Challenging young people to challenge themselves. Educating our students outside the box. Helping them develop their own compass to navigate their way through the world. That’s what the Youth Social Justice Conference at the Main Library on Saturday, March 16, 10 am-3pm, is all about. A day of learning, exchanging ideas, growth All are invited … Read more
As an 18-month grant-funded initiative to empower youth for college and career builds to a finish at the Main Library, those involved are calling it a “community catalyst” for the way it’s sparking opportunities, strengthening relationships, and energizing young people, families, and those who work with young people. “To catalyze something means you can walk … Read more
To better serve our community, now and into the future, we routinely commit to investing in two of Oak Park’s two greatest assets: library staff and library space. In 2018, the Board of Library Trustees approved a 2019 budget that enables us to do two important things this year. One is to take a big-picture … Read more
Tax returns are due April 15 See a full list of calendar year 2019 e-filing Tax Day deadlines » At the library, you can print popular state and federal tax forms at no charge; use library computers to file taxes online; and find resources and referrals for more specialized help. Looking for tax forms? At the … Read more
Poet Luis Tubens has been working with young people at the Main Library since January 2017. That’s when he became the library’s first artist in residence, consistently drawing lots of middle schoolers to his after-school writing workshops and open mics. Although his residency ended in summer 2017, Tubens didn’t stop working with kids at the … Read more
Visitors to the Main Library over four weeks this summer may have noticed it was a little noisier than usual on the second and third floors. From July 16 to August 10, we hosted a lively weekday summer school designed to reimagine learning and achievement for elementary and middle school students, including some who had … Read more
It started as a way to celebrate the black experience all year long, and not just during Black History Month. Now, almost 36 months later, the library’s More Than a Month series kicks off its fourth year with an expanded outlook and programs that promote conversation and year-round enrichment for all. ‘It’s both/and’ More Than … Read more
Learn about new apps, websites, programs, and more; plus, get answers to your tech questions and explore your creative side during upcoming open maker labs at your library. Basic and Intermediate Tech Workshops Mondays in January and February, 7 pm, Main Library Computer Classroom. Register now. January 7: Intro to Computers January 14: Basic Internet January … 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
It’s been one year since we launched our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, and our early readers are off to a fabulous start. The library’s long-term reading program is designed to prepare babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to arrive ready to learn come kindergarten. So far, 36 families have achieved the goal of reading 1,000 books together … Read more
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