Ostriches, Owls, Chickens, Fish, Jazz and ... Books?
My tour of the Oakland Library branches
This summer I set out to visit every branch of the Oakland Public Library. My mission inspired not so much by the need to pick up anything particular at each location (it would’ve been far easier to use interlibrary loan), but to have a bit of a staycation adventure. At each stop I lingered, searching for just the right book to take home: a temporary souvenir of my sojourn. But I also enjoyed intangible takeaways, like noticing the subtle ways the books on display (and the community bulletin boards) reflect patron interests and needs.
What I learned is that there’s something quite delightful about pushing yourself just a bit out of your comfort zone without entirely derailing your sense of familiarity. I wish I’d thought to do this years earlier and it makes me wonder how else I might explore Oakland in other new-to-me ways.
Without further ado, the library branches:
Rockridge
The Rockridge neighborhood branch is my library. It’s where my kids (when they were little) always signed up for the summer reading challenge, where I pick up the community newsletter, and (said with humble pride) it’s where they’ve got a copy of Chasing Portraits on the shelf.
One of the coolest things about visiting my book is seeing what other books are hanging out in the 700.9s [Dewey Decimal for ARTS: History, Geographic Treatment, Biography]. On the afternoon I visited, my book was sandwiched between Old in Art School by Nell Painter on the left and After Andy by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni on the right. It kind of makes me wish those books could have an after hours chat. Oh the stories they’d tell…
The Main Library
On the Thursday afternoon that I visited the Main Library, it was lively with people working on computers and enjoying a bit of that classic library quiet. Everything about the main branch felt familiar, and yet, different. Maybe it’s because the space is cavernous and I’m used to my cozy library branch? Or it could just be that the unfamiliar is sometimes a bit harder to navigate than you expect. [Psst…I learned after my visit that the Main Library is home to 700+ circulating Zines! I might need to go back to check some out.]
Temescal (formerly Alden)
It makes sense that Oakland (a sprawling city covering 78 square miles) pioneered the idea of branch libraries. I mean, we should want people to have MORE access to books, and branch reading rooms (and later neighborhood branches) do exactly that…bringing books [and tools!] to where the people live. The Alden Branch was one of Oakland’s first neighborhood libraries.
Melrose
The Melrose branch is my second favorite location. I mean, not to be biased or anything, but they’re the only branch with a copy of the Chasing Portraits DVD!
Plus, there used to be an ostrich farm in this neighborhood! And although there are no longer any ostriches, the library’s got a children’ book about them! And while the library’s unofficial mascot is an owl, I’d like to propose that they change it to the ostrich, because that’d make some super cool library merch.
Elmhurst
Although there are no ostriches at the Melrose branch, the Elmhurst branch has chickens! Four of them! Can someone please make library t-shirts featuring ostriches and chickens?! I’d absolutely buy one.
The books in this library are sorted in the usual way, but the signage makes clear the librarians are also having a bit of fun: “I’m Gone Pray On It,” for books about religion, and “Who Made the Potato Salad?" for their selection of cookbooks. I love the way different libraries try to engage patrons to consider books they otherwise might not.
César E. Chávez
The Chávez branch is best known for a robust collection of books in Chinese and Arabic as well as having the largest Spanish collection. But what I didn’t know is that it’s on the second floor of Fruitvale Village, a mixed-use development property with a fabulous sprawling patio (that I practically had all to myself).
Although there isn’t a “Local Authors,” section, they are proudly displaying Nightcrawling (by Leila Mottley) which fictionalized “an all too-real story of police brutality and exploitation of a young Black girl in Oakland,” and There There (by Tommy Orange) which, “follows a large cast of Native Americans living in the Oakland.”
Montclair
While Rockridge is my library, Montclair is definitely my second library. I often stop in on my way home from running errands in Montclair village.
The four owls on the sign out front always make me smile. They’re like guardians of a quiet adventure, promising wisdom and treasure inside.
Lakeview
Part of the Grand Lake neighborhood (and right across the street from Lake Merritt), this branch is heck-a busy. I went to see the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland display and fell in love with an Ora Clay quilt (those sparkly shoes!). I later exchanged emails with Ms. Clay who said of the shoes, “I had a friend who said: what you wear can be plain as long as you are wearing nice shoes. I love nice shoes.” Also, the GenXer that I am, I loved the, “this was how we look up things before the internet!” sign next to the encyclopedia.
81st Street
It’s definitely an Oakland Public Library, but it’s also connected to two (and I think a third?) on site schools, and it’s BIG… Both in terms of space and of having a lot of books for school aged kids and their families. I saw a father working on a computer as his baby cooed in his arms, and a mom help her daughter carry a stack of at least a dozen books. That should last her a few days, right?!
Martin Luther King Jr.
I know the Junior is for MLK Jr.’s name, but this is also kind of a junior sized library. Although it’s little, the very nice librarians assured me it’s not the smallest branch. There’s a mural outside of Space, Sky, and Earth…. and this charming ballerina atop a flower.
Diamond
Diamond reminds me a lot of the Rockridge branch. The layout is certainly different, but the neighborhood and patrons probably have a lot in common with one another. I did love that they specifically have an Oakland Local display. It features not just Oakland based authors, but books about Oakland history too.
Eastmont
Malls have, generally speaking, fallen on hard times. Some are abandoned (see The Life & Death of the American Mall podcast), some have been turned into housing, and some are filled with not exactly their originally intended tenants, but with tenants nonetheless. The Eastmont Mall is pretty much one of those malls. Built in the 1960s (on the site of a former Chevrolet assembly plant), it later went bankrupt. The new owners turned the mall into a business park with a Social Security Office, police station, primary medical care clinic, and a branch of the Oakland Public Library.
Given all the people coming to the mall for social services, you’d think that the library would be packed, but the Tuesday I visited there were maybe a half dozen people there. A movie played in the teen zone, a fish swam in circles, and a young mother helped her toddler pick out a pile of books.
Piedmont Avenue
At 1,920 square feet, this is the smallest branch. My favorite part of the visit: hearing a woman reading a picture book in Spanish to a little girl. My second favorite thing about this library? The book monster hungry for returns.
Golden Gate Branch
For those in the know, Summer Jazz on Sundays at the Golden Gate Branch is the thing to go hear! It’s not quite New Orleans, but dang, it felt a lot like it!
On the Sunday I went, the audience was charmed with the delightful band, the great songs, and the fun banter between songs. For some reason I thought the concert would be outside … but it was in the basement of the library and the house was packed. Standing room only. I should know, I was standing in the back!
West Oakland Branch
If you’re counting… this was my 15th library stop! The West Oakland Reading Room and East Oakland Reading Room were established in 1878 (same as the main library). I’m unclear if this is the original site or a new one. Anyway, the 143 years of Oakland Public Library History says the, “New West Oakland Branch Library opens, 1977".” I borrowed a few books :-)
African American Museum and Library
This is a museum and non-circulating library, so I read Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes right there. And I’m really glad that I did because I learned about a form of poetry called the Golden Shovel, a form originated by poet Terrance Hayes. The idea is to use a pre-existing poem to craft a new poem. I haven’t tried it yet, but will!
Then I went upstairs to check out the museum and not only did I get to see the Vibrantly Expressive Masks: Fantasy Images by Donald O. Greene, but I got to meet him! The photographs don’t do his mask collages justice. They’re almost impressionistic… get too close and you see only individual pieces, but step back and a whole character emerges.
Asian Branch
Last, but not least! And I almost gave up on going because the first time I went I couldn’t find parking. The second time, on a Saturday morning, I wisely parked in the garage.
The majority of the shelves are filled with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese language offerings… books, movies, manga… but there are definitely also books in English. I love the Blind Dates with a Book display. I’ve only ever seen that in bookstores, so it was fun to spot this at the library too.
I celebrated the end of my book tour with lunch at Swan’s Market (a few blocks away). Built in 1917, today it’s home to several amazing food vendors. Maybe my next tour of Oakland should focus on food…
Endnotes
For those paying close attention, it’s true, I did not visit the Brookfield Branch. It’s temporarily closed for infrastructure upgrades.
Join me on Instagram! I post mini-book reviews, artsy photos, short videos, helpful bits of ADHD insight, and select pieces of shipping and maritime news.
You can also find me on Threads and BlueSky.
My podcast, That Sinking Feeling: Adventures in ADHD and Ship Salvage is streaming wherever you get your podcasts. Here is it is on Apple:
You can find my book, Chasing Portraits: A Great Granddaughter’s Quest for Her Lost Art Legacy in libraries all over the world! The book is officially, as they say: Out of Print.
Use my contact form to let me know you’d like to buy a copy (or more!). I’ll email you payment options once you send your initial request. $20/book. I can ship via media mail anywhere in the U.S.
The Chasing Portraits documentary film is streaming on Amazon, iTunes, Kanopy, and OvidTV. You can also buy the DVD directly from distributor First Run Features.
If you’re looking for other documentaries, narrative films, or TV shows featuring the subject of Holocaust era looted art… I’ve got a list for that!
In addition to this newsletter, I have one called Authors Answer. I started it as a blog in 2020 to give authors a place to wax eloquent about their lives off the written page. Learn more about it by visiting the Authors Answer Substack website page.
Next time you're downtown, check out The Bookmark Bookstore (933 Broadway) which is operated by Friends of the Oakland Public Library -- a non-profit that grants all income to the library system for programs and activities. We're celebrating our 75th anniversary this year!
I adore libraries, and this was such a fun tour!