Omaha Public Library is the public library system of the city of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. A library association was founded in 1857, but the library board was not appointed until 1877. In 1895, the library became one of the first six in the nation to create a children's section. There are 12 libraries in the system.Omaha Public Library.
Retrieved 1/11/08.

History

In 1857, the Omaha Library Association was formed, folding after three years. In 1872, a tiny library was opened on the second floor of the

Simpson Carriage Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...

factory at 14th & Dodge Street. In 1877, the

Omaha City Council The City Council of Omaha, Nebraska, is elected every four years on a nonpartisan basis. The next election will occur in 2025. Omaha has a strong mayor form of government. Members are elected by district. Currently seven city council districts ...

appointed a library board, which levied a tax to create Omaha Public Library. They immediately accepted 4,500 books from the disbanded association as a gift. Real estate tycoon

Byron Reed Byron Reed (March 12, 1829 – June 6, 1891) was an American pioneer real estate businessman and local politician in Omaha, Nebraska. He founded the first real estate office in the Nebraska Territory and became the foremost agent after Nebraska ...

donated land and his vast collection of coins, books and manuscripts to the library in the early 1890s, and in 1894, Omaha Public Library opened in its first permanent home at 18th and Harney. A year later, Omaha Public Library became one of the first six public libraries in the nation to create a separate children's section. A new central library called the

W. Dale Clark Library The Omaha Public Library in Omaha Nebraska currently has 12 locations. W. Dale Clark Main Library W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha, Nebraska is the Downtown Omaha, downtown location of the Omaha Public Library. Located at the intersection of 15th a ...

opened at 14th and Farnam Streets in 1977 across from the

Gene Leahy Mall Gene Leahy Mall, also known locally as Central Park or The Mall, is a park located at 1302 Farnam on the Mall in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A., and bordered by South 10th Street. There are also two huge slides, a sculpture garden, a remote-cont ...

. Of the 12 libraries in the system, the

houses the largest collection, including 7,000 genealogy books; 2,000 photos of the 1898

Trans-Mississippi International Exposition The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coa ...

; a

cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sha ...

collection; thousands of old postcards; and a rich collection of Omaha and Nebraska history resources. Mildred L. Batchelder, Namesake of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

award given to the publisher of a translated children's book was formerly a librarian at an Omaha Library. One of her stated goals in her work, which was encouraging the translation of children's books from around the world, was "to eliminate barriers to understanding between people of different cultures, races, nations, and languages." South Omaha Library Omaha, NE

Governance

The Omaha Public Library is governed by a nine-member board of trustees. These people are appointed by the

mayor of Omaha This is a list of mayors of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. List of mayors See also * Government of Omaha * History of Omaha References {{Omaha Omaha * Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municip ...

and confirmed by the Omaha City Council. Terms are for three years. The Board of Trustees meet every third Thursday of each month at 5 PM at different branches throughout the system. Meetings are open to the public and the agenda and minutes are posted on the Omaha Public Library website.

Branches

Notable Partnerships

The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

In May 2017, the Omaha Public Library announced a partnership with the

Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. The zoo donated tickets to the library for the purpose of offering them free of charge to library members. A limited number of tickets are delivered to OPL branches for distribution four times a year. Each library branch then offers these one-time visit tickets to interested library members which allows them and three of their family members to visit the zoo for free. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the ticket distributions were suspended until further notice.

Fontenelle Forest

In April 2018, the Omaha Public Library announced a partnership with

Fontenelle Forest Fontenelle Forest is a forest, located in Bellevue, Nebraska. Its visitor features include hiking trails, a nature center, children's camps, a gift shop, and picnic facilities. The forest is listed as a National Natural Landmark and a Nationa ...

. Each of OPL's 12 branches would have 7 free forest admission passes available for check-out year-round. Passes are good for one-time admission on the day of the week designated on the pass, and each pass admits two adults and children from their household.

The Omaha Children's Museum

In August 2018, the Omaha Public Library announced a partnership with th
Omaha Children's Museum
Free children's museum tickets would be made available four times a year for distribution to library members. Each free one-time visit ticket is good for up to four family members. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the ticket distributions were suspended until further notice.

The Lauritzen Gardens

In December 2018, the Omaha Public Library announced a partnership with

Lauritzen Gardens Lauritzen Gardens are a botanical gardens and arboretum located at 100 Bancroft Street in the South Omaha neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The gardens are open daily during business hours; an admission fee is charged. History The gardens began ...

. Free garden admission passes, 1 per branch location, would be made available to library members for checkout year-round. The passes are good for a one-time admission of two adults and any children from their household. After the pass is used the library member simply has to return it to any OPL branch location so it can be checked out by another library member.

The Durham Museum

In January 2021, the Durham Museum announced a partnership with the Omaha Public Library. Free museum admission passes, 1 per branch location, would be made available to library members for checkout year-round. The passes are good for one-time admission of two adults and dependent children or grandchildren from their household. After the pass is used the library member simply has to return it to any OPL branch location so it can be checked out by another library member.

Heartland B-cycle

The Omaha Public Library has a partnership with Heartland B-cycle. B-cycle provides passes for library members to rent bicycles for free through their bike sharing terminals. B-cycle passes are good for five days and allow OPL members who are 18 and up to check out a bike free of charge. Each OPL branch has four passes available for checkout.

Website and services

AskOPL

If one has a question that one needs help answering the Omaha Public Library offers research and reference help through the ASKOPL service. Users can call, email, text, or use online chat to get help from an OPL librarian to answer their question.

Common Soil Seed Library

In 2013, The Omaha Public Library created The Common Soil Seed Library to help encourage a culture of abundance and food literacy, promote urban agriculture, and help diversify open-pollinated plants and seed at the local level. The Common Soil Seed Library is a collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds that you can borrow to plant and grow at home. The seed collection depends on donations and seasonality.

Resource Center

Over 100 online resources from eBooks, full-text journals, tutorials and databases are available to OPL members through the Omaha Public Library's Resource Center website.

The Book Drop podcast

''The Book Drop'' is a weekly podcast produced by OPL staff that explores topics related to the Omaha community, libraries and the joy of reading. OPL staff offer reading suggestions, chat with guests and delve into books, resources and pop culture.

Book Clubs

Omaha Public Library offers a variety of book club resources to help start a book club or find a book club to join. Omaha Public Library has hundreds of book club bags to choose from for adults, young adults and children. Each book club bag includes the following: canvas carrying bag, 7–12 copies of the book, and a notebook with discussion questions, author information and other materials.

The Well-Read Collective

The Well-Read CollectiveWell-Read Collective
/ref> is a team of Omaha Public Library staff members who love books and want to talk about what people are reading. The Well-Read Collective goal is to help the public find their next favorite read, explore new genres and talk about new and forthcoming titles. Members of the public can request a custom reading list, invite the collective to their next book club meeting or community event or connect with them at their local OPL branch.

Genealogy Reference Room

The Genealogy Reference Room is located at the W. Dale Clark Main Library. The Genealogy Reference Room houses a non-circulating collection of more than 11,000 volumes including most standard genealogy reference works and a large collection of family genealogies organized by surname. Local materials are arranged by state and county. Family research enthusiasts will also find vital records indices, cemetery indices and transcriptions, census indices, county and town histories, and plat books, atlases, and gazetteers. The public can request help with local and genealogy research by filling out
research request form

Friends of Omaha Public Library (FOPL)

The Friends of Omaha Public Library (FOPL) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization which helps to fund literacy and community outreach programs for Omaha Public Library and the Omaha community. FOPL raises money through membership support and sales of used books. General book sales are held quarterly at the W. Clarke Swanson Branch. The Friends of Omaha Public Library can also be found online on AbeBooks as the Omaha Library Friends and on

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as the Friends of the Omaha Public Library.

References

External links

Omaha Public Library
official website.
Friends of the Omaha Public LibraryDirector Gary Wasdin on Omaha.netNebraska Library Commission website
{{Authority control Government of Omaha, Nebraska Public libraries in Nebraska 1872 establishments in Nebraska