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
By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná Nestled in the middle of February’s observance of Black History Month, and the day before Valentine’s Day, Black Love Day is a celebration of love specific to Black people. Founded in 1993 by Ayo Handy-Kendi, Black Love Day rests upon “5 Loving Acts”: Love for The Creator, Love for Self, … Read more
By Kristen Romanowski, Staff Writer & Editor Growing up, Jason Dorsey always knew he wanted to travel. “It’s almost like I had a thread of adventure inside of me, always,” he says. So he joined the U.S. Marines in 2000, right out of high school. But after returning home from active duty four years later, … Read more
By Collection Management Librarian Kathy Looking to read more this year? Or better yet, looking to expand your reading horizons? Reading challenges are great ways to do both! Try one of these titles that will start you off on the right track to meet your 2023 reading goals. Titles to challenge yourself Finding Me by … Read more
Our library’s vision is to empower every voice in our community, and our Middle & High School Services Team is doing just that for students this year. We’re excited to offer three new ways for youth in grades 6-12 to build relationships, learn with their peers and mentors, and grow in their schoolwork, job readiness, … Read more
Happy New Year, Oak Park! Not big on resolutions? We understand! For some, the start of a new year is a time for wish-making and goal-setting. What would you like to feel, do, or experience more—or less—of this year? Might we suggest less stress, more movement, less clutter, or more color in 2023? Below you’ll … Read more
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
Oak Park Public Library earns Five-Star Library status from Library Journal We’re thrilled to share that our library has once again been named a “Five-Star Library” in Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service. For 2022 and out of the 5,359 libraries reviewed, Oak Park was ranked No. 3 in the country in its expenditure … Read more
By Rose Barnes, Health & Senior Services Librarian As the nights get longer and the temperature starts to really drop, I love to stay home and get cozy. One of my favorite winter activities that I’ve embraced since the start of the pandemic is watching movies while I work on puzzles. While there are so … Read more
Oak Park’s Best of 2022 returns! Our annual librarian-curated selection of titles features some of the titles most requested and checked out by Oak Parkers. See our kids and picture books favorites on this page or browse more using the links below. Adult fiction: General | Adult fiction: Romance, lives & relationships | Adult fiction: Mystery, history & sci-fi | Adult nonfiction | Teen fiction | Kids books | Picture books | TV shows | Movies | Music Kids books … Read more
