Notes from our Librarians
From Leni Mathews, Librarian:
Patrons checked out 7,072 items in February.
We are giving away Milkweed seeds to attract Monarch butterflies. We need milkweed because native milkweed plants are the only vegetation monarch adults will lay their eggs on and the only one that their caterpillars eat. Learn more about saving the Monarch butterflies at pollinatorposse.org. Packets of seeds will be available at the desk while supplies last.
There's shifting happening in the adult collection. We're making room for more books and creating better visibility for our collection.
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Lucky Day books are here! Lucky Day books are the most popular books - the ones with the highest number of holds. Look out for Clint Eastwood and the shamrock image. |
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From Shani Boyd, Children’s Librarian:
Storytime will be returning soon so keep an eye out for dates.
New take-home crafts are in the works.
Our Women's History Month displays are up.
Regular in-person programs will also be making a return soon and I couldn't be more excited to meet new faces.
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On March 12th, there was a virtual tour of an Oakland Fire station from female firefighters. Everyone who registered got a fire hat!
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Display about inspirational women this month. Tell us who inspires you!
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We invited children in the community and the neighboring schools to make Valentine's Day cards for residents of Piedmont Gardens |
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Children in the Library
In the eyes of us who are book lovers, Shani, the children’s librarian at Piedmont Avenue Library, is doing a great community service. Yes, it’s her job, but exposing kids to the satisfaction and joy of reading when they’re toddlers, too young to read, is more than a job. It is a great gift that opens new worlds for them.
Once a month she hosts a carefully planned session with a different focus each time. For each one, she prepares a display to provide the pictures and illustrations for the theme. When the kids are assembled, she reads a story to them -- some seated on the miniature chairs and others crawling on the rug. Then she leads a craft which connects to the theme of the story.
In March, the theme was women, reflecting the observation of International Women’s Day that celebrates the achievements and contributions to the culture from women around the world. April’s themes will be Spring, Earth Day and Latin America.
Each of these meetings require a good deal of research and preparation, so if Shari isn’t at the front desk, she’s likely lining things up for the next gathering.
In Shani’s job you need to understand how to keep the attention of small children, how to interpret holidays to their level, and how to design a suitable craft for the occasion. The main library is very helpful in all these tasks, but a lot of what happens in the children’s services at Piedmont Avenue Library is up to Shani and the neighborhood is happy she’s doing it.
By Ruby Long, a neighbor whose work has appeared in local and national publications.
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A Review by Alexis, grade 7
I recently read the last book of the Renegades series by Marissa Meyer. This series, in my opinion, is perfect for people who like dystopian books that keep you on the edge of your seat, always wanting to read more.
There are three books in the series, the first is called Renegades, the second is called Archenemies, and the last one is called Supernova. I think that the first and third books are my favorite, so if you are reading the second book and want to stop, it's worth reading to get to the third.
The Renegade series is based on two characters; Norah and Adrian. Nova is an Anarchist, or a villain, who wants revenge on the Renegades. while Adrian is a Renegade, or a hero who is against the Anarchists. the stories show both points of view, but it's written in 3rd person POV at the same time.
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Update: Reauthorization of Measure Q will be on the June 7 ballot |
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As reported last month, the Oakland City Council approved placing the Library Services Retention and Enhancement Extension on the June 7, 2022 ballot.
If you are interested in helping library supporters with the campaign to pass that measure, check out the OPL Advocate website for a list of volunteer activities – www.opladvocates.org.
Remember: unless Measure Q is reauthorized, some library services, hours, and locations will shut down.
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Notes from the Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library (PAL)
The next meeting of the Friends of Piedmont Avenue Library (PAL) is Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 pm at the library! To learn more about the Friends check out our website https://www.friendsofpal.org/ Please join us to support the Piedmont Avenue library - give a HOOT.
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Spring Get Together
The semi-annual Branch Friends Network get together will take place on Wednesday, March 30 via Zoom. The formal meeting will take place from 5 to 6pm followed by an optional social time from 6 to 6:30pm.
Program highlights: Reauthorization of the Measure Q campaign and the new Friends group at Chavez.
Please let Sara DuBois – sdubois@oaklandlibrary.org – know if you’d like to attend, and she’ll send you the Zoom link a few days before the meeting.
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Friends of the Oakland Public Library Spring Book Sale |
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April 21 - April 24th at The Bookmark Bookstore
721 Washington Street in Old Oakland
All book lovers receive a discount of 30% on Friday, April 22nd. The discount increases each day with savings of 40% on April 23rd and 50% on April 24th.
The store will be open 11:00 am to 4:00 pm each day during the sale.
All proceeds benefit the Oakland Public Library.
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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. |
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Review of The Names of All the Flowers: a Memoir
I have long believed that everybody has a story to tell but most of us lack the words, the confidence, the time, the crucial links of memory or the sustained honesty to tell the compelling story. It is rare when a young person writes a powerful memoir. In general memoirs, good ones, are written by established men and women as they look back and review their lives.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the young Oakland author, Melissa Valentine, and her fine memoir The Names of All the Flowers. Her book demolishes these generalities. Valentine is prodigiously talented, brutally honest and yet deeply compassionate. She minces no words in her portrayals of her siblings, her parents, and the deep love that she shared with her brother Junior. But it is not just a love song to Junior. It is a love song to her surviving siblings, to her parents and their marriage, and to Oakland. Her father, a white Pennsylvania Quaker, is a landscaper, and her mother, a black woman from the outskirts of Selma worked night shift in the S.F. post office. Both fled the confines and restrictions of their birthplaces and met in San Francisco in the late sixties. They married and bought a home in North Oakland and in that home raised their six children. Among the finest passages of her book is Valentine’s description of the grand family reunions in Alabama. The details of these homecomings are deeply moving and reveal the extended family’s deep love for the land and family.
Valentine lets us into her home, shows us the charismatic energy of Junior, tells of her difficult coming of age, and describes the lives of her beleaguered, hard working parents. But the central axis of her book examines the close links she had with her brother as he spun out of control. Along the way she writes of family and friends, of Oakland and the Fillmore District, and the mean streets of the Fillmore, of West Oakland and Deep East. She also has the mind of a sociologist and a philosopher as she coolly describes the neighborhood she grew up in, the streets her brother ran in and the social factors that failed to protect him. When he was 18 and Melissa was 14, Junior went to prison. A year later, after being released, Junior was gunned down in West Oakland. She and her family were, of course, devastated. So were the Valentine’s neighbors, the Quakers, Junior’s friends and associates in West Oakland. This book is dedicated to Junior. She wrote the book to bear witness to Junior’s path and by illuminating that path she helped heal the trauma for herself and her family. The book is written with fire and passion as she observes her world with preternatural calm and the meticulous, occasionally ironic, details of what make a house a home.
If you love Oakland, you must read this book.
By Louis Segal. Louis was born in Oakland, raised his family in Oakland, dropped out of school in 1968, worked many jobs over the decades, dropped back into school in the 80s, got a Ph.D. in history, taught as an adjunct professor from 1993 to 2015. Retired but not withdrawn.
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What's Happening at the Library |
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Our library is open six days per week!
Sunday Closed
Monday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
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Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Friday: 12 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
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Tax Help in the Library
The Oakland Public Library works with the AARP Foundation to provide free tax help during tax season at some branches. To see a list of locations, dates, and hours this is being offered in 2022 click here: https://oaklandlibrary.org/tax-help/. Call to schedule an appointment.
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The Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our tax ID is 84-4203055.
All contributions are tax deductible.
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