Oakland Park Library

The Ethel M. Gordon Park Library is an Oakland Park institution. The library is not only an educational, cultural, and literary resource for Oakland Park residents, but also strives to provide progressive and convenient services to the community at-large. In fact, many of the city’s most important and impactful programs and services are run through the library system.

Whether you’re a child, teenager, young adult, or elderly resident of Oakland Park, the Ethel M. Gordon Park Library has something to offer.

Technology Resources

The Ethel M. Gordon Park Library proudly offers technology resources to Oakland Park residents of all ages.

Adult Technology Center

The main technology center features 23 computers that are available for public use, as well as several printers that can be used for a small fee. The technology center also features multiple semi-private cubicles and access to free WIFI.

These cubicle spaces are outfitted with desks, chairs, and electrical outlets, making them a prime location for students and workers with personal laptops. The naturally quiet library environment creates the ideal work atmosphere.

Youth Technology Area

Years ago, technology was a luxury that few young children actually used on a daily basis. Today, however, computers and technology are fully integrated into our day-to-day lives. The Ethel M. Gordon Park Library provides families with computing spaces in the Youth Area that are perfect for young, inquisitive minds. Feel free to stop by the Youth Area with your child to help them learn how to use and respect technology.

Music Streaming

Music is an incredibly important part of Oakland Park’s culture. Studies have shown that access to music can help reduce stress, foster a sense of community, and create a welcoming atmosphere. Since music can be expensive and hard to access, the Ethel M. Gordon Park Library offers music through Freegal, a free streaming service. Library members can stream and/or download over 11 million songs and 18,000 music videos, free of charge. Additional information can be found on the library website.

Language Services

Oakland Park is a diverse city. While the majority of Oakland Park residents speak English as a first language, more than one-third of the community prefers a foreign language. In order to support diverse cultural interests, the Ethel M. Gordon Park Library provides excellent language services to the community.

Odilo

Did you know that Spanish is the primary language of 18 percent of Oakland Park residents? The library proudly offers Spanish-language literary resources to the Spanish-speaking community with Odillo. Odilo is an online eBook platform with thousands of titles in Spanish. Odilo titles can be found on the library’s website.

Mango Language

Learning a new language is one of the most culturally-beneficial and personally-satisfying things a person can do. In order to help Oakland Park residents work on their language skills, the library proudly offers Mango Language services. With Mango, you can learn more than 70 different languages (including English as a Second Language!) with entertaining and educational audio-visual lessons.

Youth and Teen Services

The Ethel M. Gordon Park Library has something for everyone. Check out the programs that are available for children, teens, and adults in Oakland Park.

Youth Services

Children in Oakland Park can benefit from these exciting youth services and programs.

Storytime: The Oakland Park storytime program is a great way to introduce kids to new and exciting books, poetry, music, dance, and craft activities. During these storytime sessions, children can develop important skills, such as active listening.

Kids Read: The library’s Youth Area has special resources that can help connect children with many different literary tools, genres, and writing styles.

Big Reading Buddy: The library wants to make sure that kids of all ages have the ability to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Sometimes, kids are reluctant to learn from adults. The Big Reading Buddy program is the perfect answer! Children are paired with teenage volunteers and meet once a week to immerse themselves in the world of literature. Teens help younger students learn through fun group activities, games, and reading sessions.

Teen Services

Young children aren’t the only ones who can benefit from library programs. Teens in Oakland Park can enjoy and learn from these successful library programs.

Chess Mates: The game of chess is a great way to develop critical thinking skills. Each year, the library offers chess workshops led by a NSCF chess instructor to students in grades 4-12.

Homework Help: The library is a great place to find resources to help teens complete their daily homework assignments. Students can access encyclopedias, dictionaries, historical reference tools, research databases, and more. Students can even use the Science Fair Project Resource Guide to get started on an exciting science project!

Volunteer Opportunities: Teens are often scrambling to find volunteer opportunities to pad their college resumes and expand their world views. Look no further than the Ethel M. Gordon Park Library! Teens can volunteer to help out at the library with shelving, storytime, special events, and youth mentorship programs. Community service hours can be awarded upon successful completion of volunteer participation.

Free Tax Preparation Services

Most Oakland Park residents will have an obligation to file a federal income tax return each year. Many of these returns will be fairly simple and shouldn’t require the assistance of an accountant, tax attorney, or big bog tax return preparation company. If this sounds like you, the Ethel M. Gordon Park Library can help!

Each year, the library hosts VITA volunteers. VITA, or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, is an IRS program that provides free income tax preparation services to qualified individuals. Free income tax preparation services at the Oakland Park library are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Creole.