The Oak Park Public Library is proud to share these exemplary
projects that demonstrate our leadership among public libraries.
We hope to inspire other public libraries with our work.
See
the Team Live! The world champions will perform their winning routine during
OakToberfest,
sponsored by Downtown
Oak Park. Saturday, September 19 at 6 pm and again
at 6:15 pm at the intersection of Marion Street and North Boulevard.
"Warrior Librarians" photo by Curtis
Compton
The Oak Park Public Library's team took first place in the
Fifth Annual Book Cart Drill Team World Championships. The competition
on Sunday, July 12, 2009 was part of the American
Library Association's annual conference in Chicago. "Oak
Park Public Library Warrior Librarians" edged out the "Cart
Wheels" from Des Plaines Public Library and was the clear
audience favorite.
Representing
the Oak Park Public Library were team members Irene Balks (music
and theme), Jeanne Friedell (costumes), Linda Bonner, Jenny
Byron, Carolyn DeCoursey, Leigh Gavin, Alan Jacobson, Lori Pulliam,
and Nancy York-Erwin. Much applause to this crew who practiced
like crazy in preparation for the 2009 state and then world
competitions.
The "Oak Park Public Library Warrior Librarians"
are fighting against illiteracy and intolerance. The music the
team chose for the competition is Richard Wagner's "Die
Walküre" ("Ride of the Valkyries") performed
by the Budapest Concert Orchestra conducted by Tamás
Gál. Check out a book
or CD at the Library to learn more about or hear the complete
version of "Die Walküre."
Bringing Home the Gold
The competition is sponsored annually by DEMCO, who provides
book carts for the event as well as prizes. As champions, the
Oak Park Public Library received a plaque and a gold full-sized
book cart. The glory of the gold book cart has been shared among
staff and patrons alike at the Main
Library, Dole Branch, and
Maze Branch.
Gaming at the Library
The Oak Park Public Library is engaging teens with Wii competitions
held at the Library. Gaming began in 2008 with a successful Mario
Kart Wii Tournament. The competition returned in 2009 with a SmashKart
Wii Tournament. Over the course of the summer and fall,
players in grades 6 through 12 compete in a simultaneous single
elimination tournament. Monthly prizes have included certificates
to GameStop. Prizes for the tournament finals have included an
iPod Touch, Nintendo DS Lite, and an iPod Nano.
In this footage of the September 2008 competition, Librarian
Monica Harris talks about how this tournament benefits the community.
genre
X
genre X is a twenties and thirties book discussion group facilitated
by the Oak Park Public Library. The group meets every fourth Tuesday
at 8 pm at "The Snug," a small room inside Molly Malone's
in nearby Forest Park, Illinois.
The genre X blog provides
supplementary information for the book group as well as other
content that appeal to readers everywhere in their twenties
and thirties.
genre
X After Hours genre X has hosted
two after-hours events at the Oak Park Public Library - Hi-Lo
Tech Night in 2008 and Hop
on Pop in 2009. No registration was required for these free
events. Food and drinks were provided with the support of the
Friends of the Oak Park Public
Library.
Hi-Lo Tech Night
engaged twenty and thirty-year-olds in Mario Kart Wii open play,
Guitar Hero, and board games. The Oak Park Public Library welcomed
almost 60 people for what turned out to be a very enjoyable
evening of non-stop gaming.
During Hop on Pop,
a Pop Culture Trivia Night, teams of two to three people competed
for prizes by participating in a multimedia quiz on books, movies,
music, television, and cultural events from the 1980s to 2009.
The larger part of the Third Floor roof of the Main
Library, some 12,500 square feet, holds a thin layer of soil
and was planted with many native Illinois plants including stonecrop,
phlox, and sedum. Oak Park landscape architect, Carol JH Yetken,
responsible for the design, selected plants that will require
minimal upkeep and grow well in a thin layer of well drained soil.
The soil together with the plant material improve the energy
performance of the building and contribute to better air quality
in the neighborhood. The green roof, copper wall system, and
recycled rubber flooring, meet one of the design
goals for the new building: Minimize impact on the natural
environment through the use of sustainable building materials
and systems.
To help assure that all patrons have a great place to read,
work, and study without unnecessary disturbance or distraction,
the Main Library instituted Noise
Zones. These zones clarify the noise levels and activities permitted:
Silent
Zones are ideal for patrons who want to work or read with no
disturbance. Within Silent Zones, there will be no conversations,
no cell phone usage, and only personal music players which are
inaudible to others. The Silent Reading Room, Computer Classroom,
and Computer Center are Silent Zones.
Quiet
Zones are for those who want to work or read with only whispered
conversation and minimal disturbance. Whispered conversation
as well as laptop use and cell phone texting is allowed. Personal
music is allowed if it is inaudible to others. The Third Floor
Common Area and a portion of the Second Floor Common Area are
Quiet Zones.
Social
Zones are places for those patrons who want to gather with groups
or talk with others. Moderate conversation levels and considerate
cell phone usage are allowed in Social Zones. Personal music
is allowed if it is inaudible to others. The Lobby, Children's
Room, Second Floor Common Areas, and Group Study Rooms are Social
Zones.
Patrons
are encouraged to find the zone that is appropriate for their
needs and to respect the needs of others in the zone.
The Oak Park Public Library began experimenting with this zone
system in October 2007. Public computer signage, added in April
2009, reinforce the zones. We updated our Noise Zones signs
in October 2009.
In 2008 the Oak Park Public Library began a summer volunteer
program for teenagers to build their skills, engage their talents,
and allow them to give back to their community. Volunteer teams
meet weekly through the summer and engage in special projects,
from marketing books, re-organizing music CDs, making promotional
videos, creating a mural for the young adult space at the Main
Library, to generally organizing and helping at the Main Library
and the Maze Branch.
In 2008, 34 teens contributed just over 430 hours in eight
weeks. In 2009, over 70 teens applied and interviewed to volunteer,
contributing over 1000 hours in nine weeks. "We are thrilled
to engage an even larger number of teens this year," says
Monica Harris, Young Adult Librarian. "We hope this experience
will benefit teens as much as the Library."
Sample Schedule Application
(PDF file) Due: May 22
Interviews: May 21 through May 27
Teams Determined: May 28
Mandatory Orientation: June 1, from 7 to 8:30 pm, at the Main
Library If you cannot attend the June 1 Orientation, a second
session will be held on June 4, from 4 to 5:30 pm at the Main
Library. Volunteering Weeks: June 8 through August 7
Appreciation Party: August 13, from 7 to 9 pm, at the Main
Library
Art Attack
Tuesdays, 10 am to 12 pm at Main
Library
Team members will use their artistic and creative skills
to plan and create a new mural for the teen space in the
Library. This is a great team for teens who like to paint
and want to create a lasting art contribution to the Library.
Booktalkers
Thursdays, 2 to 4 pm at Main
Library
This team will work as a group, talking about books and
helping to determine the best YA book releases of 2009.
The team will work directly with the Young Adult Fiction
collection and help to market it to other teens through
placement and promotion. This is an excellent team for
teens who love reading fiction.
AudioSquad
Tuesdays, 2 to 4 pm at Main
Library
Team members will learn how the Library selects and purchases
its music collection. Team members will also be working
hands-on with the collection to make it easier to browse.
This is an excellent team for teens who love music.
Generals
Fridays, 1 to 3 pm at Main Library
This team will work on a variety of tasks from week to
week, including moving books, putting books in order,
and finding specific books from a list. This is an excellent
team for teens who want to be physically active and enjoy
variety.
AV Club
Wednesdays, 2 to 4 pm at Main
Library
The AV Club team members will put together promotional
videos and other materials for the Library by writing,
acting, directing, and video editing. This is an excellent
team for creative, dedicated teens who want marketing
experience.
Dewey Doctors
Wednesdays, 1 to 3 pm at Maze
Branch
This team will work as a group to make the Library's books
look "healthy." Tasks include straightening
books on the shelves, putting books in order, and putting
books on display. This is an excellent team for teens
who want to be physically active and enjoy variety.
"Thank you for creating this opportunity for teens."
- John and Jessica Cinelli, Oak Park parents.
Transgender Resource Collection
In
2007 the Oak Park Public Library received a prestigious $3,000
grant to create the first focused Transgender
Resource Collection in a US public library. "Transgender"
is an umbrella term that applies to people whose gender identity
does not conform to what society has commonly associated with
their birth sex.
The Library is purchasing materials that will serve, reflect,
and welcome transgender people. The Transgender
Resource Collection will also increase public awareness
and understanding of gender identity and gender expression issues.
This unique public library collection consists mainly of nonfiction
materials and includes medical information, legal concerns,
and social issues. With its own resources, the Oak Park Public
Library has added popular and lesser known fiction titles as
well as films.
As a Village, Oak Park has long been nationally recognized
for its commitment to diversity. "We believe strongly that
the Library is the place for all residents to have access to
a full range of information sources," notes Bleue Benton,
Collection Development Librarian and creator of the Transgender
Resource Collection grant. "This collection will serve
not only transgender people, but also anyone seeking information,
including employers, medical providers, allies, friends, and
family members."
In addition to purchasing materials, Oak Park Public Library
provided awareness workshops for staff. "We want to make
certain that all library staff are prepared to provide excellent
customer service to people who are transgender," says Executive
Director Deirdre Brennan. Shannon Sullivan, Executive Director
of the Coalition for Education on Sexual Orientation (now Illinois
Safe Schools Alliance), facilitated four workshops for staff
to increase their knowledge about gender identity and heighten
awareness for working with others.
The Transgender Resource Collection
contains general works, memoirs, and personal stories, medical
and legal concerns, and historical, cultural, and global views.
Books include a wide range of titles such as Transgender
Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman;
Sex Changes and the Politics for Transgenderism; Christine
Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography; Current Issues in
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health; Voice
and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Transsexual Client;
Transgender on Screen; In a Queer Time and Place:
Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives; Intersex and Identity;
and Clothes Make the Man: Female Cross Dressing in Medieval
Europe. All titles can be found through a Library
Catalog keyword search for Transgender Resource Collection.
Funding for this grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library,
a division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds
provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under
the federal Library Services and Technology Act. Oak Park Public
Library is committed to expanding the collection as new materials
become available.
Awards On February 2, the Public
Library Association (PLA) announced the Oak Park Public
Library had received the 2010 Gordon
M. Conable Award, in acknowledgement of our groundbreaking
Transgender Resource Collection.
The Conable Award is designed to honor a public library staff
member, a library trustee, or a public library that has demonstrated
a commitment to intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of
Rights.
Presentations
The Oak Park Public Library presented "When Collection
Development Leads to Staff Development" at the Illinois
Library Association annual conference on September 26, 2008.
The presentation covered the creation of the Transgender Resource
Collection, from its conception based in the 2005 collection
evaluation, to the receipt of the LSTA grant in 2006, through
staff awareness workshops and a self-study for barriers in 2007.
The conference audience was engaged and the talk was well-received.
In recognition of our national leadership in this area of service,
the Oak Park Public Library was asked to reprise the presentation
at the annual Massachusetts Library Association conference on
May 7, 2009. We answered a range of questions from the engaged
audience and hopefully inspired other libraries with our holistic
model for collection development.
News
Coverage
The local Wednesday Journal
newspaper covered the Oak Park Public Library's Transgender
Resource Collection in an article that appeared in the June
2009 Pride insert. The article, by Nicholas Moroni, reports
on our pioneering efforts to build a collection that serves
and reflects people who are transgender, as well as the friends,
family members, employers, and service providers of transgender
people.
|
top
Representing
the Oak Park Public Library were team members Irene Balks (music
and theme), Jeanne Friedell (costumes), Linda Bonner, Jenny
Byron, Carolyn DeCoursey, Leigh Gavin, Alan Jacobson, Lori Pulliam,
and Nancy York-Erwin. Much applause to this crew who practiced
like crazy in preparation for the 2009 state and then world
competitions.
genre
X After Hours 
Silent
Zones are ideal for patrons who want to work or read with no
disturbance. Within Silent Zones, there will be no conversations,
no cell phone usage, and only personal music players which are
inaudible to others. The Silent Reading Room, Computer Classroom,
and Computer Center are Silent Zones. 
Quiet
Zones are for those who want to work or read with only whispered
conversation and minimal disturbance. Whispered conversation
as well as laptop use and cell phone texting is allowed. Personal
music is allowed if it is inaudible to others. The Third Floor
Common Area and a portion of the Second Floor Common Area are
Quiet Zones.
Social
Zones are places for those patrons who want to gather with groups
or talk with others. Moderate conversation levels and considerate
cell phone usage are allowed in Social Zones. Personal music
is allowed if it is inaudible to others. The Lobby, Children's
Room, Second Floor Common Areas, and Group Study Rooms are Social
Zones. 
Patrons
are encouraged to find the zone that is appropriate for their
needs and to respect the needs of others in the zone. 
In
2007 the Oak Park Public Library received a prestigious $3,000
grant to create the first focused 
