Oak Park Public Library (Main Branch) – 834 Lake Street
The main Oak Park Library is one of the nicest public libraries I’ve ever visited. It’s clean and modern, with quotes on the floors and walls, and has a beautiful glass enclosed stairway.
I was surprised to discover Oak Park was the first public library in the nation to have a dedicated Transgender Resource Collection. There’s free 2 hour underground parking, plus, if you want to look your best for the books you can stop in at the barber shop that’s on the ground floor right before you enter.
The library features several fascinating special collections, including ones on Ernest Hemingway and Frank Lloyd Wright. (Note: These are by appointment only).
This is simply a beautiful library and encourage you to visit. They even still have a card catalog, which was a wonderful tactile experience I haven’t had in a long time.
My only complaint is that most of the place is bathed in extremely harsh fluorescent and LED lighting (which I chose not to feature here). As a fan of Hemingway (I have the original artwork from The Sun Also Rises on my arm), I’ll be doing another post focusing on his presence in the library. Only the best for Papa!
