Oak Parkers Show Some Library Love

It’s hardly a secret that Oak Parkers love their library.

And with the “Love Your Library! Show Your Card!” campaign, the is showing just how many people are willing to publically affirm their affection.

The library’s teenage summer volunteers, along with library staff members, worked to find and record people around the village who would explain why they personally appreciated the library, and then edited them into YouTube clips.

OPPL Communications Coordinator Sharon Grimm said residents should “stay tuned,” because not all the videos have been edited yet. More will be uploaded in the coming months.

“We knew we’d get a lot and it would take a lot of editing, so we are still working on that,” she said. “It was just amazing to hear what people said [they loved] off the top of their head, and the range of what they said,” such as the books, audiobooks, the building, that it’s always there for me.

Grimm said about 70 percent of Oak Park residents have and regularly use their library card, but they would still like to see more people take advantage of the free service.

“I can’t say if the numbers jumped [after the videos], but we see more and more each month,” she said. “The staff and other community members really appreciate seeing these personal aspects.”