Vol 10 # 7 April 15, 2026

Rachel Latta from the Oakland Unified School District Board and Jamie Turbak, Library Director for Oakland Public Library. There were neighbors, long-time FOPAL supporters and other interested parties present.  All were excited about the possibility of a permanent home for the Piedmont Avenue Library.

For a detailed history of the library and previous lease agreement, please see here: https://www.friendsofpal.org/campaign/ 

A brief background: Our library first opened in 1912. Since 2011 we have been in a portable classroom on the grounds of Piedmont Avenue Elementary School. We have 1,912 square feet to support all the programs and events of our busy library. We use outdoor space whenever we can so we can accommodate the 100 plus people that come to Toddler Storytime or a Taylor Swift Dance Party or a Plant Swap or all the other popular programs the library offers. The simple truth is that we don’t have enough space for one whole class from Piedmont Avenue Elementary School to come into the library all at once: half the class needs to wait outside while half goes inside. Yes, we need more space AND we need a permanent home so we are not wondering every five years if we will be able to renew our lease with OPUSD and remain in the portable classroom.

The Friends of PAL will meet Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 - 7:30 pm, at the library. Please join us as we work to support our library. There will be refreshments!Y

From -

Sabah Abdulla, Branch Manager & Nathan Page, Children's Librarian



Programs - For more information about each event go to the OPL website.

Ongoing -

Toddler Storytime, every Tuesday,

10:15 - 10:30 am

Songs and stories for ages 18 months to 3 years. Stay and Play after Storytime with fun toys through 11:15 am.

Family Game Night, Wednesday, 4/15, 6 - 7:30 pm

Come to our library to play board games! We’ll have snacks and drinks! Have fun and meet your neighbors.

MOCHA at the Library!, Saturday 4/18, 11 am - 12:30 pm

Join us for monthly art workshops for children and families led by teachers from the Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA). For ages 5-15 and caregivers.



Knitting & Crochet Circle with Susan Segal, Monday 4/27, 5/11 & 5/25,

11 am - 1 pm

Join us for knitting and good company every 2nd & 4th Monday. If you're a seasoned pro or just starting, everyone is welcome!

Teen Pop Up Crafts, Tuesday, 4/28, 5/12 & 5/26,

3:30 - 4:30 pm Teens, come to hang out, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, and get creative with the library staff. Supplies provided.

Plot Twists & Page Turners: A Piedmont Ave. Branch Library Book Club, Tuesday, 5/5, 6 - 7:15 pm

With your fellow book lovers, discover your next literary adventure at our monthly Book Club. Share your current reads or just hang out and chat about books.

More Events -

Teen Double Dutch Extravaganza! Wednesday, 4/15 & 5/13, 3 – 5 pm

Jump Squad 510 will be at the Library for a workshop and performance!

Whether you are already an elite jumper or are just getting started jumping rope, you are invited to be a part of this workshop. Learn something new and show off what you know!

Gardening Workshop: Waterwise Vegetable Gardening,

Saturday, 4/18, 2 – 3 pm

Learn how to grow a thriving vegetable garden while conserving water! A UC Master Gardener instructor will cover practical techniques for calculating plant water needs, improving soil quality, and choosing efficient watering methods. You’ll discover which vegetable varieties perform best with less water and how smart gardening practices can make your garden more resilient and sustainable.

Plant Swap, Saturday 4/25,

11 am – 1 pm

Got extra plants, seedlings, or plant cuttings?  Bring healthy, labeled plants and swap them for something new! Join us for a fun, community friendly plant exchange.



El Dia de los Niños, Music Show, Thursday 4/30, 10:15 – 10:45 am

Join singer Verónica Freidkes for a joyful, interactive English/Spanish music program. Come sing, dance, and play together. We will have free books for kids, snacks and a fun craft to take home. A celebration of children, families, and reading.



Chair Yoga, Monday, 5/4, & 5/18, 10:30 - 11:30 am

Chair yoga is designed for those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor due to arthritis, knee injury, back pain or any other reason. Learn how a daily practice will improve your strength, flexibility, and balance. Meditation elements are included to help you develop greater body awareness. Taught by instructor Bett Bollhoefer, who is certified in Radiant Body Yoga.

Gardening Workshop: Ergonomic Gardening, Saturday, 5/16, 2 – 3 pm

Learn how to protect your body and reduce strain while enjoying your time in the garden. In this fun, activity rich session, a UC Master Gardener instructor will demonstrate safer body mechanics and techniques to help you garden more comfortably.

Help Wanted --

For the last ten years, FOPAL has delivered the HOOT to you on the 15th of every month, mainly due to the efforts of Peg Janosch. Alas, Peg has announced her intention to retire from editing the HOOT at the end of this year. So, the Board has now begun the search for her replacement.

What are we looking for? Someone who has some writing, editing and organizational skills, can meet deadlines, and loves the library and this community. We are currently using Constant Contact to produce and send out the HOOT, and training will be made available to the selected candidate.

If you are interested please email us at contact@friendsofpal.org

The League of Women Voters of Oakland presented the Making Democracy Work Award, honoring an organization or individual that strengthens civic life, expands voter participation, and helps make Oakland a more vibrant and equitable city, to the ....

Oakland Public Library!

The award was accepted by Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services

Join us at the OPL Advocates 2026 Spring Mixer!

Sunday, May 17, from 1:00-3:00 pm, in the courtyard outside the Main Library (125 14th Street in Oakland). We will celebrate the Oakland Public Library and the volunteers who support it! Register at Mixer.

OPL Advocates is an informal coalition of advocacy groups, working together to maximize resources and amplify messages in support of Oakland Public Library.

The Avid Reader by Louis Segal

I’ve been an avid reader since I could read. In high school I used to cut school to read in the Berkeley Public Library.  I’m writing this column to share some of the books I love. I hope, perhaps, you might grow to love a few of them. 

A Cautionary Tale

I didn’t read a single book this past month. I no longer had sufficient serenity to finish one. I only read scattered short stories and journal articles. Why this restlessness? Because a deluge of books cascaded down upon us, double shelved cases, towers stacked hither and yon on the floor. We have given away 15 percent of our beloved books 

What caused this? My wife and I had been avid readers since childhood. Fifty years ago, we began to merge shelves, a proposition which caused occasional turf and categorizational wars [see Ann Fadiman’s Ex Libris]. There was no earthquake. Let me tell you, dear reader, the reason for this decimation.

For decades we’ve happily shared a sturdy loft bed. To ascend to the bed, six feet above the floor, we climb a vertical ladder. Below the loft is an alcove shelved on three sides with books, a cozy if slightly cramped place to read. Shelves also sprang up in the living room, dining room, bathroom, kids’ room, garage, and casita. Towers have sprung up like mushrooms by chairs, crowding into nooks and corners and under easy chairs and in front of laden book cases.

The kids have long wanted to get us out of the loft. We were getting old, they said, and they worried about us. We scoffed at their suggestions. I scorned their bibliophobia. Alas, though, I have lost my balance and recently suffered serious falls. I no longer can climb up to our lovely loft bed.

Recently a ringleader emerged announcing that she was coming up from LA to help us out. She surveyed our beloved home, and challenged us to go through all our books to decimate books; also much of our folk art, beloved paintings, statues, ceramics, photos. We resisted. Her siblings cheered her on. “You can get books from the library for books from now on. If a piece of art has given you joy and beauty take a picture of it and let it go to be appreciated by others. And we’ll help set up another bedroom". We resisted. They insisted and we began to see that there was logic to their plan.

For the last three weeks we have been boxing books and textiles and paintings and gadgets and putting them out in front of the house. There were many takers; neighbors, friends, and strangers. It was a party. And, lo, there was more space in the house. I haven’t stubbed my toes for a week [a record!]. We are switching our bedroom and house guests can climb Mount Loft. We can go to the library and not have Ulysses and its annotations sprawl around, lurking underneath the dining room table. We now agree that this new order will improve the quality of our lives. And neighbors and friends and strangers can enjoy books and perhaps enjoy them as we have.

New rules: Use the library and a book bought means a book must go out.

So, no reviews for this month. Just this bittersweet tale.

Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library Board of Directors 2026

President: Ronile Lahti; Secretary: Arleen Feng; Treasurer: Joanna Smith; Judith Smith

The Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our tax ID is 84-4203055.

All contributions are tax deductible.

Donate to Friends of PAL