

Tell the library how much you love it!
The Oakland Public Library has started a neat new project in an effort to learn how the library changes lives. Called, "Has the library changed your life?", this web site is an easy way to tell librarians how the library has impacted your life. To tell your story, you start off by selecting a category that defines your experience: customer service raised morale time saver reduced waste changed a life money saving something funny or something not listed These types of stories


You can check out the Internet at the library
Of all the things you might check out at a library--books, DVDs, laptops, toys, tools, museum passes--did you know that it's possible to take the Internet home, too? A new program at the Oakland Public Library allows patrons to check out a mobile hot spot, a small, plastic piece of hardware that connects your devices to the Internet. This novel idea is just starting to take hold in public libraries, and the Oakland Public Library is at the forefront of it. TechSoup, a San Fra


Oakland Public Library Takes Action Against Islamophobia
The Oakland Public Library is a special place for many. One of the main reasons this is true is due to its intention and attention to its varied neighborhoods and communities the library serves. This is hard work, longterm work, and often work that is invisible to those who use the library. But it's there, this sense that everyone is welcome, that people who walk in the library are seen and valued. The School Library Journal recently published a thoughtful article on the libr


Spooky stories on Halloween night
The library is full of spooky stories, so why not go to the library to hear them? Librarians will be serving up the spookiest in the DARKEST spaces of the building. Cue spooky music and fun: best for 5-12 year olds, show up after trick or treating! 7 pm at the Rockridge Library (expect to see librarians and a Friend or two in ghoulish and fun costumes!

Filtering out fake news
The term fake news is heard frequently in today’s political and media environments, but how do we identify it and guard against it? These were some of the questions addressed in a recent interactive adult workshop at the Rockridge branch library. Most simply, fake news is intentionally deceitful. It is often fabricated, may use altered images, or have an agenda behind it. But the issue is not black and white, we learned. There is a vast spectrum of news that ranges in journal