From April through October each year, Oak Park’s two book bikes—Paperback Rider and Anne of Green Fables—bring the library beyond our three brick-and-mortar buildings. Weather permitting, we stock the bikes full of books and other library materials and ride to schools, parks, block parties, local businesses, summer camps, community festivals, and more.
By meeting residents where they are—whether at the Farmers Market, senior center, or a neighborhood event—we create meaningful connections and make library resources more accessible. The book bikes are a fun, personal, and eco-friendly way to engage with both regular library users and those who may face barriers to visiting our physical locations.
What do book bikes deliver?
The bike’s cargo hold is stocked with relevant materials—cookbooks and gardening manuals at the Farmers’ Market, for example, and children’s books at area park and daycare storytimes. When you visit a book bike, you can:
- Apply for a library card
- Use your library card to check out materials
- Listen to a storytime
- Learn about library services and programs
Please note: Book bikes cannot accept returns or fees.
Complete the form below to request a book bike visit at your next event
Interested in scheduling a book bike visit for your next event in Oak Park? Visits to schools, residential buildings, neighborhood parks, block parties, local businesses, and summer camps happen all around town—April through October—weather permitting.
Unavailable dates
We are thrilled Oak Park loves its book bikes! Unfortunately, due to high demand, it means we cannot schedule any additional visits on the following dates. However, if you’d like, you still may fill out the form to be added to a waitlist in the event of cancellations.
- Saturdays: April 26, May 31, June 7 & 14, July 12, September 6 & 20, October 4, 11, 18 & 25
- Sundays: April 27, May 18, June 1, September 28, October 5, 23, 19 & 26
Request a book bike visit
More about our book bikes
The original idea, which libraries in other cities like Seattle also have adopted, was developed by Chicagoan Gabriel Levinson in 2008. For years, Levinson rode his custom-built book bike around Chicago parks, handing out free books. Watch Levinson speak with the American Library Association about his project »
Paperback Rider
Our first book bike, crafted by Haley Tricycles in Philadelphia and shipped to Oak Park in April 2015, was funded by generous donations to the library’s Fallon Family Fund, a dedicated fund established to help the library deliver cutting-edge projects and resources for all of our community’s children.
Affectionately nicknamed “Paperback Rider” in a community naming campaign, the three-wheeled mobile library has been delivering resources and good cheer throughout the area, improving access to materials since the spring of 2015.
Anne of Green Fables
Also crafted by Haley Tricycles, this electric-assist bike was funded by generous donations to the Oak Park Public Library Capital Fund. It was named “Anne of Green Fables” in a 2024 community naming campaign.
“Green + fables? How can you go wrong?” said Marla Rose, the community member who suggested the name. Marla said she loves a good pun and promoting female authors, so we think she knocked this one out of the windswept seaside fields with her twist on the classic children’s novel by L. M. Montgomery.
Anne is slightly larger than Paperback Rider and can hold more cargo. Riders can adjust the power levels of the five-speed electric motor, which determines how much energy the rider needs to put in and how much the motor will contribute. This electric assist can help riders pedal the cargo bike more easily and go a bit faster, which helps staff feel safer especially while crossing large intersections.
