A public library is the most democratic thing in the world. What can be found there has undone dictators and tyrants. —Doris Lessing
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In this pandemic year, mail-in ballots were sent to every registered voter.
With your mail-in ballot, be sure to sign in the box on the back of the envelope and seal the envelope.
Then:
- Mail, no postage necessary, or
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Put it in a drop box, or
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Take it to a polling place on election day.
From the list showing where all the drop boxes are (https://www.acgov.org/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm), you’ll find these: in Piedmont at Highland Way and Mountain Avenue; in downtown Oakland at the Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street, or the Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street.
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From the list of polling places (https://www.acgov.org/rov_app/pollinglist), you’ll find the nearest polling places in the Oakland Technical High School Gym (4351 Broadway) or in the Piedmont Veterans Memorial Building (401 Highland).
For voters unable to take advantage of vote-by-mail, you can still visit a polling place for safe in-person voting and same-day registration.
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Sidewalk Pickup – How Is It Working? |
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Found what you want? Request it and wait for an email confirmation that tells when and where you can come get it.
At Piedmont Avenue branch, the pick-up hours are 10 to 1 Tuesdays through Saturday. The service is outdoors. You’ll find tables arranged to keep a safe distance between staff and patrons. Go up to the table and show your library card to the masked librarian. She/he calls on a walkie-talkie to someone inside the library and in a few minutes yours books are brought out in a sealed paper bag with your name on it.
How’s this new system going? Here’s what some patrons said about it one Thursday morning.
Jackie, getting some books for her two-year old twins: “Before, they would come and choose what to take home. Now, they don’t always like what I bring them.”
Chester Pon was picking up some Chinese classic films for his mom. They choose online, and he walks over to pick them up. The system works fine for him.
Daniel Anker, needing the book for a class he’s taking at Cal, finds the current process slower and somewhat frustrating.
Susan chooses and orders her books online. She sometimes reads e-books, but it is not the same as having the book in her hands, feeling its weight and the texture of the page.
Alison Yin was returning books and picking up some her 3½ year old son had requested. She works at home, uses audio books as background. She and her husband frequently max out their account.
Abby reads for pleasure, choosing books after she compares titles online with friends. She thinks the librarians are doing a great job in the face of a daunting challenge.
Leslie Nipps agreed with her.
Attempts were made to interview the librarians on duty, but the constant stream of patrons prevented any extended conversation. Emily Odia, whose regular assignment is the Eastmont branch, is the team leader. She said that services vary according to branch and each branch has a team that always works together at that branch.
It’s not your grandma’s library, but grandmas like it now.
By Ruby Long, a neighbor whose work has appeared in local and national publications.
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Podcasts about Oakland History
Dorothy Lazard, the Librarian at the Oakland History Center, usually hosts a series of events at the Main Library in the Fall. But 2020's a little different, so she has turned to podcasts this year for her Fall series of interviews with Oakland historians, preservationists, and storytellers. For example, the podcast from October 7th is about the Oakland Heritage Alliance.
The podcasts are made possible by a mini-grant from the Friends of the Oakland Public Library.
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Friends of Piedmont Avenue Library
The next meeting of the Friends of PAL will take place on Tuesday, November 10 at 7 pm. Zoom information will be posted on our web site in November. Watch for it.
Help Wanted - The Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library is in the process of incorporating as a non-profit. We have formed a Board of Directors and are looking for more Board Members. If you have marketing or finance skills we need you! Please email us at contact@friendsofpal.org
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OPL Advocates Annual Mixer
The Mixer will be “virtual” this year on Sunday, December 6, from 1 to 3pm. Save the date! On the program:
· Jamie Turbak. Director, OPL
· Greer Nakadegawa-Lee, Youth Poet Laureate
· Derrick DeMay, Supervising Librarian, Branches -- on OPL's food distribution programs & providing hotspots for OUSD
· Dorothy Lazard, Oakland History Center Librarian -- on the COVID-19 East Bay Community Archive
· Laura Liang, Children's Services Supervising Librarian -- on Children's Services during the pandemic
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Ms. Gloria Steinem: A Life
by Winifred Conkling
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Although classified as Young Adult nonfiction, this biography of Gloria Steinem is a good choice for anyone who wants to know more about a person who had a profound effect on the status of women today.
Conkling covers every aspect of Gloria Steinem’s life, dealing with everything from her mother, who was diagnosed as mentally ill, to her childhood on the road with her father, a traveling antique dealer. From her success at Smith College to what she learned as a student and community organizer in India, working to carry out the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. From her brief stint as a playboy bunny to her decision to date rich and famous men who would propel her into social circles that could advance her career as a freelance writer.
Among other causes, Steinem became involved with Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers’ struggle. She promoted the rights of lesbians when other leaders of mainstream feminist groups thought that approach would turn public opinion against them.
Then, of course, there is Ms. Magazine. Readers will find out that Steinem was at first reluctant to commit to it, and that she constantly struggled to keep the magazine afloat as it faced the financial challenges created when funds from advertising were scarce because advertisers didn’t take a non-traditional women’s market seriously. But in the end, however, Ms. became Steinem’s platform and made her into a celebrity and women’s rights icon.
She spent her life working to create equal rights for all. The issues she fought for, and the impact she made, will be felt for generations to come.
By Judy Jacobs. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Judy Jacobs was an active member of Women Organized for Employment, a San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to getting better working conditions for women office workers. W.O.E. and its sister organizations in Boston, New York and Chicago were the inspiration for the 1980 movie 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin and Dolly Parton.
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What's Happening at the Library |
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Effective March 16, the Oakland Public Library closed all Library locations to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). These closures will remain in effect until further notice. All programs are canceled while our library is closed. The Friends of PAL will send out a notice when we know the date the library will reopen. |
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