Let’s say you and up to five of your friends want to meet somewhere just by yourselves and hang out, some place that has wi-fi, air conditioning and doesn’t cost anything. The ZB Library is the place to go. The small group rooms are available more during the summer, and you can reserve them at no cost up to a week in advance.

Free use of the library’s meeting rooms is also available more during the summer for groups larger than six people. If you are under age 18, you can make a reservation by leaving a voice mail message at 847-872-4680, ext. 131, with your phone number.

Internet access is a standard amenity provided at today’s libraries, and at the ZB Library, it’s free to all visitors. Cardholders at any Illinois library also can log on to the Internet on the public computers, and anyone can get a 20-minute session on three express computer terminals. Laptop computers are also available to ZB Library cardholders who are 16 or older.

The library is literally a cool place to hang out in the summer, with air-conditioning throughout the building, including the lobby and reading rooms. The lobby also offers comfortable reading chairs and bistro tables to accommodate patrons of the coffee shop and food vending service.

Today’s libraries go far beyond providing information and knowledge, although those crucial amenities are still available. It’s also a place to go for access to entertainment and audiovisual material. You can rent just-released-on-disk movies for just $1 a week, and check out for free nonfiction videos and music CDs.

But the library still offers books, mostly for enjoyment in the Young Adult collection, including graphic novels and the latest releases for young adults. The library also keeps multiple items of summer reading titles assigned by Zion-Benton Township High School.

In addition to written for and about young adults, the library subscribes to more than a dozen periodicals devoted to young adult interests.

Today’s typical library goes beyond books and reference service. In addition to an information hub, the ZB Library is a community commons that provides a welcoming place for young adults and service relevant to their  lives.

For instance, Lake County government receives federal and state funding to implement employment programs for workers of all ages, including youths. The Lake County Workforce Development Youth Program accepts applications to fill summer job openings all the way until February. Now it’s almost June, and you’re finally up to looking for a summer job?

Don’t give up, though. (Employers hate quitters.) It’s difficult, but not impossible to find a job at this point. And even though you’re probably not going to get a job directly from Lake County Workforce Development, its web site offers a nice cache of helpful resources and suggestions for finding summer work. You’ll find these resources, including how to create a first-time resume, under the “Youth” section.

You’ll need that resume to find summer employment at such a late stage, because you’re going to need to literally pound the pavement/flooring to find a job. Read the ”Finding  a Job” link in the LCWD “Youth” section for a plan on how to land a job “off the street.” Make finding a job your full-time job for the next couple of weeks when school lets out.

Finally, think “big” when looking for seasonal employment: places that rely on lots of extra summer help, such as golf courses, Six Flags Great America, Key Lime Cove and other tourism-based places. Most families take their vacations in summer, and those types of businesses prepare for that. Another local possibility is the Zion Park District.

Good luck and good hunting.

The library will be open to ZBTHS and New Tech students after school at 3 p.m. All the library’s online and on-site reference and information resources will be available to help students study for finals, including public computers with Internet access, Microsoft Office software, individual online tutoring and reference libraries. Document printing and wi-fi access will also be available.

A librarian will also be available to provide custom reference service to help prepare for exams and also instruction on how to access all of the library’s online resources from outside the library.

To keep from study burnout, the Cram Jam will also feature a Study Break Center, offering free pizza, snacks and beverages, as well as Wii video gaming stations.

Students should bring their IDs from either ZBTHS or New Tech for free admission.

Public health officials are warning of a possible trend involving teenagers ingesting over-the-counter hand cleansers, which contain a high percentage of alcohol. Recent reports out of California document several cases of teenagers being hospitalized after drinking hand sanitizer.

Because the practice could easily become a larger problem, especially considering the amount of information on the Internet. Parents need to be aware of the issue and practice diligence in monitoring hand sanitizers around the house. Hand sanitizer is inexpensive and accessible, and distillation instructions can easily be found online.

If parents buy hand sanitizer, they should purchase the foam version rather than the gel type because it is harder to extract the alcohol. Parents also shouldn’t leave hand sanitizer around the house, monitor it like any other liquor or medicine and watch for signs of intoxication.

For $8, the ornament can be purchased from any local Kiwanis Club member or ordered by email. The gold-flashed decorative piece featuring the school district’s seal and two images of the Fighting Zee-Bee not only is a great gift idea for the 2012 graduate, but it also can be a featured ornament on the annual Christmas tree.

Funds raised by the ornament’s sale will help continue the numerous scholarships the Kiwanis Club awards to ZBTHS and New Tech students each year, including Key Club scholarships, Karl Holtzman scholarships and Student of the Month scholarships. In addition to scholarships, the Kiwanis contribute to ZBTHS NJROTC and Zion-Benton Athletic Boosters.

In raising the issue to keep the interest rate for subsidized loans for poorer and middle-class students at their current level, Obama sought to energize the young people essential to his campaign – those who voted for him last time and the many more who have turned voting age since then. He also added that he related to college students, because he had assumed large loan debt when he attended college, unlike Romney.

Romney responded that he agrees the loan rates shouldn’t be raised, coupling that stance with criticism of Obama’s economic leadership.

About 15 percent of Americans, or 37 million people, have outstanding student loan debt, with about two-thirds of that debt held by people under 30.

There is at least one participating store located in Zion and Benton townships: Galaxy of Books, 1702 Seventh St. in Winthrop Harbor, will be giving away comic books to visitors on Saturday. Call 847-872-3313 for hours and more details.

According to a recent study, the growth of green jobs – defined as jobs in businesses that produce goods and provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources – nearly doubled traditional job growth the past few years in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan centers. People of color compose more than half the population in the top five urban regions.

So not only is the green job market good for the environment and the economy, it is also promoting equitable economic development across different sectors of the labor market.

As reported in the Lake County News-Sun, Cantu and Pontillo hit the five-fish limit and brought in 10 pounds of fighting bass that gave them a first-place finish in the sectional. Their biggest bass was 2.6 pounds.

Consequently, the trilogy has shot up to third on the latest list of the top ten most frequently challenged books compiled by the American Library Association:

• 10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
• 9. Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar
• 8. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
• 7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 
• 6. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• 5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• 4. My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy by Dori Hillestad Butler
• 3. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
• 2. The Color of Earth, by Kim Dong Hwa
• 1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series) by Lauren Myracle

These are the books the Banners don’t want teens to read. So of course they should be read. You’ll find them all at the public library.