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Services and Collections
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Services
Collections
Collection Development Policy
Our staff is committed to meeting the needs of the communities we serve through quality collections. Explore the 1.2 million books and other materials which are located in the Main Library, the African American Museum and Library at Oakland, and our 15 branches. These include:
| Audiocassettes | Consumer Information | Magazines/Newspapers |
| Books on Tape and CD | English As A Second Language | Maps |
| Business | Government Documents | Musical Scores |
| Careers | Languages | Pamphlets |
| Children's | Language Tapes | Teens' |
| Citizenship | Large Print Books | Telephone Directories |
| College Catalogs | Lesbian & Gay | Travel Guides |
| Compact Discs | Local History | Videos/DVDs |
If an item you need is not available on the shelf or is not owned by Oakland Public Library, you may place a reserve or order it through interlibrary loan.
Special Collections
Business Collection - Main Library, First Floor
This collection is housed in the Science, Business, & Social Science Section. It contains current business and career information, including business directories, investment services, employment information, 2 career computers and computerized sources on CD-ROMs.
Family History & Genealogy Resources
Genealogy questions are answered in the Oakland History Room, AMHL (Art, Music, History & Literature) and Magazine & Newspaper sections of the Main Library.
Lesbian/Gay Collections
Three branches have shelved Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender materials together as special collections. These collections are at Dimond , Piedmont Avenue, and West Oakland Branch Libraries.
Oakland History Room - Main Library, Second Floor
Books, clippings, photographs document the history of California with an emphasis on the East Bay.
Religious Collection - Elmhurst Branch
This collection is devoted to both Western and Eastern religions with noteworthy sections on the Bible and gospel music.
Language Collections at OPL (Branches)
Click here to see which branches collect books, videos and CDs in non-English languages
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Tool Lending Library - Temescal Branch
This program lends tools to the Oakland community, ranging from screwdrivers to reciprocating saws.
Ethnic Resources
Our community is multicultural and so are our collections! Check out our unique resources:
African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO)
The African American Museum and Library at Oakland is a service of the Oakland Public Library devoted to preserving, organizing, and sharing the African American experience in Northern California through exhibits, programming, archival and research documents. AAMLO's home is the newly refurbished Charles Greene Library building in downtown Oakland.
American Indian Collection
The Dimond Branch has an American Indian Collection.
Asian Branch Library
Books are available in Cambodian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian. Asian and Asian American studies collections in English are also housed here. * See our list of language materials available in all library locations at http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/services/langcollection.html
César E. Chávez Branch Library
Spanish language materials are available, as well as materials in English about Latin America and the Chicano/Latino experience in the U.S.* See our list of language materials available in all library locations at http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/services/langcollection.html
Black History Collections
Black history collections are available at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) (for reference use only), the Main Library, the Martin Luther King, Jr. and West Oakland Branch Libraries.
Services
Computer Classes
Oakland Public Library offers free computer classes for the public. The library also maintains a directory of schools offering free or low-cost computer classes for adults in the Oakland area and places offering free or low-cost computer classes for people with disabilities.
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