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Beloved Oak Park Branch Due for Improvements in 2023

Oak Park Library, located at 9500 Bluejacket St. in Overland Park, has been a cherished neighborhood branch since 1970. It has a cheerful, family-friendly atmosphere that’s popular with patrons who walk or drive in from nearby residential areas. But the building needs updating, which is due to happen later this year.

Oak Park Library will be closed for renovations beginning Monday, Aug. 7 through mid-December. In addition to infrastructure upgrades to electrical and HVAC systems, a few of the changes you’ll notice include paving and entry enhancements and remodeled public restrooms. 

No services will be available at Oak Park during the closure period. Returns, holds pickup, public computers, printing and copying, meeting rooms and access to the collection are available at our other 13 locations across the county, including Central Resource Library (9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park). Central Resource is less than two miles from Oak Park and features a convenient drive-thru for holds pick-up and materials return. 

Here are a few important dates to keep in mind: 

  • Friday, July 21 is the last day to request an item for holds or Interlibrary Loan pick up at Oak Park. After this date Oak Park will no longer show as an option for a holds pickup location.
     
  • On Tuesday, Aug. 1, all not ready/pending holds with a requested pickup location of Oak Park will be reassigned for pickup inside Central Resource Library. You can also log into your Web Catalog account and change the pickup location, or suspend your hold until Oak Park reopens.
     
  • Saturday, Aug. 5 is the last day of services at Oak Park. Available holds not picked up by close of business at 5 p.m. will expire.

​​​​Branch Manager Jared Harper said those renovations will help ensure a bright future for this wonderful branch. “What distinguishes Oak Park now is it is an older Library that has charm to it,” Harper said. “It is a branch that is really well loved in the community.”

Harper said many parents fondly recall visiting the branch as children and now enjoy bringing their own children there. One added amenity is its location adjacent to Overland Park community garden plots. Oak Park was built during a time of great population growth and new residential development in Johnson County. Voters approved a $1.5 million bond issue in 1967 to expand Antioch and Corinth and to build two new branches: Cedar Roe and Oak Park (originally called the Southwest Library and then renamed for the adjacent Oak Park neighborhood).

Oak Park opened Nov. 3, 1970 and held an open house dedication in February 1971. It expanded in 1982.

After Central Resource Library opened in the mid-1990s on 87th Street, just two miles north of Oak Park, Library leaders briefly considered closing the Oak Park branch in 1999. But countless patrons sent postcards, pleading to keep it open. They praised the convenient location, the collection, the friendly staff and the vibrant atmosphere. Oak Park stayed open.

“It’s such a fixture in the community,” Harper observed. 

Oak Park is in the middle of the pack as far as busyness, but it has the largest circulation of any Johnson County branch without an automated sorter. In 2018, it recorded more than 197,000 visits and circulated more than 291,000 materials.

In the early 2000s, Oak Park was known as the hub for Latino services, including English Language Learner classes and other programs. Then-branch manager Maggie Vallazza was passionate about reaching out to the Latino community, as were Spanish-speaking staffers Christine Peterson, German Perilla and others.

In 2015, Harper explains, Spanish services were expanded throughout the system. Vallazza has retired and Peterson is now based out of Central, concentrating on youth Latino services. But Perilla continues to serve Spanish speakers who visit the branch, which retains the largest Spanish-language collection in the Johnson County Library system.

Now, Oak Park is known for serving young families, with a large and diverse children’s collection, heavily-used computer stations and a popular Holds service. 

Last year, the branch shut down for about a week to remodel the circulation area for better work-flow and to update the staff break room. This year’s improvements will require a prolonged closure but are timed to come after the busy summer rush. Harper said patrons can visit Central Resource Library during that time. More changes are expected in 2024, when the branch is due to get new shelving and some new furniture.

“Getting new shelving next year would just really brighten up the space,” Harper said.

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This Week at the Library

One-on-One Help: Basic Genealogy – Tuesday, July 18, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

For one-on-one basic or DNA genealogy help visit the Johnson County Genealogical Society at www.jcgsks.org to schedule an appointment.

Healthy Living Classes – Tuesdays through Aug. 15, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Community health workers from the Johnson County Department of Health & Environment will be onsite in Conference Room 20 every Tuesday from 10:30-11:30 to provide information about healthy living. 

Panel Discussion: Bike Shop 101 – Tuesday, July 18, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Are you still riding the bike your parents bought you 20 years ago? Would [insert new gadget here] relieve the numbness in your [insert body part here]? Come listen to some bike shop experts as they explain the different styles of bikes, help identify necessary gear, and explain the benefits of a bike fit.

"Bike Shop 101" is part of the 2023 Women's Bike Summit Series. The Women's Bike Summit is a gender-inclusive venue for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together to celebrate bicycling, discuss issues that are relevant and important to people on bikes, and get practical biking experience.

Immediacy, Urgency or Tranquility: What Moves Us to Write with Dzvinia Orlowsky and Carolyne Wright – Wednesday, July 19, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Often you’ll read or hear poetry described as urgent when, in fact, the poem’s strength lies in its immediacy—the quality of unmediated awareness, of something happening right away, without that added sense of pressure. In this one-hour conversation between poets Dzvinia Orlowsky and Carolyne Wright, they’ll discuss the craft considerations that make one poem “immediate” and another “urgent.” This program will be hosted using the meeting software Zoom. A Johnson County Library staff member will contact registrants via the email you registered with to provide more information about the program and instructions on how to access the Zoom meetings. You do not need to download any software or create an account.

What Moves You to Write? A Generative Workshop – Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

In this two-hour generative workshop, poet and translator Dzvinia Orlowsky will review key points about considerations of genre and the nuances between immediacy, urgency, and tranquility, before providing prompts and holding space to write. There will be time to share work, discuss craft, and write even more. Have paper and pencil (or your keyboard) ready! This program will be hosted using the meeting software Zoom. A Johnson County Library staff member will contact registrants via email the day before the meeting with instructions on how to access the Zoom meeting. You do not need to download any software or create an account.

And much more happening this week …

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Archiving Architecture

It’s another grand Throwback Thursday where we encourage you to time travel through Johnson County's history. JoCoHistory is a collaborative presentation of the history from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County Library and many JoCoHistory partners. Explore historical photographs and documents about the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas, from the 19th century to the present.

Collection spotlight: Johnson County Museum Historic Preservation Survey

About this collection: Begun in 1991, the Historic Preservation Survey is a collection of photos documenting the architectural style and condition of more than 10,000 pre-1950 homes across Johnson County. The original photos are owned by the Johnson County Museum.

Can you tell us more about this image?

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Movies Set on the High Seas

Can't get enough pirates, sailing, and the high seas? Check out this list of movies that will satisfy your longings, savvy?

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This Week at the Library

READ to a Dog or Cat with Pets for Life – Monday, July 10, 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Join us at the Leawood Pioneer Library for the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E. A. D.) program. This program improves children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to a registered therapy dog or cat! These animals volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team. Please note: space is limited for this program; kids will get a ticket at arrival and wait their turn to read to one of several animals.

Play Lab – Tuesday, July 11, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Connect with other families for a casual playdate at the Lenexa City Center Library, featuring open-ended play materials! Designed for up to age 6 with a caregiver. Siblings welcome.

Let’s Stick Together – A Celebration of Music & Family with Mr. Stinky Feet – Various dates, times & location 

Join us for an award-winning kid rocker and author, Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove, as he celebrates 25 years of uniting communities through music. It’s a rockin’ dance party for the whole family. Check out Jim’s music and books at www.jimcosgrove.com

Meet the Authors: Sarah Henning, Julie Murphy and Natalie C. Parker– Thursday, July 13, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Join us at the Monticello Library for acclaimed authors, Sarah HenningJulie Murphy, and Natalie C. Parker when they will be in conversation about their newest titles: Monster CampCamp Sylvania and The Devouring Wolf. Join us as they discuss all things wacky, scary, and campy in their new Spooktacular releases. Copies of these new title will be available for purchase. Q&A and book signing to follow.

And much more happening this week … 

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Upcoming Events for Writers

Join us for these upcoming events for writers. Read more and register at the links below.

Tuesday, July 18: 6:30-7:30 pm
The Illusive Chameleon: Prose Poetry or Flash Fiction with Dzvinia Orlowsky and Jeff Friedman
Via Zoom

Wednesday, July 19: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Immediacy, Urgency or Tranquility: What Moves Us to Write with Dzvinia Orlowsky and Carolyne Wright
Via Zoom

Saturday, July 22: 9-11 a.m.
What Moves You to Write? A Generative Workshop
Via Zoom