Oak Park Public Library – Dole Branch

I always thought some things were assumed:
Banks are closed on Sundays
The grass is green
Libraries are quiet
At times I need to work remote from the area. My mom’s house has time and again proven to be an unworkable place due to loud TV watching, constant interruptions, and a slew of honey dos she lines up for me. When Maze was closed, I headed over here.
It started out promising, I found a parking spot right in front and an empty table with a power strip next to it and got set up to work. I put on my headphones, not to listen to anything, but to help prevent distraction. And then it started. Like a storm rolling in. First with a few giggles, cascading into loud requests from a few kids, and quickly escalated into children running around, screaming laughing and shouting. One could have mistaken the place for a book-​filled Gymboree.
Full disclosure, children aren’t my thing. While it would easy to blame them or attribute it to a parent or two letting their special snowflake run amok; this behavior was known and encouraged by staff. As I said, the library is small and it doesn’t have a separate children’s room. Maybe an interactive space is this small library’s thing, but for the uninitiated, some level of disclosure would have been nice.
Silly me for assuming that libraries = quiet spaces.

How can you not love this adorable library. The staff is really friendly and helpful. I was lucky enough to visit this library often when I was young and always felt at home here.
Great neighborhood library away from the hustle and bustle of the main branch.

Not as busy as the main library on Lake, plus easier parking. A nice quiet sitting area outside and the staff are friendly and pleasant.