By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian This week, I shared a video on using breathing to regulate your body when you’re feeling stressed or getting too excited on a fun day. A lot of the songs we sing and games we play in storytime help kids practice self-regulation: kids are following patterns in movement and song, … Read more
By Collection Management Librarian Kathy May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and this week we are celebrating by sharing stories written by East Asian authors. East Asian creators & stories Second Sister by Ho-Kei Chan Why you should try it: A smart and twisty suspense novel that also shines a light on the shadowy … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Did you know that 70% of disabled adults do not engage in community activities? This statistic, from a 2005 paper, gave me pause the first time I heard it at a conference. I see it with my disabled brother and his friends, but it’s hard to see it widely confirmed. … Read more
In February, the Oak Park Public Library launched the community’s first Anti-Racism Resource Challenge. Through February and March, 90 individuals registered for the challenge; 21 of these readers were active and completed a total of 73 activities. One participant completed the entire challenge in just the first two months! While engaging with the materials and … Read more
By Amy Hofmockel, Creative Technology Librarian Having issues with a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot you borrowed from the Oak Park Public Library? Sometimes you can have trouble despite having followed all the directions! Below, find some common issues other people have had and how to fix them. And check out the other posts in this three-part Tech … Read more
By Amy Hofmockel, Creative Technology Librarian If you don’t have an internet connection at home you can borrow a mobile hotspot from the library! It will get you connected to the internet without incurring data charges. Need help getting your mobile hotspot set up? Follow the steps below and contact us with questions. And check out … Read more
By Amy Hofmockel, Creative Technology Librarian Don’t have an internet connection at home? Want to use your mobile devices—smartphones, laptops, and more—on the go without incurring data charges? A mobile WiFi hotspot can be used to provide a strong, fast, and secure online connection for your mobile devices anywhere cellular services are available. So if your … Read more
By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná Last week, Netflix started streaming Shadow and Bone, their highly anticipated adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books. Want books like the series, but you’ve already read (or don’t want to read) the books? Not a problem! These novels have all the intrigue, and some of the length, of the Grishaverse. … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian What do you think of when you see a book? Are books something stressful? Boring? Magical? Exciting? Something in between? All of those reactions are valid. Right now, I feel a little sad when I see books. Because of the stress of the pandemic, I don’t have the mental energy … Read more
Thank you to the 471 participants who shared their thoughts, and ranked the thoughts of others! Here’s a quick summary of total results, demographics of who responded, and a word cloud of the most mentioned phrases. Our next step is to identify common themes and details for moving ahead to help inform future plans. April … Read more
