Oak Park Public Library
834 Lake Street
Oak Park, Illinois, 60301 USA
708-383-8200
Comments to
Copyright 2009

For more information call Adult and Teen Services at 708-452-3456. Attendance at Library programs and events constitutes consent to be photographed for Oak Park Public Library publicity purposes. It should be noted, however, that names of individuals will not be used in photo captions.

Teen Events Summer 2009 (PDF file)

Teen Summer Reading
June 5 through August 7

Join Oak Park Public Library for a summer reading program that includes events, raffles, and reading incentives for teens with an Oak Park Public Library card, entering grades 6 and up. Read, listen, attend events, and write book and music reviews to earn reading points for a chance to win prizes and win an invitation to our end of summer event. Enter for your chance to win our Grand Prize: 8GB iPod Touch and more! Reading logs will be available at any library location and online beginning Friday, June 5.

 

Everyone's favorite crafty program is back in style this summer. Teens in grades 6 to 12 can join the crafty revolution with their own handmade goods. All supplies are provided. No registration is required for this program.

Make Your Own Plushie Monster
Tuesday, June 9
2 to 4 pm Main Library Small Meeting Room

Make your own furry felt friend. Use one of our templates, or create your own unique design.

Shrinky Dink Jewlery
Tuesday, July 7
2 to 4 pm Main Library Small Meeting Room

Make a necklace, pin, or earrings for yourself or a friend using the colorful fun of shrinky-dinks!

Sock Puppets!
Tuesday, August 4
2 to 4 pm Main Library Small Meeting Room

Bring in a sock or two you don’t mind cutting up, and get to work on creating a silly new friend. No sewing skills are needed.

 

What could be better than free movies on the big screen?
Movies start at 6:30 pm sharp in the Main Library Veterans Room.

Fired Up!
Thursday, June 18
Starring Nicolas D'Agosto. Rated PG-13.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Thursday, August 20
Starring Isla Fisher. Rated PG.

 

Every third Friday: June 19, July 17, August 21
7 to 9 pm Scoville Park, outside the Main Library

Teen Coffeehouse brings together area teens to showcase their skills on our stage every third Friday. Bring poetry, dance, hip-hop, music, comedy-whatever you do! Food and drinks are always provided. No registration is required.

Love books and love to read? This is the book group for you. Each month we'll be offering a free paperback book (for you to keep) that we'll discuss at our next monthly meeting. Eligible for those entering grades 7 through 12. There are only 16 books available at the Main Library's Second Floor Service Desk for each meeting, so get one while supplies last. No registration is required.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Wednesday, June 24
7 pm Main Library Book Discussion Room
Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Harmless by Dana Reinhardt
Wednesday, July 22
7 pm Main Library Book Discussion Room
When Anna, Emma, and Mariah concoct a story about why they are late getting home one Friday night, their lie has unimaginable consequences for the girls, their families, and the community.

What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myers
Tuesday, August 18
7 pm Main Library Book Discussion Room
Fifteen interrelated stories explore different aspects of love, such as a dying father's determination to help start a family business: a beauty salon and the relationship of two teens who plan to remain celibate until they marry.

 

Friday, June 26
4:30 to 5:30 pm Dole Branch

Join us for treats and a book discussion of Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde. This program is best for middle schoolers. Copies of Heir Apparent will be available at the Dole Branch a month before the discussion. No registration is necessary, but RSVP is appreciated.

 

All tournaments are on Saturdays:
July 11 - Mario Kart
August 1 - Smash Bros.
September 5 - Mario Kart
October 3 - Smash Bros.
November 7 - Finals
Doors open at 10 am Main Library Veterans Room

Join us for a whole season of competitive Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Brothers Brawl featuring 32 players in a simultaneous single elimination tournament. Players entering grades 6 through 12 will compete monthly for a chance to win $40, $30, $20, and $10 gift certificates to Best Buy, and the chance to compete in the tournament finals for a chance at an iPod Touch, Nintendo DSi, an iPod Nano, and an iPod Shuffle.

Pre-registration is recommended for this program. Please call 708-452-3440 or stop by the desk at the Main Library to sign up for our first tournament beginning Saturday, June 27.

 

Tuesday, July 14
begins 3 pm Main Library Veterans Room

Polish up on your history of magic before Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is released. We're showing a double feature of the last two Harry Potter films. Join us for trivia, snacks, and a raffle for tickets from the Lake Theater.

Wear a Harry Potter themed costume for double raffle tickets towards the big prize!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
3 pm, PG-13, 150 minutes

Harry is entered into the dangerous Tri-wizard Tournament. He must train for many challenges and the possible return of his nemesis, the evil Lord Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6 pm, PG-13, 138 minutes

Harry Potter has to battle the Ministry of Magic as they seize more power at Hogwarts and refuse to believe that the evil Voldemort has returned.

 

author James Kennedy and special guests Brilliant Pebbles
Saturday, July 25
2 pm Main Library Veterans Room

Join the Oak Park Public Library and partner Magic Tree Bookstore in our launch of a new series of events matching a YA author with a rock band for an afternoon of performance and fun. We're honored and delighted to have The Order of the Odd Fish author, James Kennedy, and his band Brilliant Pebbles for this exciting debut. See you at the show!

 

Sunday, July 26
1 to 4 pm Scoville Park, outside the Main Library

A 50-person chess tournament for K-12th age kids will be held with trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize.  Pre-registration begins July 13th and is required for this tournament. Call 708-452-3440 for more information. A side tournament will be held for parents, coaches, and adults with no registration required.

 

Tuesday, August 4
6 to 8:30 pm Main Library Veterans Room

Join us for our first ever book swap just for teens. Bring your gently used books you no longer want to trade for new ones. Bring a book, take home a book. Trade as many as you like. Teens entering grades 6 and up may participate.

 

Chess Open Play
Every Monday
5:30 pm to 9 pm Main Library Book Discussion Room
Open play for all ages and all skill levels. We have a supply of boards, or you can bring your own.

 

Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Teens going into 7th through 12th grades are volunteering in teams for nine weeks, from June 8 through August 7. Thanks for your interest, this program is full for this summer!

In this footage of the September competition, Young Adult Librarian Monica Harris talks about how this tournament benefits the community.

Successful 2008 Summer Volunteer Program

The Library's Teen Summer Volunteer program ran for 8 weeks this summer. Volunteer teams worked on a variety of projects, from selecting music CDs, writing book reviews, and organizing books, to creating promotional videos for the Library (watch one below). The 34 teens contributed just over 430 hours, helping to serve hundreds of patrons, save Library money, and enable staff to focus on other projects.

Teens reported that they enjoyed being in the Library and being in the company of other like-minded, book-loving teens. Staff reported they have a deeper appreciation of teens and learned more about teen interests, passions, and tastes. They also noted that Library staff as a whole benefited from the energy and commitment these young volunteers brought to the Library.

We truly appreciate their service to the Library! We look forward to having them back in 2009 and to welcoming the new faces who join the effort.

Library Ninja at Oak Park Public Library
This is one of three promotional videos created for the Library by the AV Club, as part of the Library's 2008 Teen Summer Volunteer program.

OPPL on MySpace myspace.com/opplteens
We've developed a MySpace page for young adults at the Oak Park Public Library as a way to let you know about upcoming events, new book releases, and more. Friend us for more information from your local public library.

Teen Battle of the Bands
June 6, 2009
Details at www.oakparkteens.com/bob.html.

Teen Battle of the Bands
May 31, 2008