Oakland Public Library
Oakland Public Library is a municipal public library system based in Oakland (Alameda County), California, serving a legal service area of 449,189 residents through 18 library buildings. Among the 122 profiled systems serving 250,000 to 499,999 residents, it ranks seventh for operating spending per resident.
Among the 170 profiled systems in California, it ranks tenth for operating spending. Against the median system of its size class, it records 86% more paid staff per resident and 60% more print volumes per resident.
Oakland against the 122 systems of its size class
Oakland in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,356,324
- Physical checkouts
- 2,134,532
- …of children's materials
- 1,212,998
- Electronic checkouts
- 1,027,664
- …of e-books
- 456,086
- …of e-audio
- 345,845
- Registered users
- 184,466
- Program sessions
- 6,264
- Program attendance
- 142,245
- Print volumes
- 885,911
- Audio items (physical)
- 36,135
- Video items (physical)
- 67,820
- Public computers
- 263
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 43,256
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 262.7
- Operating spending
- $47.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $3.3 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Oakland gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $48.5 million, or $107.92 per resident. The local-government share sits 5 percentage points above the combined share for the 170 profiled systems in California. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Municipal libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, two record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Plano Public Library System in Texas.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Public Library | Madison, WI | 304,881 | 4.50 | 7.12 | $73.59 |
| Lubbock Public Library | Lubbock, TX | 299,167 | 1.15 | 1.86 | $13.85 |
| Jersey City Free Public Library | Jersey City, NJ | 292,449 | 1.93 | 1.27 | $53.01 |
| Plano Public Library System | Plano, TX | 290,190 | 5.96 | 8.58 | $53.97 |
| Chandler Public Library | Chandler, AZ | 286,342 | 2.39 | 4.87 | $23.55 |
| Glendale Public Library | Glendale, AZ | 260,878 | 1.78 | 3.76 | $29.18 |
Oakland since FY 2019
Visits were 35% below the FY 2019 count of 2.1 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 15% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Oakland programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 68% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 23 people each.
Oakland, building by building
The 18 buildings cover 207,510 square feet in total, 0.46 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Oakland Main Library at 82,000 square feet; the smallest is Piedmont Avenue Branch Library at 1,920. The longest hours are at Oakland Main Library, 57.9 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Main Library | Central library | Oakland | 57.9 | 82,000 |
| 81st Avenue Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 53.3 | 22,000 |
| African American Museum & Library at Oakland | Branch | Oakland | 41.1 | 3,000 |
| Asian Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 8,500 |
| Brookfield Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 4,250 |
| Cesar E. Chavez Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 53.3 | 15,000 |
| Dimond Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 10,000 |
| Eastmont Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 38.9 | 9,200 |
| Elmhurst Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46 | 3,220 |
| Golden Gate Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 4,260 |
| Lakeview Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 3,800 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 3,800 |
| Melrose Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 5,300 |
| Montclair Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 3,800 |
| Piedmont Avenue Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 1,920 |
| Rockridge Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 15,200 |
| Temescal Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 4,260 |
| West Oakland Branch Library | Branch | Oakland | 46.1 | 8,000 |
Nearest in size within California
- Santa Clara County Library · Campbell · 456,355 residents
- Long Beach Public Library · Long Beach · 458,813 residents
- Sonoma County Library · Rohnert Park · 478,152 residents
- Solano County Library · Fairfield · 420,393 residents