When our Library of Things collection made its debut last September, Nicole Brown and her family were ready for it. On previous visits to the Main Library, they’d seen staff assembling the wall in the lobby (pictured above) that showcases items in the collection. Things like an electric drill, a pair of tennis rackets, a … Read more
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
August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, and we want to make our community aware that the Main Library offers life-saving resources just inside the front entrance. Since March 2023, overdose kits containing naloxone nasal spray (also known by the brand name Narcan) have been freely available to anyone in the Main Library vestibule, in … Read more
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
American teens are in a mental health crisis, according to the Office of the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and it began even before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why, since 2019, assistant professor and researcher Ashley Knapp (pictured above, left), who studies teens, technology, and mental health at Northwestern University’s Feinberg … Read more
This latest issue of the library’s magazine (pdf) highlights summer reading programs for kids, teens, and adults, plus: We love to see how you use your public library If you have an idea or story to share with us for a future issue, please contact us at communications@oppl.org. You can also share stories, photos, and more through … Read more
We’re celebrating the first anniversary of the Creative Studio! Since the digital makerspace officially opened last April on the Main Library’s third floor, it’s been a fantastic year of learning, expanding offerings, and, of course, lots of creativity. “The Creative Studio provides access to technology and tools that help patrons realize their personal, professional, and … Read more
Our library strives to be a library for everyone, one that prioritizes: Evaluating our impact To report on the impact of work in these areas, the library shares monthly public updates at its Board of Library Trustees meetings, and creates annual, year-in-review impact reports. These reports showcase library work that shared the information, services, and … Read more
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
A few years ago, Sharon Eckhoff inherited a Mac laptop from her son. She loves pretty much everything about it, including the sensory feel of typing on it. “It’s a pleasure to work with the darn thing,” she told us. However, she realized earlier this year that, to keep up with her online courses in … Read more
