We hear you: Listening session feedback

Child and adult at the library's A Day In Our Village booth

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and ideas at our listening sessions! More than 250 individuals participated, with in-person conversations and feedback forms completed in April, May, and June. Here’s more about the nine public listening sessions hosted by Executive Director Joslyn Bowling Dixon and additional library staff: What you told us about … Read more

The Work continues

A glass wall with the words "A library for everyone" in frosted letters

By Joslyn Bowling Dixon, Executive Director More than halfway through my first year as Oak Park Public Library’s executive director, I’m pleased to report back on what we’ve accomplished so far. As I said I would do in my initial job interview, I took ample time and great care to watch, review, observe, and listen … Read more

Oak Park supports democracy and the freedom to read as a Book Sanctuary Community

Village hall board meeting room presentation

Big news! At its June 20 regular meeting, the Village of Oak Park Board of Trustees approved a new resolution declaring the Village of Oak Park a Book Sanctuary Community. This local resolution follows a new state law that Gov. JB Pritzker signed in early June that is meant to discourage state libraries from removing … Read more

Meet your T-shirt design winners!

Six finalists designs

Oak Park Public Library is thrilled to be one of more than 30 organizations around the country partnering for Collections of Culture: 50 Years of Hip Hop Inside Libraries, Museums, and Archives. And as part of our Oak Park celebration, we hosted a T-shirt design contest. With six finalists (pictured above) to choose from, we received … Read more

A ‘Wellness in the Workplace’ Win

Library staff member receiving an award on Staff Day 2022

Oak Park receives 2023 Citation for Wellness in the Workplace Awarded annually by the American Library Association (ALA)’s Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT), this citation recognizes our library’s strategic commitment to “supporting all library staff to achieve happiness, well-being, and success.” From the SustainRT announcement: ‘Well-being activities and initiatives a priority’ “We are grateful to be … Read more

2022: A year in review

Pictures of the 2022 Anti-Racism Impact Report and 2022 Strategic Priorities Impact Report

In March 2021, the Board of Library Trustees voted to approve the Oak Park Public Library’s first stand-alone Anti-Racism Strategic Plan. This multi-year plan was created to address internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism in both internal and external practices at the library. To stay accountable to the work outlined in that stand-alone plan—as well … Read more

Resources to reflect on, to share & to take action

Main Library Third Floor book stacks

As your public library, we are here for you and have compiled a list of library, local, and regional resources focusing on: Mental health and trauma assistance Gun violence Voting and legislation Misinformation Books and library resources Mental health & trauma assistance  For all ages Managing distress in the aftermath of a shooting from the … 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