Update November 5, 2025: A second Oak Park Township location has been added at their Senior & Disability Services office, 130 S. Oak Park Ave. Announcing our newest pop-up library location at Oak Park Township‘s Youth & Family Services office, 105 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park. Pop-up libraries allow community members to use the library … Read more
Your public library is here with books, resources, and experiences that can help us connect and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Titles we suggest More to explore Reading lists for kids From your digital library Upcoming events For all ages Book Bike: Out in the BurbsSaturday, June 7, 12-4 pm, downtown Oak Park The Book Bike … Read more
Announcing our newest pop-up library location: The Daly Bagel, 130 Chicago Ave., Oak Park! Pop-up libraries allow community members to use the library when they’re out and about, no library card or checkouts needed. “We are thrilled and honored to be part of the Pop-Up Library initiative!” said Adrienne Guldin and Amanda Daly of The Daly Bagel. … Read more
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
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
By Digital Learning Specialist Amelia Get ready for an awesome adventure at your public library this summer! We’re thrilled to kick off our summer reading program (for kids and adults), which runs all summer long—June 1-August 19. Once again, we’re bringing back Beanstack, a cool digital tracker, to help you keep track of your summer … Read more
Kids summer reading is coming soon. Mark your calendars to sign up for June 1! In the meantime, if you need help finding books to read, you are in luck! Here at the library, we want you to find books that spark joy, bring pleasure and comfort, and broaden your knowledge. We hope that by … Read more
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
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
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
Introducing Little Pim, a new way for kids ages 0-6 to have fun while learning a new language! To get started, choose from 12 languages—Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. A series of short, engaging videos voiced by native speakers will help kids to learn the new … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris The sun is setting earlier, and nights are lasting longer. This is the time of year when our “Chills and Thrills” bin of picture books gets checked out the most, teachers take out stacks of Halloween books, and kids ask for mysteries and scary stories. Even I love to be … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Every July, we come together to celebrate Disability Pride as a community! As a disabled librarian (neurodivergent and chronically ill), I love creating programs not only for disabled kids but celebrating us as well. When Miss Genevieve and I lead our Disability Understanding and Advocacy field trips for elementary kids, … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Did you know that 70% of disabled adults do not engage in community activities? The first time I heard this statistic it gave me pause. I see it with my disabled brother and his friends, but it’s hard to see it widely confirmed. It’s what inspired me to develop a … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Most people look at summer as a time to relax and have fun. For Children’s Services Librarians, it’s our busy season! We’ve spent the past few months preparing the summer reading program, and now it’s here! This summer, our theme is Adventure Begins at Your Library. Once again we are using … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Happy Autism Acceptance Month! To understand why we’re celebrating… Let’s start at the beginning: What is autism & why acceptance? There are two brain types: Neurodiversity encompasses both brain types. Autism is a complex neurodivergent, developmental disability that affects how people experience the world around them. It’s easy to misunderstand autism because … Read more
Library staff love to talk about the importance of language and play for kids: It helps them explore their world, learn about themselves and the people around them, get ready for school learning, and so much more! Pediatric staff from Kids Unlimited Therapy Services in Oak Park have some practical ways to encourage spontaneous, meaningful … Read more
We often come back to the topic of emotions and social-emotional learning with our kids. Sometimes it may feel like we’re repeating ourselves! But we keep returning to the topic because it’s an important one. Kids (and adults!) learn best when they feel that they are safe and secure in their space and relationships. Part … Read more
October is a big month! Many kids are excited for Halloween, of course. We finally enter an autumn that will last a while; that’s usually pretty great. Sometimes we even see a few snow flurries, which is probably more exciting to me than to others. And of course, every year, Jenny and I love to … Read more
“You’ve made this day a special day, by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.” Strong, meaningful words from Fred Rogers, my early childhood hero. He was, as most know, the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS for almost … Read more
