Kids summer reading: Get ready to ‘Find Your Voice’

Graphics of children on green background

By Eileen Saam, Children’s Librarian Summer is almost here, and it’s time to get excited about this year’s kids summer reading program: Find Your Voice! The program kicks off on June 1 for kids ages 2-11 and continues through August 15. We are thrilled about all of the opportunities that the summer reading program provides … Read more

Visiting the Main Library Children’s Services: A virtual tutorial for kids & families

Picture of the Main Library with a pink and purple overlay

By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Sometimes kids and adults get nervous about visiting a new place for the first time. We get it!  It can be useful to know what to expect before your first visit. With that in mind, we created a social narrative—available in multiple formats—about visiting the Children’s Services Area of the Main … Read more

Preparing for Pride Month: Books for kids

Book icon on a rainbow background

By Hal, Rainbow Services Librarian As the summer approaches, so does Pride Month. In the United States and many other countries around the world, we celebrate Pride during June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Nowadays, communities throughout the world celebrate Pride Month with parades of rainbows and glitter. These parades began as … Read more

STEAM Fest 2023 & more: Experience the wide world of STEAM at the library

Three students playing a coding game

By Eileen Saam, Children’s Librarian We are so excited to partner with Oak Park Elementary School District 97 and the Oak Park Education Foundation to bring you STEAM Fest 2023! On Thursday, March 2, families with students in grades K-8 are invited to come to the Oak Park Public Library to experience the wide world … Read more

Just for kids: A list of fun & educational websites, curated by librarians

Kid using tablet with two adults in the background

By Eileen Saam, Children’s Librarian Looking for engaging and educational sites for kids? You’ve come to the right place!  Many websites designed for kids claim to be informative and entertaining, but it can be challenging to find fun, user-friendly sites for kids that are not loaded with advertisements. What should you look for when exploring … Read more

Need help with school research projects? Library resources to the rescue! African-American History & American-Indian History (Part 3)

Three kids studying on a laptop

By Eileen Saam, Children’s Librarian  As the school year starts and school projects are assigned, know that the library is here to help! In addition to books, your Oak Park library card gives you access to a number of subscription-based resources that you can use to help you with your research. In my previous posts … Read more

LGBTQ+ people & history: Books, a new trivia game & resources to share with grade schoolers

Pride flag overlayed with a rainbow of colors

By Hal, Rainbow Services Librarian Did you know? Illinois is one of only six states with an inclusive curriculum bill that ensures students in public schools learn about LGBTQ+ and their contributions as part of their history curriculum. In their most recent published survey results (pdf), GLSEN found that inclusive curriculums have a positive impact … Read more

Engaging & hands-on tech learning is here

Two middle schoolers disassembling a computer

By Eileen Saam, Children’s Services Librarian Thanks to grant funding from TechGirlz—a nonprofit program of Creating IT Futures that provides free, fun, interactive workshops—the library now offers new ways to support engaging, hands-on learning for middle school girls. Recent additions in the library’s new Creative Studio include 3D printers, toolkits to dismantle and assemble computers, … Read more