Actually, She Did That

Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Actually, She Did That

Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Black Histories, Black Futures

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Hip-Hop Music and Culture

Thursday, February 21, 2019, 5:00 pm

Civic Lab: Hip-Hop Music and Culture

Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 5:00 pm

Civic Lab: Black Histories, Black Futures

Thursday, February 14, 2019, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: What is the Department of Energy?

Friday, January 11, 2019, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: What is the Department of Energy?

Tuesday, January 8, 2019, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: What and How We Eat

Friday, December 14, 2018, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: What and How We Eat

Thursday, December 13, 2018, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Space Force

Friday, November 16, 2018, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: Space Force

Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Voting: Know Your Rights

Monday, October 15, 2018, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Voting: Know Your Rights

Friday, October 5, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: What Is Intellectual Freedom?

Friday, September 28, 2018, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: What Is Intellectual Freedom?

Thursday, September 27, 2018, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Eating Local

Thursday, September 20, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Eating Local

Monday, September 17, 2018, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Talking about Suicide

Thursday, August 16, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Talking about Suicide

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Talking about Suicide

Tuesday, August 14, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: What Does It Mean to Gentrify?

Monday, August 13, 2018, 1:30 pm

Civic Lab: What Does It Mean to Gentrify?

Tuesday, August 7, 2018, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Who Writes History?

Friday, June 29, 2018, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Who Writes History?

Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: What Is Pride Month?

Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: What Is Pride Month?

Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Privacy in America

Wednesday, May 30, 2018, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Privacy in America

Tuesday, May 29, 2018, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: Narratives of Gun Violence

Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: Narratives of Gun Violence

Tuesday, May 8, 2018, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: How Do You Stand against Racism?

Friday, April 27, 2018, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: How Do You Stand against Racism?

Friday, April 27, 2018, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: The Attempted Neo-Nazi March in Skokie

Friday, April 20, 2018, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: The Attempted Neo-Nazi March in Skokie

Monday, April 16, 2018, 10:30 am

Civic Lab: International Fact-Checking Day

Monday, April 2, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Let's Talk Taxes

Monday, March 19, 2018, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: Let's Talk Taxes

Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: Separating Art from the Artist

Friday, March 9, 2018, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: What is Journalism? (And What Isn't?)

Friday, March 2, 2018, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: What is Journalism? (And What Isn't?)

Thursday, March 1, 2018, 1:30 pm

Civic Lab: Net Neutrality

Friday, February 23, 2018, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: Net Neutrality

Wednesday, February 21, 2018, 5:00 pm

Civic Lab: Social Media and Viral News

Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Social Media and Viral News

Tuesday, February 13, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Thursday, January 25, 2018, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Tuesday, January 23, 2018, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: Endangered Species

Friday, January 12, 2018, 12:00 pm

Civic Lab: Endangered Species

Tuesday, January 9, 2018, 10:30 am

Civic Lab: Let's Talk about Food Waste

Wednesday, December 13, 2017, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: Let's Talk about Food Waste

Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Who Owns Space?

Friday, December 8, 2017, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Who Owns Space?

Wednesday, December 6, 2017, 5:30 pm

Together at the Table

Friday, November 24, 2017, 12:00 pm

Civic Lab: Whose Land Is This Land?

Wednesday, November 22, 2017, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: Whose Land Is This Land?

Friday, November 17, 2017, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Screens and Your Sleep

Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 5:00 pm

Civic Lab: Screens and Your Sleep

Tuesday, November 14, 2017, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: Social Media and Viral News

Thursday, October 26, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: Social Media and Viral News

Wednesday, October 25, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: What is FEMA?

Wednesday, October 11, 2017, 6:00 pm

Civic Lab: What is FEMA?

Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Genetic Editing

Friday, September 29, 2017, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Genetic Editing

Wednesday, September 27, 2017, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: Net Neutrality

Thursday, September 14, 2017, 10:30 am

Civic Lab: Net Neutrality

Monday, September 11, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: The National Park Service

Friday, September 1, 2017, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: The National Park Service

Wednesday, August 30, 2017, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Friday, August 11, 2017, 6:00 pm

Civic Lab: What is the EPA?

Thursday, August 10, 2017, 2:00 pm

Civic Lab: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Tuesday, August 8, 2017, 10:30 am

Civic Lab: Coming to America

Tuesday, August 1, 2017, 1:00 pm

Civic Lab: The Mystery of Microaggressions

Tuesday, July 25, 2017, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: Free Speech vs. Hate Speech

Thursday, June 29, 2017, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: Free Speech vs. Hate Speech

Wednesday, June 28, 2017, 2:30 pm

Together at the Table

Friday, June 9, 2017, 12:00 pm

Civic Lab: The Responsibility to Protect

Tuesday, May 30, 2017, 6:30 pm

Civic Lab: Understanding the Supreme Court

Thursday, May 11, 2017, 3:30 pm

Civic Lab: Understanding the Supreme Court

Monday, May 8, 2017, 3:30 pm

Take a Stand Against Racism

Friday, April 28, 2017, 10:00 am

Civic Lab: What Is CRISPR?

Thursday, April 20, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: What Is CRISPR?

Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: The Role of the 21st Century Library

Friday, April 14, 2017, 10:30 am

Civic Lab: The Role of the 21st Century Library

Monday, April 10, 2017, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: Actually, She Did That

Friday, March 24, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: Actually, She Did That

Monday, March 20, 2017, 2:30 pm

Civic Lab: Who Is Chin-Kee?

Thursday, March 9, 2017, 4:30 pm

Civic Lab: Who Is Chin-Kee?

Wednesday, March 8, 2017, 11:00 am

Civic Lab: Executive Orders and Immigrants

Friday, February 24, 2017, 4:00 pm

Civic Lab: Executive Orders and Immigrants

Thursday, February 23, 2017, 10:30 am

Civic Lab: Blackness in America

Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 3:00 pm

Civic Lab: Dear Elected Official

Friday, January 20, 2017, 11:00 am

Together at the Table

Monday, January 16, 2017, 12:00 pm

The Civic Lab: Let's Talk about Standing Rock

Wednesday, November 30, 2016, 4:00 pm

What Every American Should Know

Tuesday, November 22, 2016, 7:00 pm

The Civic Lab: Election Day

Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 6:00 pm

The Civic Lab: Election Day

Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 10:30 am