Impact

‘We are on the right path’: Thoughts on the Restorative Community Practices Conference

“It was love.” That’s how planning committee member Josh Easter summed up last weekend’s Restorative Community Practices Conference—three days of peace circles, panel discussions, workshops, meals, music, and conversation. The October 4-6 conference drew national experts, local activists and teachers, families with children, community leaders, and passionate individuals. Together, we took a deep dive into … Read more

Inclusion is a driving force behind my library work

Shelley Harris with Adapted Boardmaker book

By Shelley Harris October brings us the sights, smells, sounds, tastes and textures of fall, and has been chosen to highlight awareness of many disability communities. It’s a time to call for acceptance of and advocacy for people who process the world in diverse ways, including those who use communication aids to speak, have Down … Read more

Register now: Restorative practices to strengthen families, schools, and communities

Restorative Justice Conference participants

New! Watch the promotional video » Join us for the three-day Restorative Community Practices: Building Stronger Families, Schools, and Communities conference at the Main Library this October 4-6. Expanding on last fall’s restorative justice conference, this year’s conference takes a wider look at how restorative practices can be applied within families, schools, and communities. Also … Read more

‘A new kind of summer school’ returns July 15-August 9

Power of Partnerships Summer School

For four weeks this summer, Oak Park elementary and middle-school students will once again be enjoying a new and exciting type of summer school opportunity created to enhance their study and reading skills while preparing them for the academic year ahead. In its second year at the Main Library, the program connects learning to inquiry, … Read more

Expanding our world languages collections

For those who speak and read in languages other than English, there’s even more to find at the library this year, as we expand our world languages collections for adults, teens, and kids. Since last year, our librarians have been analyzing the collections, researching Oak Park demographics, and meeting with local educators to learn which … Read more

Partnering for equity in education

How do you close the “homework gap”? In part, by working together. On Monday, June 10, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Superintendent Dr. Carol Kelley, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Senior Director of Technology Michael Arensdorff, and Oak Park Public Library Director David J. Seleb presented a webinar entitled “Closing the Homework Gap: … Read more

‘We’re inextricably connected’

In this summer’s One Book, One Oak Park series, we’re connecting over Eric Klinenberg’s Palaces for the People, which looks at how open, accessible spaces can promote civic engagement and social interaction. The author uses the term “social infrastructure” to describe public libraries, parks, schools, community gardens, and other places where people assemble and engage. … Read more

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