Juneteenth 2025

Words "Juneteenth Freedom Day" on a red, black, green, and yellow background

On Thursday, June 19, all library locations will be closed for Juneteenth. This national, state, and Oak Park holiday celebrates African Americans’ freedom from enslavement in the United States. Celebrations at the Main Library Juneteenth is a joyous celebration of freedom, but also a time to remember the countless sacrifices made to achieve it. Join … Read more

Celebrating Pride Month

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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 *The Advocate is now part of Out magazine (new standalone issues of The Advocate are no longer available). Upcoming events For all … Read more

Preparing for Pride Month: Books & trivia games for kids

Book icon on a rainbow background

By Hal, Rainbow Services Librarian As the summer approaches, so does Pride Month. In the United States and many other countries around the world, we celebrate Pride during June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Nowadays, communities throughout the world celebrate Pride Month with parades of rainbows and glitter. These parades began as … Read more

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander heritage

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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

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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 Arab American heritage

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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

Transgender Day of Visibility: Books, virtual tutorials & more resources

Transgender Day of Visibility text with a blue, pink, and white striped flag in the background

Held each year on March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV) celebrates the lives and accomplishments of transgender and nonbinary people. Trans advocate Rachel Crandall founded TDoV in 2010 because stories in the media about transgender and nonbinary people so often focus only on violence. As legislation across the country continues to target and discriminate … Read more

Honoring women’s history

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Your public library is here to connect us through books, resources, and experiences that celebrate women’s history. Browse titles we suggest More from your digital library Register now to attend events Illinois Libraries Present: Exploring Space With Coralie AdamTuesday, March 4, 7 pm, virtual Get an inside look at the space industry with Illinois’ own Coralie … Read more

Connecting you to Black history, then & now

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Your public library is here with books, resources, and experiences that can help us connect and celebrate Black history and culture. Browse titles we suggest More to explore View exhibits Art Exhibit: Stories My Camera Tells by Howard SimmonsThrough February 22, Main Library Gallery Still photography tells its stories through captured moments in time. Stories told with … Read more

Oak Park celebrates Kwanzaa with ‘the spirit of community and cultural richness’

Delighted faces among audience members in the Main Library Veterans Room

Oak Park’s Kwanzaa celebration drew almost 200 people to the Main Library on Monday, December 30, and was a resounding success. With music, dance, crafts, artwork, food, and ceremony, the Black American harvest celebration “truly captured the spirit of community and cultural richness that Kwanzaa represents,” said Manager of Community Engagement Chibuike Enyia. Seven principles … Read more

Honoring MLK Day: Books, a display, resources & more

Martin Luther King Jr. leaning on a podium at a press conference, alongside a collage of book covers

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 20), all library buildings will be closed. We’ve gathered together title suggestions, online resources, and more to help you celebrate the life and legacy of one of the best-known leaders of the civil rights movement. Check out these titles Contribute to a community ‘Dream Hands’ display As … Read more

Transgender Awareness Week: Books & resources

Transgender flag drawn in chalk

This November 13-19, we celebrate Transgender Awareness Week, an annual event dedicated to educating our communities about the lives of transgender people. Transgender Awareness Week takes place in the week leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20)—a day set aside to recognize each life lost during the year to transphobic violence around the … Read more

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

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Oak Park Public Library acknowledges that Oak Park is situated on the ancestral land of the Bodewamiadkiwen (Potawatomi), Myaamia (Miami), Oceti Sakowin, Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), and Peoria. We honor them and thank them for their stewardship of this land. Source: native-land.ca Your public library is here to connect you with books, videos, online resources, and learning experiences that … Read more

Hispanic Heritage books, events, videos & more

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Your public library is here to connect you with books, events, learning experiences, and online resources that celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture this month and all year long. On this page, you can: This commemorative month (held September 15-October 15) was officially designated as Hispanic Heritage Month by the U.S. Congress in 1968. Learn more at … Read more

Preserving culture in the Creative Studio

Person holds a VHS tape at a computer station with the words "Creative Studio" on the wall

Nothing lasts forever, and that includes your old VHS tapes. Even if you still have a VCR to play them, the tape quality can degrade as the years go by. The solution? Digitize those tapes. And you can do it for free in the Main Library Creative Studio! That’s why library patron Alex Yu has … Read more

Improving our service to Spanish-speaking patrons

Group of library staff pose together against an artwork backdrop

To meet our community’s growing needs, we partnered with Triton College this spring to offer an eight-week conversational Spanish course for 12 library staff members at the Main Library. The course was designed to help staff provide more responsive customer service and build relationships with Spanish-speaking community members who frequent the library. Rashmi Swain, Adult … Read more

Community Sensory Garden

Miss Eileen planting in the Accessible Community Garden

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

ICYMI: Recently released fiction & nonfiction for AANHPI Heritage Month

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By Collection Management Librarians Dontaná & Kathy Check out these recently released fiction and nonfiction titles that might have flown under your radar. They are perfect for celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Hawaiian Mythology by Martha Beckwith Why you should try it: If you’ve made your way through the gateway … Read more

ICYMI: Recently released fiction & nonfiction

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By Collection Management Librarians Dontaná & Kathy Check out these recently released fiction and nonfiction titles that might have flown under your radar. They are perfect for celebrating Black History Month. Fiction Hush Harbor by Anise Vance Why you should try it: This gritty dystopian novel will make you think. Description: A resistance group takes America’s … Read more

Book bans, censorship & intellectual freedom: Attend Saturday’s panel discussion

Headshots of four Barbara Ballinger Lecture presenters on teal background, with Barbara Ballinger Lecture logo

Across the United States, a movement has been growing to censor books in schools and public libraries, especially books by and about people of color and members of LGBTQ+ communities. As your public library, we will continue to make challenged and endangered books accessible to everyone, and to educate our community on the history and … Read more