Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander heritage

Collage of book covers, see titles listed below

Your public library is here with books, resources, and experiences that can help us connect and celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander heritage. The month of May is recognized as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Illinois. Other organizations also honor this month as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, … Read more

Celebrating Jewish American heritage

Collage of book covers featured below

Your public library is here with books, resources, and experiences that can help us connect and celebrate Jewish American history and culture. The month of May is recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month in Illinois. Title suggestions for all ages More to explore Special display Idea Box: Jewish American Heritage MonthMay 13-31, Main Library Local … Read more

Celebrating Seniors Week 2025

Older adults talking and enjoying coffee at the library

Spring is here, so it’s time again for Celebrating Seniors Week! Held this year from May 8 to 15, the weeklong celebration is dedicated to honoring, recognizing, and serving seniors in Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park. Celebrating Seniors Week is sponsored by the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, an organization dedicated to uplifting and advocating for older … Read more

Want to protect libraries? Here’s what you can do

Show up For Our Libraries

We’re asking our community to stand up for libraries everywhere because the federal government is moving to cut off its modest but effective support for libraries, from withdrawal of funding for broadband to the elimination of the only source of federal funding for our nation’s 125,000 libraries, the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Watch: Spreading … Read more

What libraries mean to Oak Park

Collage of three library staff holding signs to celebrate and stand up for public libraries during National Library Week

Before and during National Library Week, we asked our staff and community members: What do you love about libraries? What do libraries mean to you? Here’s what they shared. Library staff | Community members Oak Park library staff ‘Magical, vital institutions’ “Libraries are places for all where possibilities seem endless. They are magical, vital institutions … Read more

New pop-up library at Oak Park’s Village Hall

A shelf of books in the lobby of a municipal building, and two Village of Oak Park staff

Announcing our newest pop-up library location: Oak Park’s Village Hall, 123 Madison St., Oak Park! Pop-up libraries allow community members to use the library when they’re out and about, no library card or checkouts needed. This new shelf, located in the welcome center of Oak Park’s main municipal building, offers books about fire trucks, voting rights, community … Read more

Supporting your healthy & green living: Magazines, newspapers & books

Older adult riding a bicycle in front of an open garage

Spring is here—the perfect time to explore ways to start or strengthen your green living habits. Green living contributes to a healthier planet and a healthier future for all. By practicing sustainability, you’re contributing to a healthier environment and, therefore, a healthier future for everyone. Green living not only helps protect the planet but also … Read more

National Poetry Month

Collage of book, album, and movie covers, see titles listed below

By Collection Management Librarians Dontaná & Andrea Poetry is good for our brains. Studies show that reading poems activates our brain’s cognitive functions differently than when we read novels and other nonfiction. Poetry helps us recognize rhymes and rhythms, and expands our “capacity to understand complex, multiple meanings.” This National Poetry Month, we’ve paired poetry collections … Read more

Celebrating Arab American heritage

Collage of book covers featured below

Your public library is here with books, resources, and experiences that can help us connect and celebrate Arab American history and culture. The month of April is recognized as Arab American Heritage Month in Illinois. Title suggestions for all ages More to explore Celebration event Arab American Heritage CelebrationSaturday, April 12, 12-3 pm, Main Library … Read more

Normalizing autistic acceptance: Videos & books for early learners & caregivers

Collage of book covers on a rainbow watercolor background

Happy Autism Acceptance Month! In the past, we’ve shared information about: This year, let’s talk about misconceptions about autism and autistic people. I know so many autistic adults who have felt gaslit their entire lives, their needs not only unmet but dismissed. It doesn’t have to be that way!  Autism is a neurodivergence: Autistic brains … Read more

Contribute to a community art exhibit

Collage of black and white photographs of Victorian-style houses and a color digital inkjet print showing modern park and sidewalk scenes, and one person drawing over a streetscape image, and another person placing carbon paper on a table

Encoded Memories is an art exhibit coming to the Main Library Gallery in May. Revolving around themes of time, place, and memory, it will feature images showing Oak Park past and present, including historical scenes from the library’s Special Collections. But there’s a twist! The work that will be on display in the second-floor gallery isn’t … Read more

33 things to do with little ones this spring

Illustration of animals working and playing in a community garden

Longer, lighter days this season make it easier to fit more into each and every one. Your public library, in partnership with the Collaboration for Early Childhood, has put together a collection of activities, events, and resources for you and your little ones. Here’s to exploring, learning, and playing this spring!  Activities Storytimes Events

Early Bird Learning videos: A virtual tutorial for babies, toddlers & preschoolers

Miss Eileen singing

Did you know that children’s staff have created more than 400 early learning videos since March 2020?! You can watch them all in a YouTube playlist and find them organized into 16 different categories on the Early Learning page—including art, en español, life skills, and supported. To make it even easier to find what you … Read more

New pop-up library at Kids Unlimited

On left, Adult reads a picture book to a child sitting in a swing in a gym for kids; on the right, a bookshelf against a brick wall and next t

Announcing our newest pop-up library location: Kids Unlimited Therapy Services, 820 North Blvd., Oak Park! Pop-up libraries allow community members to use the library when they’re out and about, no library card or checkouts needed. Kids Unlimited is our fourth pop-up library location, adding to ones installed in 2024 at the Community Recreation Center, Wonder Works, and Styles … Read more

Tech Tips: Computer Basics 101: The mouse

Diagram of a mouse

Using a mouse seems simple, but did you know there are shortcuts built into many computer mice? In this post, you’ll discover the different parts of the mouse, how to use the mouse, and what the mouse can do. How to hold the mouse Just like with any other tool, a better grip will help … Read more

Earth Month at your library

Parent helping child put on gardening gloves over a table with bowls of soil at a library seed ball-making workshop

Earth Day is April 22, and this year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet. The library offers events, information, and resources focused on sustainability and environmental issues all year. In April, we kick it up a notch with our community partners to learn and take action. Below, find events for all ages, including film screenings, … Read more

How to watch movies with your library card

Popular this month on Kanopy collection displayed on a flat screen TV in someone's home

Your Oak Park library card is your key to accessing thousands of movies, documentaries, TV shows, and more. Below, find three ways you can use your card to watch films: 1. Stream on Kanopy Part of your digital library, Kanopy is a collection of more than 30,000 feature films, documentaries, educational videos, and TV shows. … Read more