Featured Events

Individuals of all ages are invited to view vintage films highlighting Indianapolis 500 races from the distant past during the "Fifth Annual Indy 500 Movie Festival" at the Irvington Branch, 5625 E. Washington Street.

The festival conludes on Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m., beginning with the film, "Daytona Beach Race, Indianapolis 500" (1957), which chronicles the next to last stock car race on Daytona Beach and looks at the Indianapolis 500 win of Sam Hanks in his 12th try at Indy. Next will be a showing of "The Man With the Lead Foot" (1958), remembering the spectacular but tragic first lap crash that took the life of the popular Pat O'Connor. The 1958 win was a great victory, however, for the cigar-chomping Jimmy Bryan. The final film of the evening will be "Men, Missiles, 500 Miles" (1959), which highlights the four-car duel among Jim Rathmann, Johnny Thomson, Pat Flaherty and Roger Ward. A dramatic pit stop helped Ward win the race.

Call 275-4450 for more information about this free film series.

As part of the "Year of Italian Culture in the USA," The Indianapolis Public Library will join other local organizations to present award-winning films as part of the "Italian Film Festival," on Saturday, May 18 beginning at 12:30 p.m. at Central Library in the Clowes Auditorium, 40 E. St. Clair Street. During the month, additional festival films will be shown at the IUPUI Campus Center Theater.

The objective of the film festival is to provide an opportunity for individuals to view films that may never be seen locally, as well as elevate awareness of Italy and its people, culture and language.

The final two movies as part of the festival to be shown at Central Library will be:

12:30 p.m. – "Tormenti" (2011), a designed film on a series of art boards sketched, which chronicles a love triangle that begins in Fascist Rome and ends in Franco's Spain. Animated by the voices of well-known Italian actors Alba Rohrwacher, Luca Zingaretti, Valerio Mastandrea and Elio Pandolfi, this film earned the Special Award of the Jury: Nastri d'Argento della SNGCUI. The film runs 80 minutes.

3 p.m. – "È stato il figlio," a film inspired from the book of the same name by Sicilian writer Roberto Alajmo (2011) which tells the true story of a Sicilian family in the 70's. The film won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Young Actor or Actress (Fabriziio Falco) and the Award for Best Technical Contribution (Cinematography) at the Venice Film Festival. The film is inspired by the book of the same title by Sicilian writer Roberto Alajmo and runs 90 minutes.

Films are in Italian with subtitles in English. These films are not rated and are not appropriate for children.

The "Italian Film Festival" is presented by Italian Film Festival USA and its corporate sponsors, Indianapolis-Monza Sister City and the Italian Heritage Society of Indiana.

To learn more about these free film showings, call 275-4099 or visit www.italianfilmfests.org.

Patrons, especially children and families, are invited to 24-image exhibit of strange, unique and eye- catching animals by award-winning photographer David FitzSimmons entitled "Curious Critters" through July 26 at Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair Street.

The images are included in his popular children's book, Curious Critters, which earned the coveted Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book by the Independent Book Publishers Association. FitzSimmons' images of such critters as a brilliant red flat bark beetle, an adorable Southern flying squirrel, and a wide-eyed Eastern screech-owl are all about getting children to fall in love with nature. Unlike many photographers who focus on exotic animals, FitzSimmons brings common, backyard animals up close and personal. His picture book was an outgrowth of his traveling exhibit, which features colorful, engaging, and detailed photographs of truly curious-looking animals that mesmerize viewers of all ages, especially as the subjects are all photographed against white backgrounds.

Families can join FitzSimmons during the program, "Curious Critters," on Sunday, June 9 from 2-4 p.m. at Central Library. At 2 p.m. in the Learning Curve's Green Screen Theater, FitzSimmons will show common North American animals, from butterflies and birds to frogs and flying squirrels. With the help of the audience, he will perform parts of his book. Children will shriek like hawks, hop like toads, and slither like snakes. They'll learn how butterflies drink, ways mammals fly, and why frogs sing. This show will include puppets and take-home activities for all children.

At 3 p.m. in the Atrium, FitzSimmons will discuss how he turned his superb portraits of animals into the award-winning children's book. After explaining the history of the project, FitzSimmons will describe the techniques, challenges and purposes for photographing creatures against white backgrounds. He'll also discuss the process of bringing a book from idea to reality.

Call 275-4099 for more information about this free Library event.

It's the summer of love, peace and world friendship as young people of all ages and families are invited to experience the joy of reading during The Indianapolis Public Library's 2013 Summer Reading Program, "Read Together Right Now!" June 3 - July 27 at all Indy Library locations as well as the Beech Grove Public Library.

Inspired by the pop culture of the 1960's and the inconic imagery associated with The Beatles, this year's theme promotes the ideas that reading together as a family builds a community of readers and that coming together as a community raises the level of reading around the world.

Along with Presenting Sponsor Indiana Members Credit Union, the Library is providing numerous opportunities to become involved in summer reading. Not only can participants earn points for their reading activity that can be exchanged for great prizes, they can support literacy efforts to help students in India, South Africa and Mexico by using their reading points to select and donate prize books to Christel House International Learning Centers. This "Book Aid" campaign also will allow local children to decorate and personalize bookplates for the gift books as a show of friendship.

Although points are earned based on the degree of a book's difficulty, additional points can be accumulated by selecting from the Bonus Booklist that features titles representing cultures of different countries. The program also allows adults to earn points by reading aloud to young children. An added component, "Earn and Learn," provides an opportunity for young ones under the age of 18 with Library card debts of $5 or more to reduce or eliminate their debts through reading.

The Summer Reading Program will kick off on Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m. at Central Library with a free performance by the popular Beatles tribute band, BritBeat. Many Library locations will kick off the campaign with fun-filled IMCU Read Together Happenings. Fun and educational workshops for children along with free family films are planned throughout the summer. Children also can meet members from the Indiana Pacers organization, including Boomer and the Pacemates, who will share their love of reading as part of the Indiana Pacers summer reading tour of libraries.

The Summer Reading Program, which attracted nearly 58,000 children and families in 2012, will conclude with a celebration of reading achievement during Library Night at Victory Field, sponsored by the Indiana Blood Center, on Monday, July 29 at 7 p.m. Readers can earn buy one, get-one-free tickets to attend. 

Register to receive a Summer Reading Program Points Card at any Indianapolis Public Library branch, Central Library or the Bookmobile, as well as the Beech Grove Public Library. 

The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation is the proud sponsor of the 94th Annual Summer Reading Program. Supporting sponsors include The Kroger Co.; United Water; Indiana Pacers; Toysmith; 92.3 WTTS; Indiana Blood Center; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Citizens Energy Group; Carrier Corporation; Old National Bank; Louise Lage Kirtland and Hugh C. Kirtland Endowment Fund, a fund of The Indianapolis Foundation;and The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund. 

For more information on the 2013 Summer Reading program, call 275-4099 or visit www.indypl.org/events/srp2013.

The entire community is invited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of service at the East Thirty-Eighth Street Branch of The Indianapolis Public Library on Saturday, June 1 from 12 noon - 4 p.m. at the branch located at 5420 E. 38th Street.

Opening in July 2003, the 15,700-square-foot branch continues a tradition in the Emerson/E. 38th Street neighborhood that began in 1957 with the first library located in a two-story frame house that quickly became too small to meet local needs. The Emerson Branch opened in 1962 and remained an important part of the community until the current branch was constructed.

The East Thirty-Eighth Street Branch has a collection of 55,000 materials and features public PCs, a colorful children’s area, the Donna D. Talley Story Theater, a large community meeting room, literacy tutoring room, and plentiful patron seating.

In addition to information from community vendors, the anniversary event will include storytelling, face painting, twisty balloons, animals by Silly Safari, crafts, door prizes and food. A performance by the percussion group CLANG! and short skit by the Ashanti Children's Theatre also will be featured. Children and families can sign up for the Library's 2013 Summer Reading Program. Teens can sign up for a summer art project led by local artist Tony Radford.

For more information on this free Library event, call 275-4350 or visit www.indypl.org.