New for kids! ‘National Geographic Kids,’ ‘Highlights,’ ‘Cricket’ & ‘Babybug’ now available

Parent and two kids with tablet on bed

Looking for something new to explore this summer? Three new digital resources offer whole new worlds to discover for kids of all ages! And don’t forget, all reading is good reading and counts toward your summer reading goal! So be sure to log minutes spent reading magazine articles in Beanstack. 1. Read every issue ever … Read more

Books in Brief, episode 5: Black Lives Matter

Books in Brief: Book covers for Homegoing, How to Be an Antiracist, Just Mercy, White Fragility

Need some book recommendations? Your librarians are here to help! Don’t miss this episode of Books in Brief, a video series featuring four great digital title recommendations in about two minutes. Collection Management Librarian Kathy recommends four titles to help educate yourself. Black Lives Matter digital titles Watch the episode above and then find all … Read more

Classic & contemporary: Black Music Month

Person using headphones

By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná Designated in 1979 by President Carter as Black Music Month and renamed in 2009 by President Obama, African-American Music Appreciation Month is a celebration of Black music, Black joy, and Black excellence. Black artists have been originators and redesigners of sound across all musical genres. Check out these albums and … Read more

Logo image contest deadline extended until July 26

As one of the library’s Teen Services initiatives, Leading Edge strives to surround teens with opportunities to maximize their innate potential to lead socially and academically through peer mentoring and coaching. To help spread the word and increase program visibility, we are inviting interested teens to enter an image contest to promote Leading Edge at … Read more

Meet Juanta: ‘Multicultural learning teaches us to see the world beyond our neighborhoods’

‘I am passionate about multicultural education’ Juanta Griffin, a longtime Oak Park resident and arts educator, is the library’s new Multicultural Learning Coordinator. “I am passionate about multicultural education not just for children but for adults as well,” she says. “I strongly believe that racism is rooted in fear and that fear stems from ignorance. … Read more

Relevant reads: Culture

Book covers for Magical Negro, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, and Wayward Lives Beautiful Experiments on painted canvas

By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná Culture is created, manifested, and maintained. It cannot not exist without people actively perpetuating it, and it does not exist in a vacuum. These books explore Black culture in America, how it shapes and is shaped by music, and the ways racial and socioeconomic inequalities influence it. You can find … Read more

Black Lives Matter

Book covers for The New Jim Crow; Something Happened in Our Town, Homegoing; When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir; Black Brother, Black Brother; The Usual Suspects; Citizen; A Phoenix First Must Burn; Piecing Me Together; I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness; Voice of Freedom, So You Want to Talk About Race; Black Enough

Dear Oak Park Community, We are sickened and horrified by the needless killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. We are frightened for the black and brown members of our staff and our community who daily must endure the racism of our society. We are furious at the inequities that cause … Read more

Relevant reads: Pandemic novels & short stories 2020

Illustration of people wearing surgical face masks

By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná From the plague to the 1918 influenza to now, pandemics have been unwelcome members of society. Touching everyone and everything, global sickness and the changes we have to make to get through makes us anxious and sends us looking for an escape. No wonder we turn to fiction that explores … Read more

Census recruiting in Oak Park: ‘A call to action’

Eric Luepke talking with a patron at the library

By Guest Writer Erich Luepke UPDATE: If you would like to learn more about working for the Census, and believe you can help our community outreach efforts, please email the author of this piece at Erich.d.luepke@2020census.gov. Erich Luepke is an Oak Park resident recruiting people to apply for jobs with the 2020 Census. The opinions … Read more

Our favorite resources for digital picture books

Family with baby looking at laptop

Searching for good picture books online? Here are some of our favorite digital resources! Your digital library Babybug & Cricket on Flipster: Find stories just for kids in two award-winning magazines. Hoopla: Easy to navigate and use, the app offers educational and fun options for young readers of all ages. Media on Demand & Libby: From … Read more