They have a tool lending library, at the Temescal branch. They have branches all over town that each have their own specialty: Spanish language books at the Cesar Chavez branch, books in Chinese and Japanese and Vietnamese and Korean and lots of other languages at the Asian Branch downtown, a bookmobile AND an adult literacy program based out of the West Oakland branch, an American Indian Collection at Dimond, a Gay and Lesbian Collection at Piedmont... you could explore these branches forever.
But they have more than that. They have a website where you can search for magazine articles, books, newspaper articles, e-books and downloadable audiobooks. They have a summer reading game, art exhibits (like Italian Heritage or Paul Robeson), a Gay/Straight Alliance.... they spill over with wonderfulness.
And that's not all! They have "Lawyers in the Library," specific days when lawyers come to specific branches to give people free legal advice. They have the African American Museum and Library, an impressive collection of archives and reference materials that used to live at the Golden Gate Branch but merged with the African American Museum in 2002 - which itself is housed in what used to be the second Main library from 1902 to 1951. They have information about their services for persons with disabilities, and meeting rooms that you can have for free once a month. Thanks to the dedication of the library staff, and the generosity of Oakland voters in fundig them, there's practically no end to the wonderful stuff at the Oakland Public Library!
Residents of other cities are welcome.
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