Donate to the Friends of the OPL on Library Giving Day April 6
Celebrate the Freedom to Read During National Library Week April 3 - 9
OAKLAND, CALIF. – April 3, 2022 – The Friends of the Oakland Public Library is raising funds through, Library Giving Day, a one-day online fundraising event on April 6, 2022, and requests patrons and library lovers to make a gift to the Friends, which has provided grants to support our diverse Oakland library communities for 70+ years.
The day of giving is the heart of National Library Week, April 3-9, a time to celebrate the Oakland Public Library (OPL) as a vital community resource and as an institution critical to the culture, education, and welfare of our community.
Library Giving Day on April 6, 2022 is the day to show support by making a donation.
Your donation helps us provide direct financial support to the many ways the Library connects with you and your community.
"The library is the heart of our diverse and vibrant Oakland community,” said Kathryn Sterbenc, president of the Friends of the OPL. “Our library enriches all of our lives with fascinating programs such as Black Culture Fest; it gives voices to our teens in the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate program and provides safe places for kids to hang out. Today I call on all patrons and library lovers to make a gift in support of our library to promote lifelong learning and the wellbeing of our community.”
The Friends of the OPL encourages all community members to visit the OPL in person or online to explore and access services and programs. The OPL has been in existence since 1878 and offers a wide array of programs, classes and resources that are available in person or from the comfort of home such as:
Kids programs including the Summer Reading program
Lawyers in the Library via phone
A variety of programs are supported when you give to the Friends of the OPL.
Celebrate National Library Week April 3-9
April 3-9, 2022 is National Library Week, a time to highlight the essential role that libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The theme for this year’s National Library Week is “Connect with Your Library,” which promotes the idea that libraries are places to get connected to technology by using broadband, computers and other resources. Libraries offer opportunities to connect with media, programs, ideas and classes, in addition to the freedom to read. Most importantly, libraries also connect communities to each other.
Libraries continue to go above and beyond by expanding resources and embracing inclusion in their programming, resources and collections. Please see the OPL's 2020-21 Annual Report for its impact.
How to Show Your Support of Libraries
Please show your appreciation and support for libraries by visiting the OPL in person or online, follow @oaklibrary on Twitter and Facebook, and using the hashtag #NationalLibraryWeek. Donate today!
To support our library, The Friends of the OPL have joined Oakland teachers, librarians, families, and community leaders in supporting Measure C on the June 7 ballot. A YES vote on Measure C – the renewal of 2004’s Measure Q parcel tax – will protect our libraries without raising tax rates.
About the Friends of the OPL
The Friends of the OPL is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) established in 1950 that provides substantial grants to the Oakland Public Library in Oakland, Calif. Our mission is to advance the role of the Oakland Public Library as a vital community resource. With funds raised through memberships, donations, and proceeds from our Old Oakland bookstore, The Bookmark Bookstore, the Friends has supported our diverse Oakland library communities for 70+ years.
