M.L.K. Branch's Interesting History . . .
Originally appeared in the 01/96 issue of "Off the Shelf"
The Martin Luther King, Jr. branch library at 6833 East 14th Street was bouncing with children when I walked into it around 5:00 p.m. on a rainy weekday looking for background on the branch for this story. Branch Librarian Gary Lambrev, gracious as always, took time from overseeing the rambunctious after-school horde to talk to me and share some of the unique history behind this branch. (Thanks as well to Bill Sturm's Oakland History Room).
That the Martin Luther King, Jr. branch exists at all is due to the diligence of a coalition of neighborhood activists, including the Baymont Community Council and Lockwood Improvement Association, who fought for years to replace the tiny Lockwood branch, which, according to the Oakland Tribune, "was too small when it opened in 1929" at 73rd and East 14th. It took years of lobbying the school district and parks department which owned the land the group wanted for the new branch. Finally, with the help of a federal construction grant, private donations solicited by the Library Commission, and $25,000 from the school district, the city had enough money to build the branch at a cost of $152,500. The branch was opened and dedicated in 1970. To help build the branch's collections, a subscription to a rotating selection of best-sellers was donated by the Friends of the Oakland Public Library.
The neighborhood committee also suggested naming the branch in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which in part reflects the neighborhood's gradual shift from a Portuguese-American to a predominantly African-American community. The communities share a fondness for their neighborhood library. Gary Lambrev says that when he first arrived in 1987 he found Portuguese language card catalogs from the old Lockwood branch.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. branch can accommodate 17,000 volumes but that doesn't tell nearly the whole story. It has an active PASS! homework program. It's a community center, which recently hosted a well-attended forum on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., Since February 1995 it's also had a Friends of the Library group, working in association with F.O.P.L. One of the group's leaders, Bob Craig, was recently honored by the Library for volunteer service above and beyond the call of duty.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. branch has had to face several challenges in recent years. In 1993 proposed budget cuts would have closed it. Fierce neighborhood opposition helped keep it open. In 1994 and 1995 the branch suffered several after-hours thefts that spurred creation of the Friends of MLK, Jr. Library. Through it all the branch has helped the community have a place where stories are told, homework is done, and children and adults have a place to come together. Dr. King would be proud.
-- Terry Preston