The library is partnering with the Oak Park Township to offer free personal hygiene supplies for youth at the library. Kids and their families can help themselves to soap, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss, deodorant, lotion, and menstrual products. The supplies are located inside a small latched cabinet in the wheelchair-accessible bathroom in … Read more
“As an organization, we are continuously learning and evolving to meet the needs expressed to us by our community,” says Manager of Community Engagement Sarah Yale. “Increasingly, we are hearing from the community that more intentional outreach and engagement of the Latinx and Spanish-speaking community is needed.” To that end, the library has named Nora Sanchez as … Read more
October 12 is #AskAnArchivist Day. Have a question? Ask it now » Kheir Fakhreldin, who joined the library earlier this year as Archivist in Special Collections, is an active member of the Chicago Area Archivists and has a Master of Science in Information degree from the University of Michigan. Before joining the library, he worked in the … Read more
Longtime library regular and self-taught artist Vanley Roebuck will show his paintings in an exhibit this November at the Main Library. We caught up with him this summer, when some of his work was on display at Maze Branch, to talk about how he got into painting and what inspires him. ‘It used to intimidate … Read more
We’ve got some fantastic programs for adults coming up this fall, thanks to Jabez Patterson, Programming Librarian in Adult Services. Jabez, who joined the library in January, collaborates with local authors, musicians, and more to bring high-quality virtual and in-person programs to the library. He’s guided by community interests as well as his own—which include … Read more
A book-themed garden at a local elementary school? We can dig it! Since spring 2019, the Bookworm Garden at Irving Elementary School has been growing pollinator-friendly flowers, fruits, and veggies. And with a different children’s book featured in each raised bed, this garden also nurtures a lifelong love of reading in the students who work … Read more
If you’ve visited Maze Branch lately, you may have noticed a new spot to sit down and take a rest, on a green bench just outside the building entrance. The inviting new PoSITivity Bench came to Maze Branch this spring, thanks to a local chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Made up of professional women of … Read more
For the past four years, Oak Park library patron Lindsay Olson has hosted a weekly Zoom storytime with her granddaughters on the West Coast. “We were so grateful we had our storytime sessions in place when the pandemic hit,” Olson says. “Not seeing our family for two years was made easier by our Sunday storytimes.” … Read more
After a pandemic hiatus, our library magazine is back! The summer 2022 issue of The Storyline is online now. Limited print copies will be available while they last at all library locations starting in June. The summer issue highlights what’s happening for kids, adults, and teens at the library and in the community, such as … Read more
On Sunday, 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. Look for Oak Park’s Book Bike and library staff marching in the Oak Park Juneteenth parade, organized by community members and co-sponsored by the Village of … Read more
