I live in San Francisco now yet still got love for Oakland and the East Bay. Rockridge is a fun…read moreneighborhood. Millennium is here for a special occasion fine dining at a vegan restaurant. They were named one of the top 25 vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the world. There are some fun bookstores in Rockridge and the Rockridge Branch Library is on point. When I walked in there was a display of cookbooks including Oakland's own vegan cookbook author Bryant Terry's book Vegan Soul Kitchen and the fun vegan cookbook Thug Kitchen: Part Grub for social mother f*ckers. Inside they had some nice records in the CD music section and couple of stellar vegan cookbooks. I loved the shelf with the display of Staff Picks with several books on display. That was a nice touch. Staff was friendly. This branch is an A+

I stopped by the library briefly and appreciated how peaceful it was. It's the kind of place that…read morehelps you focus naturally.

Stopped in today to dropoff some old batteries for recycling and donate some books to the "Friends…read moreof the Library" used bookstore. Battery recycling is located in the same alcove as the self-service print/scan/fax station (next to the info/checkout desk). Be careful and follow instructions to wrap batteries separately/individually in plastic before dropping them off. Surprisingly the library also has a Kilowatt usage measuring device that you can checkout/rent to understand and see electricity usage for devices/home goods/etc. The cafe in the back (which carries limited snacks and drinks) has plenty of indoor and patio seating. The "Friends of the Library" self-service book sales shelf (honor system) is in the far corner of the same cafe. Their regular bookstore/donation center is next to the restrooms on your right as you enter.

Free parking and street parking Next to Park street but…read morewell insulated so you won't hear the noise from outside Next to the APD as well, can't feel any safer Well lit, high ceiling, clean flat flooring and some sections are carpeted, outdoor seating and a cafe inside Restrooms are clean, private rooms for meetings and studying Can't say anything bad, been coming here for years

I can't ever not give public libraries 5 stars - the generous giver of knowledge, tools, and…read moreresources regardless of economics or geography - a safe space for all. Berkeley is a huge city so this is the main and largest one downtown - very limited parking, a lot of unhoused folks but it also means plentiful seating. Staff are friendly, so many cool activities, dedicated areas for kids, teens, and little surprises like the graphic novel nook.

I love Berkeley libraries got my volunteer hours here!! This is my spot to study and learnread more

Technically called the Tarea Hill branch. Their online holds placing system is very easy to…read morenavigate, you can get a free California parks pass and a Discover and Go pass for local attractions, and print 5 free one sided black and white pages a day. They also have computers available and a community room that can be reserved but only if it's an open attendance event at the moment. Overall I love this place. The bathrooms are always clean, drinking fountain, and there's a cork board near the printer with community events and resources. The one thing that would up this place would be to allow the empty community rooms to be rented out for an hour by more closed support groups if possible, but it's still very neat.

Renewing my library card was quick and easy here! The staff was very nice…read more There's apparently a tool lending library. I have yet to try it, but it's so great when a library can offer tools to borrow! Short and easy walk from Ashby Bart.

Quiet and comfortable space to study. Easily located near public transit with decent parking around…read morethe area. If you need a quiet place to study come here.

My partner and I both became members of the Alameda County Law Library in 2023. What prompted our…read morebecoming members was a lawsuit that my partner was a plaintiff in, which we decided to do entirely on our own, without legal counsel. The lawsuit was against a major medical conglomerate, and it was truly a David vs. Goliath battle, which we knew it would be going in. We wanted to learn the legal process on our own, and not pay a lawyer to bleed us dry. Both of us have had bad experiences with unscrupulous attorneys in the past, and were not about to roll the dice again, in what was a very important case. As we found out early on in the process, the law itself is beautifully simple and straightforward. It's the procedural aspect that is a bureaucratic nightmare; an incredible maze of endless complicated procedures, paperwork, and deadlines, and designed to be that way on purpose to deter people from accessing the legal system without paying an arm and a leg to attorneys. Nevertheless, we persisted resolutely with the lawsuit, which turned into a nearly full-time job for both of us for the following year. We educated ourselves on the applicable California and Federal laws, and on more than you could ever hope to know about legal procedure. Enter the Alameda County Law Library. This is where you will find what you need to work on a legal case, in the many volumes of legal literature, but more so in the digital materials. For us, Trellis provided the majority of information we needed in the form of related case law, and how to prepare various briefs. I was very disappointed to learn recently that Trellis has ended remote access, and this law library ended their subscription to Trellis. Trellis was, by far, the most invaluable legal info. resource for us, and it's disheartening that it will no longer be available to pro-se (self-represented) litigants, in what is already a system heavily stacked against them. All the employees at the law library we encountered were nice. However, the assistance they can and do offer is very limited. As any pro-se litigant will be reminded repeatedly, both verbally and by signs at the front desk, "We cannot offer any legal advice!". Yes, we get it. We personally never asked for any type of advice on legal strategy, only on procedure, forms, etc., but even then, we were basically on our own. Perhaps they're afraid of big-wig lawyers coming after them if they help pro-se litigants. As I mentioned, the system is very much designed to intimidate the pro-se litigant, so huge respect to anyone who takes on the enormous challenge of self-representation. Even with its limitations, though, the law library proved to be a valuable resource for us. If you become a member, you will be on their email list, and you want to pay attention to their emails, there is a lot of good info there about events and resources that may help you. One time, we were informed we could schedule a brief phone call with an attorney who could answer procedural questions, and we jumped on the opportunity. The call was helpful. The library also hosts Zoom classes conducted by attorneys, on various legal topics, such as estate planning, debt, renter protections, etc. The classes offer MCLE credits for attorneys, but are also open to non-attorneys like us just looking to learn as much as we can. We've taken several classes now and found them to be very good. Even though our lawsuit has since ended, we still keep an eye on their emails for upcoming classes that may be of interest. I am grateful the Alameda County Law Library is there, and open to all who wish to join. There is a wealth of information there; but you will need to do all the investigative work yourself, with the library staff pointing you in the right direction. If you decide to do what we did, and fight a major lawsuit on your own, you will need two things before you begin: a set of brass ones, and a law library membership. Good luck, and message me if you want more info.

The Elmhurst Branch of Oakland Public Library is a quaint cottage-like library with adult, teen,…read moreand children's books/materials and Internet terminals. A nice little spot in a busy neighborhood.

Nice little building. I suppose I'm used to larger branches. The selection here is just really poor…read moreand the librarian working there the day I got my library card was very unfriendly.

Lovvveeeee this library. It's not super huge where you might get lost or overwhelmed but is big…read moreenough to have everything you could want. Lots of cozy seating and desks to work or read. And they just opened a satélite location of As kneaded bakery inside that is super tasty. Take a visit to the San Leandro library to regulate your nervous system and access all the physical media you could need. They also have things like crockpots and birding guides you can rent too!

I think libraries don't get enough credit, and the San Leandro Library is definitely a good example…read moreof that!!! My daughter has been going here for what seems like forever. Through middle school, high school and even college. She's an avid reader so she loves this place!! She's also the reason I've been here multiple times, and yes, I do have a library card. Getting a library card is quick, easy, and free. Just fill out your info on the computers they have set up and they will give you a card. This place is large and spacious, plenty of places to sit and read, tables to work or study, and computers are available for use also. There is gift shop and cafe here along with conference rooms and very clean restrooms. There is also a second story here, like I said, very spacious!! So don't sleep on the San Leandro Public Library, if you do get a chance to go here, you will be pleasantly surprised!!

Very rare special collection for visitors and history students nationwide ..Oakland main library is…read morenear lake Merritt ..special magazines never seen ...nice archives to show..basic library in the bay with more to see..teen center and lounge and chargers ...nice view ..very nice visit to Oakland main library ..wouldn't have known ..tour libraries in the bay ...back then 1970-1990 ...rare california books ...positive community

Oakland History Room at the Main Library…read morehttp://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Seasonal/Sections/oakhr.html I LOVE Maps. All maps but especially old maps, you know the kind that come in huge books... I also LOVE Oakland. So this means I hella LOVE the Oakland History Room because it's filled with, you got it... Old Huge Map Books of Oakland! So a nerd like me can spend HOURS here looking stuff up. Some friends and I own Victorians here in Oakland and I was determined to see the original maps from when they were first built all in the 1800s. I overshot the year on my block at first but got to see the map of when Veniza Garden took up most of it. Then I saw the map when my home, the Cates-Downing house appeared and later the building where La Borinquena (my family's restaurant) exists now. It was a little more complicated to find my friend's house since I had to go back to when the Fruitvale district had not yet been annexed to Oakland and was still called Fruitvale, CA. His house was literally in the middle of a fruit orchard and was the main house for years. It also explained why there were so many windows both for natural light and to oversee the fields. The woman helping me find all this information was sweet, kind and incredibly PATIENT! There are also tons of books, photographs and enough maps to wallpaper for days. Go with lots of time on your hands and be respectful of the artifacts you may or may not be allowed to handle. Oh, the smell of old books can be intoxicating in a giddy, nerdy way or smell musty and not so good otherwise. Also note that the hours are strange everyday they are open. To my fellow Oakland history nerds who also like libraries... Go Forth. Research. Be Happy.