North Oakland Branch Library - Oakland

librarian Yvonne Camm OHR ¹⁴

The North Oakland Branch Library was a small branch library on San Pablo Ave., near the California Hotel. Beginning in 1966, it was known as the Jack London Branch Library. Before it was a branch library, it was a reading room.

Reading Room

The reading room dated back to 1887, when the Free Library Trustees met in January 1887 and determined a reading room should be opened in North Oakland. ⁶ Miss Emma C. Sutherland was the first curator; it appears the reading room used rooms in the Sutherland home at 2202 Peralta at 34th. (NB: Southard is a typo.) ^5,7 The 1889 directory lists the North Oakland Free Reading Room at the corner of 34th and Peralta.

March 2, 1887 ⁷1889-1890 directory ⁵1902 Sanborn excerpt

In 1892, the North Oakland Reading Room and the 23rd Avenue Reading Room were closed for lack of money. ¹⁰ Protests were made, and the library trustees agreed that if the city council would give them additional money, they would keep the reading rooms open. ¹¹

Around 1895, the reading room was moved to 2203 Adeline, a few blocks away (NB: after a c.1906 renumbering, 2203 was renumbered as 3401 Adeline.) Much to the annoyance of some, it was on a side street, and it was upstairs! ⁸ An 1897 article describes it as "the smallest of the reading rooms", occupying the two front rooms up an upper flat at 34th St. and Adeline. ¹²

1902 Sanborn excerpt 1912 Sanborn excerpt
showing new address, but same building

Branch Library

Renee Browne, Sharon Boyd, Gregory Hewitt, Quincy Jett in 1968 ¹⁸

The branch library opened in 1909 at 2022 San Pablo Ave. ¹⁹ After a renumbering, 2022 became 3424 San Pablo Ave. In the 1913 directory, it lists Alice Armstrong as the librarian, and Katherine Gray the assistant. ⁹

In January 1920 the branch went from half-time to full time because of increased circulation. ¹

In October 1965, the library suffered $10,000 in damage from a fire at the California Auto Parts Co. next door. ² Ironically, it had just re-opened in September 1965 after remodeling. ³

1912 Sanborn excerpt1951 Sanborn excerpt

In 1966, it moved to 3140 San Pablo; ¹⁷ in 1968 it moved to 3134 San Pablo Ave. ¹⁸ Until 1971, the branch was known as the Jack London Branch Library, when the name was reverted to avoid confusion with the Jack London Room at the Main Library. The book Urban Outcomes in 1974 noted that all users of the branch lived within six-tenths of a mile of it. This suggested poorer, less mobile users, as compared with the Piedmont Ave. branch which drew users from up to 3 miles away. ¹⁵

The branch finally closed in July 1981. A 2006 plan from the Oakland Public Library pointed out the need for a library in the area, particularly after the closure of Foster Elementary School. In 2018, a plan for new Hoover-Foster Library had strong support from many area residents. ¹³

1916 ⁴