Newsletter
Omaha Public Library System
Visit the Omaha Public Library’s brand new website!
The Omaha Public Library is a system of 12 branches libraries, including the W. Dale Clark Library, which is the Main Library in the Omaha system. All residents of Douglas County are eligible for a library card and borrowing privileges.
Omaha Public Library in 1857The first Omaha library was founded in 1857 but folded just three years later. In 1872, a library was opened downtown, 14th Street and Dodge, and in 1877 the Omaha City Council appointed a library board. The W. Dale Clark Library opened in 1977 at 17th Street and Farnum, serving as the Omaha central library ever since.
In 2010, the library welcomed new Executive Director, Gary Wasdin, who oversaw the first major redesign of the library’s website in over a decade.
We interviewed Gary after a few weeks on the job, and he was excited about the many innovative ways the library plans to connect with the residents of Omaha in the future. Whether it’s holding a “Storytime on the Bus” with Omaha school children on their “commute,” or trading on the norm with an Adult Summer Reading program, Gary wants the library to really be a resource for the city.
In our interview, Gary highlighted new services the library will be offering, from the ho-hum but helpful (longer hours), to the suhhh-weet and totally unexpected (lending eBook readers and laptops, downloadable movies and Audiobooks). Even existing services, like access to fully-featured versions of Consumer Reports and Ancestry.com (even from the library patron’s home) are under-utilized.
C’mon Omaha, it’s your tax dollars at work, use the library!
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Library Locations
| Branch | Address/Phone |
|---|---|
| W. Dale Clark (Main) Library |
215 S. 15th St., Omaha, NE 402.444.4800 |
| Milton R. Abrahams Branch |
5111 N. 90th St., Omaha, NE 402.444.6284 |
| Benson Branch | 6015 Binney St., Omaha, NE 402.444.4846 |
| Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch |
2100 Reading Plz., Elkhorn, NE 402.289.4367 |
| Florence Branch | 2920 Bondesson St., Omaha, NE 402.444.5299 |
| Millard Branch | 13214 Westwood Ln., Omaha, NE 402.444.4848 |
| Saddlebrook Branch |
14850 Laurel Ave., Omaha, NE 402.884.7473 |
| A.V. Sorensen Branch |
4808 Cass St., Omaha, NE 402.444.5274 |
| South Omaha Library | 2808 Q St., Omaha, NE 402.444.4850 |
| W. Clarke Swanson Branch |
9101 W. Dodge Rd., Omaha, NE 402.444.4852 |
| Charles B. Washington Branch |
2868 Ames Ave., Omaha, NE 402.444.4849 |
| Willa Cather Branch | 1905 S. 44th St., Omaha, NE 402.444.4851 |
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Are Those Kids All Yours? In a family of 8, "making do" is inevitable. But in her first Omaha.net article, Shannon Gilbride insists she's not part of some weird cult, or forcing her kids to do without. Instead, she reveals how she balances "having,"... |
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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of My Summer Reading People remember school summer reading lists differently: they were either the highlight of the summer or homework getting in the way of pool time. Now, as adults, we still read—the classics and the moderns—and we deal with the guilt of not reading more. |
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Science Fiction author Robert J. Sawyer ("Flash Forward") Visits Omaha Robert J. Sawyer, author of numerous Sci-Fi books, including "Fast Forward" (which was recently adapted for TV), will be in Omaha this weekend as part of OSFest. Learn more about the award-winning author and his thought provoking science... |
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iPads, eReaders, and What's New at the Library A library is primarily a place for books, but the addition of Sony eReaders, MP3 Audiobook Players, ChaCha-like answering services—plus a chance to win an Apple iPad—make the Omaha Public Library so much more. Are you getting the most from your library? |
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Why Do You Look At Me That Way When I Say I Love To Read? Being a reader often starts as a childhood passion. From Golden Books to William Faulkner, this reader has come a long way. So, why do people still look at her funny when she says she loves to read? Could be the 121 books she read last year. |
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"Open Your World" with the Omaha Public Library 2010 is The Year of Change for the Omaha Public Library. With a new ad campaign, new director, and a plethora of new resources, are you getting the most out of your local library? From author interaction to requesting new books, find out how! |
