Improve Money Smarts 

Virtual Money Smart Week 2021 events will be offered daily through Saturday, April 17. The week-long free virtual learning campaign aims to help people better manage their personal finances with a focus on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Upcoming events and the presenting organization include: 

• Tues April 13 at 12:30 pm: Understanding the Basics of Federal Student Loans (U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid)
• Wed April 14 at 1:00 pm: Tax-Related Fraud + Identity Theft (Internal Revenue Service)
• Thurs April 15 at 1:00 pm: Managing Personal Finances During Covid-19 (Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center)
• Fri, April 16 at 12:00 pm: Housing Protections + Resources (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
• Sat, April 17 at 10:30 am: Tips for Managing Money Ups and Downs (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension)

View more details and register at the Money Smart Week site. The link is also posted on each event via the library’s event calendar. Events are free and open to the public, but registration is advised. Questions for the panelists can be submitted during the registration process. 

Explore Arsenal History

On Wednesday, April 14, the Rock Island Public Library, Davenport Public Library, and the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center will present a virtual lecture on the role of the Rock Island Arsenal in World War I.   Speaker Kevin Braafladt, the Army Sustainment Command Deputy Historian at the Rock Island Arsenal, will explore the history of WWI as it pertains to the role of the Rock Island Arsenal during war times. 

The Zoom lecture starts at 6:00 pm. To participate, register at the Rock Island Public Library event calendar. The meeting link will be sent to registered participants. 

Virtually Chat with Author John Sandford

At 7:00 pm on April 14, the Rock Island Public Library will also join 70 other Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) partners co-hosting a virtual fireside chat with best-selling author John Sandford. Sandford will be interviewed by friend and fellow author, Carl Hiaasen. 

The Sandford talk introduces his new book in the Prey series, Ocean Prey. In the new book, Sandford’s long-running action heroes, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers, join forces when the killings of three federal officers at sea ignite an investigation into a maritime drug cartel—with deadly consequences.

John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of 29 Prey novels; four Kidd novels; 12 Virgil Flowers novels; three YA novels coauthored with his wife, Michele Cook; and three other books. Copies of Ocean Prey with signed book plates will be sold through Anderson’s Bookshop during the event. 

There is no charge to attend, and 30 seats are still available through Rock Island Public Library. To sign up, visit the event on the library calendar or call 309-732-READ.

For more events offered through Rock Island Public Library, visit the library website, sign up for Burbio.com, and follow the Rock Island Library on Facebook and Instagram.