By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Let’s take a walk through memory lane! In January 2016, Jenny (pictured above with Ruthie the camel) and I launched the Early Bird Reader program, with weekly literacy tips texted out and monthly videos for caregivers that dug a little deeper into a specific literacy topic. In March 2020, we had … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian By now, you’re very familiar with our new Early Bird Learning video series, right? Each week we share a new video, alternating between content to watch with your kids and content just for caregivers. To help create content for these videos, we’ve partnered with our friends at Collaboration for Early Childhood, … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian School supplies are everywhere you look and first days of school and preschool are looming on your calendar, but it’s still solidly summer here at your library. Oceans of Possibilities runs through August 31, so there are still a few more weeks of summer reading! Many families start the summer strong, logging … Read more
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 Children’s Librarian Shelly Harris For kids, play is serious learning. That means storytimes are both fun and serious learning! Every class we lead rests on the foundation of the Very Ready Reading Program, which offers seven ways to immerse kids in early literacy. Those seven ways are sharing books, songs, stories, words, rhymes, sounds, and … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian We often come back to the topic of emotions and social-emotional learning with our kids. Sometimes it may feel like we’re repeating ourselves! But we keep returning to the topic because it’s an important one. Kids (and adults!) learn best when they feel that they are safe and secure in … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Most people look at summer as a time to relax and have fun. For Children’s Services Librarians, it’s our busy season! We’ve spent the past few months preparing the summer reading program, and now it’s here! This summer, our theme is Adventure Begins at Your Library. Once again we are using … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Welcome to the -ber months: September, October, November, and December! Most people celebrate the start of a new year in January. Not me. I graduated more than ten years ago, but the start of the school year is still the start of my personal new year. For a lot of young … Read more
UPDATE: Under Latonia’s leadership, Teen Services expanded and changed its name to “Middle and High School Services” in August 2022. Say hello to the newest member of our team, Latonia Jackson! “I am passionate about helping others reach their fullest potential,” Latonia says. “I am eager to grow and learn every day. If you’re willing, … Read more
Special Collections curates, houses, and conserves Oak Park’s historical treasures, and makes them publicly available both in person and digitally. In 2018 we worked with the Conservation Center in Chicago to conserve a work of art of special significance to the library—a rare window from the Scoville Institute, the late 19th-century building that once stood … Read more
