Parking Lot Resurfacing Project:

 
Begins: Wednesday, May 19. Projected end time: 10 days

Parking will be limited

The east side of the parking lot is reserved for patrons’ use only

The south entrance off of Ravinia Avenue will be accessible, as well as the north entrance off of 149th Street

The west entrance to the parking lot will be closed off until further notice.

Teen Service Hours

Teens! We now have service hours!

The library does not provide service hours for court mandated issues.
To earn virtual service hours, you must follow all listed directions. Hours are given out at the discretion of the library staff. If we deem your work to be insufficient or inappropriate, library staff can reject submissions. All Service Hour forms can be brought in to the Teen Desk for signature confirmation. Anyone in grades 6th -12th can participate in our service hour opportunities.

Section 1: Recommending To Others:

  • Select a project from the list below
  • Follow the directions for each project
  • Choose one project or a few to receive as many volunteer hours as you need
  • Submit one email per finished project to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org : no limit on the number of submissions
  • Submit emails no later than September 1
  • After September 1, keep an eye out for more service opportunities!
  • Not a fan of the Recommending To Others projects? Check out our Helping Out Across The World section below for even more opportunities

Your Picks: Teen  Book Edition

Do you like to recommend things to friends? Do you like making videos? If the answer is yes, then we’ve got a service hour opportunity for you.

  • All you need to do is create a 1 to 5 minute video where you do a book talk of your favorite teen read.
  • Your goal is to try to persuade people to read these books. Tell them a little bit about the story (no
    spoilers) and why it’s such an amazing read. Use your own words. Do not read the summary off the back of
    the book or one you picked up online.
  • For every video you do, you’ll receive one service hour from the library.
  • All videos must be library appropriate and be about teen books. When recording be sure you use standard
    definition (don’t send videos over 200,000KB). All submitted videos will be posted on the library’s
    website and social media, so by sending them to us you are giving us permission to use your material and
    likeness.
  • Submit your videos by sending us a way to download the video file by either creating a free Dropbox
    account or by using a Google Cloud link. Send us those links by emailing efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org. Be sure you do not have any copyrighted music in your videos. After a video has been submitted and approved to be published, we will be able to sign your service hours form.
  • You can do more than one video, but each book talk submitted must cover a different book.
  • Be sure that you include your name, library card number, grade, and which program you are submitting
    work for with each sent in item.
  • Check out these video reviews from Teens like you!

Teen Write-Ups

Have you read, watched, or played something amazing lately?

  • Write up a paragraph review (at least 7 sentences) about it and earn service hours.
  • Your goal is to try to persuade people to go check out what you’ve wrote about. Tell them a little bit about the story (no spoilers) and why it’s so amazing. Your paragraph must be written in your own words, aka don’t plagiarize.
  • For every write up you do, you’ll receive one service hour from the library.
  • All write ups must be library appropriate. All submitted write ups will be posted on the library’s website and social media, so by sending them to us you are giving us permission to use your material.
  • Send all write ups to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org.
  • After a write up has been submitted and approved to be published, we will be able to sign your service hours form.
  • You can do more than one write up, but each paragraph submitted must be about something different.
  • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item.
  • Check out these reviews from Teens like you!

Teen Bookstagrams

Do you love Instagram? Do you love to read? Why not mix the two together and earn service hours for it?

  • Read a teen book then create a bookstagram for us to post on the library’s account.
  • Not sure what a bookstagram is? Check out the library’s Instagram account and see examples of what we did over the summer.
  • Each post needs a photo with a teen book in it (be as creative as you can) and a short review (at least 5 sentences) on why it’s such a great read.
  • Each photo needs to be submitted in a PDF or jpeg form. Your review can be written up in an email.
  • For every bookstagram you do, you’ll receive one service hour from the library. All posts must be library appropriate.
  • All submitted work will be posted on the library’s website and social media, so by sending them to us you are giving us permission to use your material.
  • Send all photos and reviews to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org.
  • After a bookstagram has been submitted to us and approved to be published, we will be able to sign your service hours form.
  • Check Orland Park Public Library Instagram page to see Bookstagrams submissions from Teens like you!
  • You can do more than one bookstagram but each one submitted must be about a different book.
  • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item.

Section 2: Helping Out Across The World:

  • Select an organization from the “volunteer activities,” listed below
  • Follow the directions on the organization’s website to complete volunteer work. (Find all the websites links for each organization below)
  • Choose one organization (project) or a few to receive as many volunteer hours as you need
  • For each activity that you complete, take a clear photo of your finished volunteer project (example: coloring project, letter, transcription etc.) and upload it to an email and send it to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org . No selfies required. (If you have trouble sending a photo, please contact the email above and we’ll do our best to help you.)
  • If you do not submit a clear photo in your email, you will not receive credit for the activity you submitted
  • Submit one email per activity: no limit on the number of submissions
  • Be sure that your name is in the email that you send us
  • Submit emails no later than September 1
  • After September 1, keep an eye out for more service opportunities!

The Organizations:

  • Love for Our Elders (Earn 1 volunteer hour for each letter; can be done multiple times.)
    Make someone’s day a little brighter! Hand-write letters to residents in senior facilities.
    • Check out https://loveforourelders.org/letters and follow the instructions on their page to write and send a letter
    • Send a clear photo of your letter to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org
    • For each letter that you send to us, you’ll earn 1 hour of service time
    • After a finished project has been submitted and approved, we will be able to sign your service hours form
    • You can do more than one letter
    • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item
    • Please be sure to send the organization your letters by following their guide lines on their website
  • Color a Smile (Earn 1 volunteer hour for each page colored; can be done multiple times.)
    Print out a page and get coloring: finished pages are sent to senior citizens and troops overseas. Follow the instructions on the website for mailing your finished pages.
    • Check out https://colorasmile.org/volunteer/ and follow the instructions on their page to color and send a picture
    • Send a clear photo of your colored picture to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org
    • For each picture that you send to us, you’ll earn 1 hour of service time
    • After a finished project has been submitted and approved, we will be able to sign your service hours form
    • You can do more than one coloring sheet
    • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item
    • Please be sure to send the organization your finished sheets by following their guide lines on their website
  • Paper Bridges (Earn 1 volunteer hour for each letter written; can be done multiple times.)
    Write letters to children in orphanages from all around the world and help make a positive impact.
    • Check out https://www.paper-bridges.org/write-a-letter and follow the instructions on their page to write and send a letter
    • Send a clear photo of your letter to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org
    • For each letter that you send to us, you’ll earn 1 hour of service time
    • After a finished project has been submitted and approved, we will be able to sign your service hours form
    • You can do more than one letter
    • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item
    • Please be sure to send the organization your letters by following their guide lines on their website
  • By the People (Earn 2 volunteer hours per fully transcribed item; can be done multiple times.)
    Help the Library of Congress make documents searchable in their catalog. You will assist in transcribing original items. Anyone can transcribe and an account is not needed.
    • Check out https://crowd.loc.gov/help-center/welcome-guide and follow the instructions on their page to transcribe a document
    • Send a clear photo of what you transcribe to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org
    • For each transcription that you send to us, you’ll earn 2 hours of service time
    • After a finished project has been submitted and approved, we will be able to sign your service hours form
    • You can do more than one transcription
    • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item
  • Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center (Earn 2 volunteer hours for each transcribed document; can be done multiple times.)
    Learn to transcribe historical documents and biodiversity data to make these records more accessible.
    • Check out https://transcription.si.edu and follow the instructions on their page to transcribe a document
    • Send a clear photo of what you transcribe to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org
    • For each transcription that you send to us, you’ll earn 2 hours of service time
    • After a finished project has been submitted and approved, we will be able to sign your service hours form
    • You can do more than one transcription
    • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item
  • #WeWereHere Project(Earn 1 volunteer hour for each experience shared; can be done multiple times.)2020 has been a year of incredible hardship and upheaval and your voices should be shared. The Orland Park Public Library has joined the #WeWereHereProject to give you the space to help document teen experiences in 2020 and to give you another way to earn service hours.
    • All you need to do is type up one of your experiences that fits into one of the
      following prompts:
      I AM HERE: YOUR WORDS, IMAGES, AND
      FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF 2020
       
      I AM HELPING: YOUR COMMUNITY PROJECTS, TIPS,
      AND USEFUL INFORMATION
       
      I AM OKAY: SHARING HOW YOU STAY POSITIVE

      I AM NOT OKAY: AND THAT’S OKAY, YOU CAN VENT AND BE HEARD

    • Check out https://thewewerehereproject.org for examples on what other teens have submitted.
    • Send a copy of what you write to efaxel@orlandparklibrary.org. Then also submit your write ups to https://thewewerehereproject.org/
    • For each write up that you send to us, you’ll earn an hour of service time.
    • After a write up has been submitted and approved, we will be able to sign your service hours form.
    • You can do more than one write up, but each one submitted must be about something different.
    • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item.

Teen Inc. Take Make and Bring Back: The Altered Brush Project

Teens! Show off your creativity!
The Summer Reading theme this year is Reading Colors Your World. Can you create a brush that fits the theme?

  • Stop by the Teen Desk to receive one “Altered Brush” kit that includes one unfinished paint brush to decorate/alter. Alter the brush anyway your creative spirit takes you. They can be as simple or elaborate as you like just do not obstruct the hole in the handle
  • Add your name to the back of the brush and fill out the card that you’ll find in your bag
  • Return the card and your brush in the bag to the teen desk anytime during the month of May
  • Your final project will be displayed in the new Teen Loft June-July!
  • We will call you in August when the brushes are ready to be returned to you
  • You will earn 2 service hours for decorating and bringing your brush back. (Hours will not be given to brushes not returned by May 31)
  • When you return your finished altered brush, we will be able to sign your service hour paperwork
  • Supplies are limited