Oak Park: A year of putting people & safety first, reinventing service

Oak Park Public Library 2020 Year in Review

A public library is a place of possibility, where everyone is always welcome. That's why, when the world changed in March 2020, the idea of closing our physical doors felt so strange. Yet for us at the Oak Park Public Library it became clear very quickly what we had to do to keep our library staff and our community safe.

Nearly a year later, putting people and safety first has continued to guide our decisions and direction. It also has led us to creatively reinvent how we serve our community during this continuing pandemic. For example, we:

• Expanded our digital library (for an 120% increase in use) and virtual services
• Supported digital equity by adding new WiFi hotspots and Chromebooks for use outside the library
• Collaborated for anti-racism, kindergarten readiness, remote learning support & more with our community partners

Learn more about our work in 2020, a year like no other, at oppl.org/2020 »