Rockridge Branch Library

My 50^th review! What better way to mark this milestone than to review my childhood library? I’ve been coming to this library all my life. Let me count the ways:
1) Preschool library field trips when I marched along with the herd of fellow toddlers for storytime visits.
2) The summer reading programs in elementary school when I visited every week to collect all my stamps for the book prizes.
3) Discovering taboo topics and delights in the teen section when I entered middle school. This is the library I can pinpoint as the location when I discovered that I was a goth during the summer of age 12, and have been a proud member of the goth subculture since then. This was also when the manga magazine «Shojo Beat» was still going strong, and I became a subscriber of that magazine thanks to the library subscription.
4) Volunteering during my high school summers as a book buddy and reading books to children and racking up volunteer hours for my honors program to look good on my college applications.
5) Entering manga art competitions and attending bracelet-​making workshops… yes, it is safe to say that this library has a special place in my heart.
There’s a very split divide in this library. When you walk in through the entrance and see the check-​out desks, the children section is on the right, and the teen and adult section is on the left. Ever since I entered college, there have been changes made. The teen section that used to be by the tall, spacious windows now has a very distinct section of the library enclosed by glass. All the manga is now there, too. The DVDs have been moved as well.
I’m pleased to say that the children’s section hasn’t changed much. The large, semi-​circular area with all the shelves of picture books was where me and my fellow preschool classmates would sit for storytime. There’s also a large collection of fairy tale picture books that I have incredibly fond memories of perusing and collecting for my weekly hoards of library check-​outs.
From my experience, the library would also purchase whatever recommendations that you gave them (especially if you wrote the titles of the books in the binder of recommendations in the teen section. Don’t know if it still exists). That was something I really appreciated.
Ever since I got into UC Berkeley (looks like my summer volunteer hours here paid off!) and have the privilege to access the UC Berkeley library system, it’s not that often I come here anymore. But I do come here when I am unable to find certain books on campus that I can find here. Even if it’s not at the Rockridge Library, this is my go-​to-​library to pick up all my reservations. And I suspect that after I graduate Cal, and if I do stay in the Bay Area, I will return to my status as a more frequent patron.

lovely urban library, with a dedicated & friendly staff, and a parking lot, too. definitely an urban oasis, and if you need a place to read or quietly reflect in the middle of college avenue, this is it.

This library has a couple good things going for it. One: a parking lot. Two: free wifi. Beyond those essentials, there aren’t a ton of bells and whistles. It’s a pretty small space, with a few communal work tables for popping up your laptop. The crowd was a nice mix of non-​creepy adults and cute little old ladies. I wouldn’t call this place my new favorite productivity spot, but if you do need to kill some time in Rockridge, it’s totally fine.
It’s kind of sad that I didn’t mention anything about books, this being a library and all. But I did notice some nice librarians helping people find «printed, bound media artifacts» (Gary Shteyngart reference… see, I read!)

Their hours are terrible, but that isn’t their fault. Budget cuts are awful. They’re in a good location, have a pretty good selection (though I do feel like it could be better), and I like the building itself a lot.
It’s annoying that they only can open the outside book drops once in the morning, so if you return your books outside in the afternoon on the day they are due it counts as late. (Still have no clue why this is a policy) Because of that, I want to give it 3.5 stars, but it’s a nice library (albeit small), so I’ll round it up to 4.

For someone who reads so much, I almost never go here anymore. The reason is that The Free Book Exchange and Amazon Kindle now dominate my reading material.
The problem with relatively small libraries like this is that I read almost exclusively Science Fiction, which is usually only a couple of shelves. And whilst definitely an exaggeration, it sometimes feels like I’ve read half the books there.
These days, I use Goodreads to track my reading, so at least there’s a chance that a book I grab hasn’t been read before.
Still, it’s a nice library — I just don’t have much call to go.

I am a big fan of this library. I’ve been around the block for so long that I remember the old Rockridge Library that was located near the BART station.
I don’t know what it’s like to work here but I love the architecture inside and out.
There are lots of windows and many actually open allowing fresh air to come in.
(What a concept, huh)? Having worked for many years at another public library that underwent an extensive remodel and ended up with a crappy building that had more than 100 mistakes and absolutely no windows that open.
The Rockridge library is not huge but there seems to be ample space for their
collection. There are public Internet computers, public bathrooms, plenty of chairs to sit in,
and (to me) an inviting ambiance to look for books, sit down and read, study
and hang out with your kids.
Each time I go here I wonder why I don’t go more often. It is far from our home but very close to Kaiser Oakland where I go to frequently.
Next time I’m in the area I will definitely make use of my OPL card.

This little neighborhood library sits on the bustling street of College Avenue. It’s obviously been there a long time, and watched the area grow up around it.
I really enjoy wandering in here on weekday afternoons, just before the school kids head in and take over the space.
They have the friendliest librarians and an excellent selection of books. They even have e-​books for Kindle and other e-​readers that you can reserve online.
They also have a computer room toward the back that is meant for teens, but which is a great quiet space to look up information if you like your privacy.
Whenever I cannot find the book that I need in Contra Costa or in San Francisco, I head to Oakland. Since I lead a monthly ladies book club, you can imagine that I read a lot of books!
The hours have been cut due to the budget, so you will find a crowd lining up just before 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon waiting for the librarians to open the doors so they can bum rush the books. It reminds me of Black Friday, but without the massive crush of people.
*Tip: If you’re in a crunch and need a computer, you can call ahead of time and reserve a space over the phone. Many a time that’s saved me when I have to urgently get online and have no where else to go.

I love libraries and want to support them — they are a great place for kids to study and read. And adults. But, apparently not on Sundays and not too late on weekdays, so that pretty much rules out anyone going there after work or after school or on the weekend, leaving this library as the domain of parents with small pre-​school children and the elderly. Seems mighty unfair to limit library usage to folks who are around during the regular business day — and closed on Sundays? Outrageous.

With the advancement of digital devices and high-​speed lines, books, films and documents seem to neatly fill in your iPAD space. However, if you have to go into a library in Oakland, this branch is the site you can safely venture in without feeling like you need to GTFO (ie, no urine smells, no homeless, no bank robbers, etc.). Good corner location and next to a public parking lot.

I like this library. It’s small but really great… and it doesn’t smell like urine like the main one in downtown. This one has the better DVD collection than most others I have seen. Heard that they got them from a video store that closed. They have criterion films (from wiki: «a video-​distribution company selling „important classic and contemporary films“ to cinema aficionados») and random obscure and foreign films. Don’t worry, the popular ones are there too, just in case you want to watch «Forrest Gump» for the billionth time. Pretty impressive! I also got some great CD’s — Neko Case, Tegan & Sara, & The Magnetic Fields! Not to mention all the free books you could borrow.
One thing about if you’re a first time borrower is that you can only borrow 2 books the first time. They want to make sure that you don’t run off with them? Anyway, that’s the policy.
Support Oakland Libraries! Sure they have random days that close (due to budget cuts), which is why they need our help!
How to help:

The outside looks hardly like a library – but I ll take any library in any shape or form. Despite the old facilities, and confusing layout, its fun. There are old window seats to perch in, random tables to plot on, and plenty of sky high paned windows. Not to mention many books.

Nice library, especially for a local branch. Modern and comfy.
BUT… wireless was barely working when I was there. Apparently they’d just moved to a new provider and have been having difficulties. They rebooted the router and it worked for a short period of time, but then wouldn’t again. So I won’t be back with my laptop until that’s been resolved.

Love that I can find everything here from Biography of Cleopatra to Thomas The Tank Engine. Nice open area for my nephews to read and hang out in and overall the space is not sketchy, thankyouverymuch. Online services are user-​friendly and super convenient and staff is really helpful.
Ps. What’s up with the parking? Only some spots have meters?

I think people need to stop complaining about the hours here. Yes, they’re a little irregular, but this has been due to the need to maximize public access across all facilities during fiscally challenging times, and I think that the OPL is doing a good job of this. The hours are clearly posted online, and aren’t so ridiculous as to be completely unpredictable.
Anyway, the Rockridge branch may be my favorite OPL location. It isn’t huge, but is roomy, airy and comfortable, and unmetered street parking within a couple of blocks is fairly easy to find. There are a few areas to sit and read, and there’s a good selection of magazines and newspapers on hand.
The book inventory is a bit limited, but of course you can always request a book to be delivered here from anywhere across the Oakland/​SF library system.

This is one of the places I went to study before I was taking my board.
The Good:
— Newer building, so it has better insulation that most other libraries in the summer, HOWEVER it did close early one time because it was over 85 degrees and it said it had to because of some guidelines. I was pissed.
— Seems to have a pretty good selection of everything. It’s not like I actually checked anything out, but you get a general idea if you walk by it enough
— Helpful staff
The Bad:
— Terrible hours, seriously, its like it’s different every day.
— If you go here enough, you start to see some usual suspects, and some of them are cranky old men that shout things at the computer right next to the quiet area.

WOW. Repeat several times slowly. WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW.
I love to read, and spend lots of time at the library. When I moved to Montclair, I was surprised at how tiny the library was, but I’ve gotten used to it, and it works for me. For the next several weeks, however, Montclair library is closed for mold abatement, so I headed over to the Rockridge branch last Saturday afternoon for the first time.
It’s amazing. Everything a library should be. Lots of natural light shining through enormous windows and skylights, comfy chairs and couches for folks to sit and read the newspaper, and the book selection absolutely staggers the imagination. The new non-​fiction and new non-​fiction books each have their own section, rather than being all stacked together. Lots of cookbooks. Bios for days. I could ramble on, but I need to get back to my reading.
Oh, and let’s not forget to mention the DVD and CD collections. I think the Montclair library has about 200 DVD’s, mostly titles of Sesame Street, Brideshead Revisited, old movies and some art documentaries filmed in Italy in the 70’s.
Rockridge library, I love you.
Montclair library, I think our relationship is over. I’m sorry, but you no longer fulfill me the way you used to.

This library is closed on Sundays. But in front of the entrance are boxes full of used books; donated by the other people for the library to handle in its custody. Although it’s an unlawful action to intrude any property that doesn’t belong to me, I did find some good books including:
–two of Dan Brown’s book: Da Vinci Code and Deception Point
and other great books from Ken Follet, Steven Frey and Sandra Brown.
My Timbuk-​2 Messenger bag can only hold so many books. I’m overly anxious to read Brown’s Da Vinci Code novel.
If you’re poor and can’t afford a second-​hand book, come to this library on Sundays and find a free book. The books left here are quality reading. Or if you don’t want to be like me, go to your nearest library and check out a book!

Did you know that there’s story-​time every week, usually presented by Nationally-​reknown, story-​teller extraordinaire, Gay Ducey?!! Toddlers and pre-​schoolers, along with their parent (s) or nannies are enthralled by the weekly story times. Check to see when story time is, as sometimes there are evening presentations. The programs are very well attended (sometimes 80 + people gathered around her), but it’s a special treat for all ages!
All Oakland public libraries offer story time for toddlers and preschoolers; but the Rockridge branch story time is one of the best!

This branch of the OPL system is amazing for their selection of DVDs and CDs. I am constantly floored when I browse their crazy-​full shelves of audio and video offerings. Added bonus of great paperback racks with everything from Harlequin Romance Novels to Jack Kerouac — so you can rub one out or get «on the road.»
I highly encourage anyone with surplus CDs and DVDs to donate them to their public library system.
I am loving you, Rockridge Branch — keep up the great work!

My, this DVD collection is better than I’d expected.
=stares at Blockbuster-​by-​mail envelope which has been on her desk under a pile of papers for 4 – 6 months=
Something about the nice librarians, studious youngsters, three block walking distance from my house and all that local charm.
=glances now at «the Book that Changed my life,» also retrieved from the Rockrdige branch, a pathetic first step in a half-​assed resolution to read more=