Oakland Public Library: Main Library and 81st Avenue Branch, Oakland, California
Earlier this week, National Public Radio did a wonderful piece on the Oakland Public Library’s fun “Found in a Book” exhibit. It brought to mind our visits to two branches of the library in June and thought it was a good reminder to share a post. Spoiler alert: we love the Oakland Public Library!
Adam and I had spoken at the California Library Association conference in Sacramento, and we enjoyed visiting several amazing libraries in Sacramento County. Our plan was to do some East Bay libraries and maybe catch an A’s vs. Red Sox game. It started as an overcast Sunday in Berkeley. Although we were staying mere blocks from the Berkeley Public Library, we were disappointed to learn the library wasn’t open on Sundays. What the fishsticks!?!
Instead, we made our way to Oakland - and what a good idea that turned out to be! We visited two libraries - the Main Library on 14th Street and the 81st Avenue Branch - and enjoyed them both very much.
The Main Library was built in 1951, and is a cool blend of elements from the 30s/40s design aesthetic with foreshadowing of mid-century sensibilities. It is an interesting mix. The stairs leading to the mezzanine and second floor, with curving metal banisters, are particularly striking. There is a lot of open space, but also an austerity to the design, with flat surfaces of single materials seen again and again.
Main Library
On the first floor are the circulation and reference desks, the reference area, adult fiction and non-fiction, public computers, and social seating areas. Exploring the space, we found several large map cabinets - a LOT of large map cabinets - and were lost for a time in the pleasure of geography. There was something really comfortable about the area, the natural light, the quiet murmur - even the heat - that made us happy. I can’t explain it, but there was a feeling of still satisfaction.
On the second floor are the library’s administrative offices, a large periodicals room, the updated teen area, and the Oakland History Room. I started in the History Room and was amazed. Mallory Roth was staffing the room (which is open seven days a week - how awesome is that!), and she was an excellent host. We talked about the library, the community, and the collection. She pulled out a really cool set of postcards related to the 1906 earthquake. I really appreciated her energy.
The collection itself feels large and cluttered, with books and materials of every description wherever your eyes landed. The clutter was comforting and the visit very enjoyable.
Next, we went to the teen space - relatively recently renovated with a lot of really nice features. One especially awesome thing is the fact that music was playing right out loud. The space was large enough - and removed enough from the rest of the library - that the sound was completely fitting. As with other parts of the library, the teen area was already in steady use on a Sunday morning.
The periodicals room wasn’t bustling, but it wasn’t empty either. Adam and I enjoyed seeing so many magazines and newspapers IRL. Something you don’t see much outside of a library these days.
The morning was waning so we decided to speed things along. I headed to the basement to find a bathroom and see the children’s’ area. The basement felt a little creepy, with long hallways turning this way and that. In the end though, they led to a serviceable kids area that has its own entrance, sparing the little ones from the spooky walk.
We were struck as we walked through the space - seeing many people here and using it in the morning - that libraries of every shape and size can be wonderful assets to their communities.
81st Avenue Branch
When we were in Sacramento, someone told us about the 81st Avenue Branch and its scraper bike resources, which are just one part of the Oakland Public Library’s stellar support for bikes and riders of all kinds. Scraper bikes, if you're not familiar with them (we weren’t), are super-modified, decorated, and made super-awesome through the generous application of paint, foil, candy wrappers, and other found objects.
We arrived just before noon, and Jackie O. was kind enough to show us around. The library was opened in 2011, and still has a fresh feel. It’s essentially a single large room with a few discrete sections: two really nice study rooms, a small quiet section (although the library was very quiet during our visit), and 20 public computers.
The space is open to the ceiling about 20 feet above. It creates a nice feeling of roominess. We liked the children’s area, and loved the ways the library is engaging with teens in the community. That’s happening through an active teen advisory board and the scraper bikes mentioned above. During our visit, we met with two staffers who had grown up using the library and were starting on a path to librarianship. How cool is that?
On the second floor, which overlooks the core library space, is a community meeting room. It was primary election time during our trip and in Oakland - as we’d seen in so many libraries - early voting was taking place. We chatted with election workers, who said the flow of voters had been slow that day, not surprising given the hour. We love to see libraries playing this type of civic role!
After our visit, we headed over to RingCentral Colosseum to watch the Red Sox beat the As. It was a fun - if roasting - way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Both visits on this muggy Sunday morning were excellent. The two libraries are pretty different, but both are clearly focused on meeting the needs of the city of Oakland. Both were charming in their own ways. While we wish we could have seen more branches of this impressive system on our visit, we were sure glad we were able to visit these two outstanding libraries.