The Library Community

The African American Museum and Library at Oakland in collaboration with the Donor Network West presents our newest exhibition “Giving Me Life: A Visual Journey of African American Organ and Tissue Transplant Recipients.” This upcoming photography exhibition holds a very special place in my heart.

As a child of a parent who received multiple kidney transplants, I can remember getting up early in the morning making the trek to UCSF for my moms’ dialysis and doctors’ appointments.  My mother waited years on the transplant list for a donor which would give her a new lease on life.  I also remember the jubilation we all felt when we received the call that a match had been found.

My mother was fortunate to get the gift of life twice in her lifetime. The first gift came from my uncle, who donated a kidney when my mother was in her early

We thank you for using and loving your Oakland Public Library. 

The City of Oakland's official statement on Collection Management is:

Recently, several books titles from the Oakland Public Library were brought to our attention as being inappropriately discarded. Upon research, these particular books, in addition to others, were withdrawn from the Elmhurst Branch Library, having been published between 1990-2007, about 11-28 years ago. These particular books were not from the African-American Museum and Library of Oakland (AAMLO) collection. All of the book titles referenced are still available to the public through the Oakland Public Library at multiple branches and through the Library online LINK+ system.

The development and management of library collections is guided by the American Library Association and is a necessary function of libraries across the globe. In effectively managing the Oakland Public Library collection, the Library follows the guidelines of the American Library

By Camille Peters & Andrea Guzmán, members of OPL's Digital Safety Team

This week, we celebrate Choose Privacy Week, an annual event held by the American Library Association (ALA) that "promotes the importance of individual privacy rights and celebrates libraries and librarians’ unique role in protecting privacy in the library and in society as a whole.” We encourage you to take this opportunity to reflect on your current digital practices and make changes according to your privacy needs.

Why does choosing privacy matter to us? Because your digital privacy and security are paramount to exercising intellectual freedom, a core value of public libraries

The African American Museum & Library at Oakland is now on Historypin! Check out hundreds of historical photographs from AAMLO's collections mapped and superimposed on Google street view. The photograph below shows Stephens Restaurant, an African American-owned restaurant established by William Stephens in 1924 at 112 14 St. and eventually moved to 200 E. 14th St. (now International Boulevard). The second photograph shows the same building in a 2018 Google street view image and its current tenant New King Restaurant.  

The Historypin app allows researchers