OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Outside the West Oakland neighborhood library on Tuesday mornings, the streets fill with the sounds of children’s laughter, singing and books being read out loud.
Katarzyna Malinska and her toddler son have been regulars at family story hours here for around a year. Malinska is thankful to have a library with events like this within walking distance of her home. And besides, she said in an interview inside the library’s community room, the hour of supervised play and learning gives her a much-needed chance “to have a break.”
“He loves the story time. He’s very stimulated,” Malinska said as her son happily ran in circles around the room with several other children. “The whole week after, he’s singing all the songs. He’s like, ‘I have friends!’”
Despite vast differences between Oakland’s urban neighborhoods, the increasingly upscale California city still finds ways to keep public libraries open for moments such as these. It’s a role shared by libraries throughout the country, where the humble community institutions serve as crucial “third places” in an era of partisanship and loneliness.
Not much these days can still bring Americans together — but whether it comes to a good book or an event like family story hour, libraries often still do. Amid book bans and wild talk of “groomers,” the librarian profession is under attack like never before in modern American history. And yet evidence suggests people love these quiet and community-minded spaces, with Americans in 2019 preferring a visit to the library over a trip to the cinema.
Beyond being places for children to access books they may not otherwise be able to afford, libraries are some of the few remaining spaces for families and older adults to use a computer or even just find a cool place to rest. Libraries offer precious spaces for sanctuary and communion as people seek to connect with their communities and the broader world.
In Oakland, the public library system has 16 branches spread across the city, including the Oakland History Center, African American Museum and Library and the Tool Lending Library. Today, some operate in unique, even unorthodox, locations. Regardless, all serve the purpose of bringing people together and serving their neighborhoods' distinct needs.
In the Montclair neighborhood on the city’s northside, the community’s public library is nestled inside a converted Dutch-style cottage. Out front, a courtyard and lawn is often used for book sales.
During Oakland’s first week of public school in August, the branch was buzzing one afternoon as school-age children arrived from school to open library cards or congregate around shared computers. The branch is known for welcoming teens with events like crafting nights and a “DJ Radio Hour” where teens can try out being a disk jockey. For adults, there are also events like book-club nights.
Community events like these are not unique to the Montclair library, though the specifics can look different at other branches. Montclair, after all, is affluent and white, a neighborhood known for large homes, nearby city parks and well-paved streets.
Other libraries have also found ways of hanging on in unique locations — often with far fewer resources.
What it means to serve the community can vary by location. Take the city’s Asian Branch, located in Oakland’s busy downtown Chinatown neighborhood. It’s inside a bustling shopping center, surrounded by businesses like grocers and boba bars. This branch, first opened in 1981, offers books in languages like Korean and Vietnamese and also has an “Asian Interest” collection focused on topics like the Asian-American experience and Asian immigrant history.
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