In October, OPALGA+ (Oak Park Area Gay and Lesbian Association) recognized the Oak Park Public Library for “outstanding efforts on behalf of LGBTQ+ people in Oak Park and the surrounding area.”
The library’s Executive Director Joslyn Bowling Dixon accepted the OPALGA+ Mel Wilson Founders Award at the OPALGA+ Annual Scholarship Fundraiser Gala on October 22. Library staff, including members of the Collections Team, and library board members attended as well (pictured above).
“Tonight we recognize a local champion of free expression,” read the event program. “At a time when the essential freedom to read is under attack, libraries across the state and across the country have been the most visible targets. Oak Park Public Library has never wavered. They are a leader in challenging the growing library censorship movement, which has focused on banning books by and about LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups.”
OPALGA+ praised our library for being a book sanctuary, “which means they make a point of carrying all books already banned or facing threats of being banned by schools and other libraries”; for hosting “a powerful display to honor lives lost to transgender violence to mark Transgender Awareness Day” last November); for offering drag storytelling since 2019 and the Read to the Royals program earlier this year; and for “creating a warm and affirming space for people, and especially youth, to find their voice, stand up for what they believe and share who they are.”
As our library strives to be A Library for Everyone, Dixon said, “I am proud of the inclusive and engaging efforts of our teams to create an inclusive and safe space for all of our patrons.”