Oakland Main Library

This library is huge! And I'm glad I got to go. I wanted to study space and I found one. There are a lot of homeless people hanging out, but they were just doing their thing and didn't bother anyone. They were just trying to stay in from the elements and they were reading and doing other things that people do in libraries. They do require masks, which is fine by me, and they had people going around reminding people to keep their masks on and the folks complied. I was not bothered by their presence at all. I got to go up to the second floor which is fine for me. I didn't know this but you need a escort to go upstairs which is fine if you want to go in the elevator which I did. Once I got up there again it was nice, clean, people are generally quiet. There are some folks playing chess which was charming. and there's one guy on the phone but he didn't bother me. And I got to study and get my work done. And then I did get a escort back downstairs. I would definitely come back here again. Especially if I'm in the area and need a nice place to study.

Couldn't find the parking --Nice that it is open on weekendsSome parking was available nearby and some public transportation as well

What a gem. Love the old school, classic feel of this library in Oakland's historic downtown. While it can be annoying to search for a charger on the upper floors, I appreciate this treasure being open on Sunday when a lot of libraries throughout the bay are closed. There are also cute additions such as the children's library and puzzle rentals. I would definitely recommend.

WHEN: Friday @11amAs of April 19, the library has re-opened since the closing due to the pandemic! That means we can longer text the library to pick up our picks from outside. We would have to go in and retrieve the books that have been placed on hold ourselves.What's new:There's 2 entrances: The main one on 14th, and the one that leads into the Children's section. I went into the main one, where you wait your turn to have your temperature checked. They have a tablet set up where you have to align yourself for it to scan and check your temperature.Books you reserved and that are ready for pick-up have been moved from the left side upon entering, to straight ahead. Any book you reserved though Link+ will be behind the counter.I'm sure there are more things that are new, but I was only there to pick up books I reserved online. The staff was super friendly and helpful.

I want to say thank you to Shannon for her excellent customer service and for her good humor today. I called 15 minutes before closing and Shannon was there to help me. I was having trouble getting into the library website. Shannon asked a few questions and quickly deduced the problem. She then fixed it and patiently guided me through the steps I needed to do on my end, all the while apologizing for the fact that this had happened. Then to top it off, Shannon complimented me on remembering my pin! I told her how validated I felt and we both had a very good laugh. Thank you Shannon for your excellent customer service, for knowing your job and for making me laugh at the end of a trying day!

I love going to this library after dinner. I use the computers to download music. They have board games to play in the teen zone. The teen zone has water, board games to play, computers to use, free magazines to take home and free toiletries. There are computers in the kid zone. I play Mancala and a huge connect 4 in the teen zone. Sometimes the people that work in the teen zone give me a juice and a snack to take home at night. The people that work here are friendly. There are elevators and stairs at the library. They have free gardening seeds to plant vegetables and flowers. There is a free newspaper. They have drinking fountains. There are bathrooms in the library. There is a bathroom in the kid zone. They have free California drivers handbooks.

Date: 10/24/2018 Time: 1:50 PM 65° SunnyMy visit to the Oakland Main Library was to the Children's Room to return one of their books that I found on the bench at the Elihu M. Harris State Building. I can only surmise that a child left the book behind and had forgotten about it.The Children's Room was my favorite section when I was growing up. I attended an elementary school nearby and there was always that weekly excursion to the library. Such childhood memories that I remember oh so well. There was a library aide reading children's stories. She always had our attention. It was here that I signed up to get my first library card, which was over 57 years ago. I was in third grade back then. Some of us students even ventured down their corridor to catch the elevator to the first floor - the main entrance of the library. At that point, I wanted to be a librarian in a public library. I was discouraged from pursuing that career, only to be told that I did not have the right temperament to be one. I guess I could be a little intimidating when I ask people to be quiet in the library.The library is a great place to do research, read books and newspaper, download documents if one does not have a printer linked to a computer at home, check out books and DVD's. It is also quiet enough for one to do his/her homework assignments without distractions of TV and video games. Of course, I reminisce about the Dewey decimal system and those wooden cabinets containing all those catalog cards. We did not have Google back then. The library always had sets of encyclopedias - Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book of Encyclopedia. LOL. Searching for a certain cookbook? If one knows the Dewey decimal system, go to the 641 section on the shelf. Science is in the 500 section; literature, 800 section; geography and history, 900 section. Egads, I still remember certain sections in the library.

Main has been closed for months this year; it was a huge inconvenience for myself and a lot of other people I know, but I was looking forward to seeing the renovations. They put some fans in and painted; there is new linoleum in the Children's Room. It took all those months of closures for that??? Worst of all, I asked a librarian for reference help. She looked up the general subject and began reading out titles, none of which was even close to what I needed. After several titles I lost patience. I took this as indifference to my information need. I've had library aides who were more helpful that that--next time I'll ask one of them. There was hardly anyone in the library, so it's not as if people were lined up out the door waiting.

The librarian at Oakland Public Library very nicely welcomed me and told me no reservation was required, pictures were allowed and how the Library has three floors with teen's and children's sections. The ceiling is quite high with big windows, allowing plenty of bright light to reach the reading areas. People were either reading books quietly or discussing in whispers. Librarians were very supportive. If you are looking for a place with the "learning atmosphere" in Oakland, OPL is good. (But do not expect it to be 100% quiet)

I notice there is a community survey being offered about possible renovation and relocation of the library. Could that lead to the demolition of this lovely building and the "weeding" of its huge collection? Please no! All it needs is a seismic upgrade, maybe another restroom. It's close enough to BART to be convenient. There's already too many new crackerbox type buildings in Oakland. Save our architectural heritage (even though it's mid century).