Four Stars for Oak Park Public Library

The is among the nation’s 262 best, according to national trade publication Library Journal.

The magazine used 2009 data for some 7,500 libraries to rank the nation's top libraries based on per capita circulation, visits, program attendance and computer use. The Oak Park library received four out of a possible five-star rating and ranked second in the state and fifteenth overall within its budget category.

“It’s a real national honor,” said Dee Brennan, executive director of the library. “And it’s also a real honor for the whole staff. It’s great.”

One of Library Journal’s focus areas is the effect of the economic recession on libraries. Circulation and visits rose dramatically among libraries in nearly all budget categories in 2009. But at the same time many American libraries faced increasing budget constraints.

The Oak Park libraries have seen a rise in use in recent years, Brennan said, and library officials ratcheted up resources for job research and computer training — both in response to high demand.

Brennan says conservative budgeting in recent years, coupled with an elevated tax levy this year, have enabled the library to expand its offerings.

Total operating expenses for the library’s 2012 budget amount to about $7.5 million. For taxpayers, supporting that budget means a 6.5 percent levy increase this year. In the past the library’s levy has decreased, Brennan said.

“It’s been a very delicate balance,” said Matt Fruth, president of the Oak Park Public Library board. “We’re seeing huge increases— some years up to 10 percent increases in our circulation. But at the same time we as a board recognize that there are more financial restrictions on the taxpayers of Oak Park, where we get in excess of 90 percent of our funding.”

Among the new additions at the library in 2012 are a return to longer hours and Sunday openings at the and branches. (Both libraries are now open Sundays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and close Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m.)

Last month the library launched a new website, which features a fresh design and improved content management system. And library officials also expanding its downloadable e-books and audiobooks for members looking to borrow digital media.

“We’re really focusing a lot on e-content. That’s really burgeoning,” Brennan said. “On the other hand, it’s difficult because not all the publishers are willing to work with libraries.”

Also on the library’s horizon is a new digital media lab, which will include a recording studio. And Brennan said cafe space at the building's entrance will soon become “the Idea Box,” a public space for community discussions, performances, art and music.

Going into the future, Fruth envisions the library becoming a knowledge and information center — even more than it is now.

“Libraries are going to be not just about books but about knowledge, critical thinking, culture in general,” Fruth said.