Library will be closed next Saturday

All Oakland branch libraries will be closed on Saturday, October 8.

Storytimes end at Piedmont Avenue 41st Street Branch Library

The final Toddler (10:15am) and Preschool (11am) Storytimes at the 41st Street branch library will be on Wednesday, October 12.

Lots of Love for 41st Street Library Building

9/15/2011  From Mia B, Oakland: You guys? I love this library so much it hurts. Kind librarians and a cozy feel make this a neighborhood treat. I’m in this place every weekend snapping up my books on hold and browsing through the magazines. That’s right. It’s lovely and worth the trip.

7/29/2011 From Lizz W, Providence, Rhode Island: This is the cutest little library!

It is very small but does have computers to use and a rocking movie selection. I use to go here when I first moved to Oakland and they gave me a library card asap and even let me use the internet without one. The lady at the desk was very helpful and sweet. I wish there was a small library like this one in Providence.

8/17/2011  From Barb J, Oakland: I love libraries, and this has to be my second all time favorite one. (Nothing in my mind can improve on the Main Library in San Francisco….) For starters, it’s adorable! Cutest little library ever! Small as it is, they have packed in a lot of books and movies, and I always find something to bring home. The librarians have also been really great – helpful and kind and funny.

9/9/2010  Emily C, Oakland:

Yes, it’s small.  But it’s right off of Piedmont Ave and they have some great DVDs.  And kuddos to the person picking out the mommy books.  Small selection but very good.  I’m looking forward to taking the little one here in years to come for the reading times.  The hours are so short that my library loving hubby has never joined me at this location but I understand with so many local libraries that Oakland has to have a way to cut down on the costs and short hours are a good way to do that.  Too bad though.  We can walk here and it’s a great outing with the kids.

A’s Baseball / Library fundraiser Saturday August 13

Support the library while cheering your Oakland A’s to victory!  On Saturday August 13 the Oakland A’s and the reigning American League Champions and Division Rival Texas Rangers have a day game. Half the proceeds of 50 Field Level seats for $26 each will be donated to the Oakland Public Library.  Game time is 1:00 pm . Call 415-765-2513 for tickets and information.

From Helen Bloch, Former Children’s Librarian and Branch Manager:

Like the beloved Wally Piper book, “The Little Engine that Could” the Piedmont Avenue Library may be small in physical size but it possesses enormous heart.

Per square foot it has the highest circulation of any library in Oakland but it is much much more than that.  It is the heart of the vibrant Piedmont Avenue community, acting as an informal indoor and outdoor place for friends of all ages to meet, a community meeting place in which young families can connect, a destination for seniors who live in nearby complexes who want to read and discuss their days, a community resource whose LGBTQ collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the East Bay, a place for Kaiser employees to grab books and books on CD during lunch for their commutes, a walking destination for shoppers perusing the eclectic collection of stores that can be found on Piedmont Avenue, and the location of a daily, informal, communal book swap.

This little library that can also serves as the principal library for the City
of Piedmont , engaging the students in their schools and providing services to Piedmont residents of all ages.  When people talk about a library serving as the heart of their community, they are describing Piedmont Avenue Library.  Please do not shut it down.”

From Jenera Burton, Branch Manager:

The Piedmont Avenue Branch opened at its present location at 160 41^st Street , on March 8, 1932.  Several of our patrons have commented that they have been visiting this location for their whole lives, and now they are bringing their children and grandchildren.  It is a wonderful sight to see, three generations of library users reminiscing about the space and the hours of reading pleasure.  Our regulars tell us that this place is their meeting place, social space, second home and respite.   A visit to their local library is part of their weekly, sometimes daily routine.  “What is a community without a library?” Commented a patron last week.  “I cannot believe that anyone in power would let that happen.”

Although the Piedmont Avenue Branch is one of the two smallest in the system, it has the fourth largest circulation; making this branch small, but mighty.  It also hosts the largest collection of Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Transgender fiction and non-fiction in the East Bay with about 1,000 contemporary and historical titles.

We host weekly Children’s programs like story time and art that regularly exceed room capacity.  Our cultural and informative adult and teen programs always bring in a great cross-section of neighbors and residents from around the bay area.  With several schools and senior homes in the area, the Piedmont Avenue Branch is the only free amenity of its kind that is within walking distance. Without this Branch, our community’s children, seniors and families would have few other places to go.

We have a fantastic staff and immensely supportive Friends group (Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library).  The library also has relationships with local schools, the Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Association (PANIL) and the Piedmont Avenue Merchants Association (PAMA).   The Piedmont Avenue Branch is truly a neighborhood institution.  Please support your neighborhood library today.

Bike Rides, Read-ins to Save Oakland Libraries

Save Oakland Library is adding events where everyone can show their support for libraries:

• Saturday, June 18, 10 am-bike ride to protest Oakland library closures.  Meet at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

• Monday, June 20, 8am- 8 pm Read-in at City Hall amphitheater to save Oakland branch libraries