The First 75 Years of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library

By Winifred Walters

The Friends of the Oakland Public Library was organized in 1950 to support the Oakland Public Library and its programs. As its first project, the Friends helped establish the California Room (later the Oakland History Center) in the new Main Library at 125 14^th Street and acquire first editions of Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.

The Friends engaged residents who wished to support the library through a variety of programs featuring authors and historians on varied topics. Programs mentioned in the Oakland Tribune during this period featured Elinor Richey (Victorian architecture in the East Bay), Ted Wurm (Borax Smith), and Edward Wong (role of Chinese immigrants in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad).

In the 1960s and 1970s, the organization held book sales raising funds for the purchase of materials, a Bookmobile, and other library needs. By the late 1970s, the Friends had become inactive. At this time, the Oakland Public Library Association, formed in 1978, emerged and fulfilled many of the Friends’ functions. In 1989 the two organizations merged under the name The Friends of the Oakland Public Library.

The 1990s: A Decade of Advocacy and Expansion with The Bookmark 

The revitalized Friends organization was ready to face the challenges of the 1990s. In an era of budget deficits and threatened library closures, the Friends advocated and raised funds in support of the library.

The Friends’ focus on advocacy played a crucial role in the preservation of library services in Oakland. The Library Service Retention and Enhancement Act was passed in 1994, raising $4 million annually to support longer hours for the Main Library and branches, Children’s librarians in all branches, and a minimum general fund level for library services.

The Friends established a permanent used bookstore to replace ad hoc used book sales held in various locations around Oakland. The Bookmark Bookstore opened in Old Oakland at 815 Washington Street in November 1992. An active and loyal group of volunteers assured its success from the beginning. In April 1995, The Bookmark moved one block to a larger space in the historic Dunn’s Building at 721 Washington Street. Selling donated books provided a steady source of income.

The Bookmark served as the base for the Friends’ membership program. Book lovers were encouraged to become members of the Friends, with most members paying $15 to $25 in annual dues. The board established a new dues structure in 1999 to recognize more significant donations, from the $50 Book Friend level up to Book Angel ($1,000).

During these years, the Friends provided annual grants to OPL for programs and projects to enhance library services for all. Annual grants grew from $31,000 in 1995 to $55,000 in 2000.

In 2000, the Friends celebrated 50 years with a year-long celebration featuring author programs and a special event to celebrate the important role of community support for libraries.

2000-2025: The Next Chapter of Growth and Adaptation

A key strength of the Friends is its focus on its mission: “To advance the role of the Oakland Public Library as a vital community resource and as an institution critical to the culture, education and welfare of our diverse community.”

The leadership – an all-volunteer board of directors – continues to raise funds for OPL and to partner with community organizations to advocate for a strong and fully-funded library system serving all of Oakland. The organization’s primary fundraising activities consist of operating the Bookmark Bookstore and facilitating monetary donations through memberships, tribute gifts, bequests, and employer matching gifts.

Fundraising highlights:

Membership has grown from about 500 in 2000 to 1,300 today. New members join at the Bookmark Bookstore when asked by an enthusiastic volunteer. Many members give every year and contribute to a strong renewal rate of 50-75%. There was just one Book Angel in 2000. Today there are over 35 members giving at the $1,000 and above level.

The Bookmark Bookstore was established before the internet! Today a substantial portion of sales are from online listings. The move in 2024 to a beautiful and prominent space at 933 Broadway has attracted more shoppers and new volunteers.

Membership, donations, and proceeds from the Bookmark fund the Friends’ annual grants to OPL, totaling $250,000 or more each year.

The Friends helped raise funds for the construction of Oakland’s newest library, the 81^st Avenue Branch, which opened in 2011.

Advocacy highlights:

The vast majority of the library’s budget is from local government, specifically Oakland’s general fund and proceeds from library parcel tax measures. The Friends’ leadership partners with other groups to advocate for a strong, vibrant, and well-funded library system.

Working with OPL Advocates, an informal coalition, the Friends of OPL helps to maximize resources and amplify messages in support of Oakland Public Library. The OPL Advocates coalition includes: the City of Oakland Library Commission, the Friends of the Oakland Public Library, Branch Friends groups across the city, OPL’s Youth Leadership Council and Teen Advisory Boards, the grassroots group Save Oakland Library, OPL staff, and patron advocates. These groups worked to pass parcel taxes in 2018 and 2022, securing funding for Oakland’s libraries for years to come.

Since 2013, the Friends has co-sponsored, with the Library Commission, an annual social event, the OPL Advocates Mixer. The 2025 event was held at the Main Library on April 6^th and attended by over 100 library advocates, volunteers and friends.

The Friends of OPL created the Branch Friends Network as an ongoing forum for branch library volunteer groups to gather, share ideas, and work together in support of their branches and the Oakland Public Library as a whole.

The Pandemic - Survival

An active board and dedicated volunteers steered the organization through the COVID-19 lock-downs in 2020 to 2021. The Bookmark Bookstore was closed for 3 months and then only partially open for many months more, but the board secured grants to help the Bookmark survive this period of drastically reduced sales.

The Friends joined Bookshop.org (https://bookshop.org/shop/theBookmarkBookstore), an alternative option for book-lovers purchasing new books, and a continuing source of revenue for the Bookmark.

Celebrating 75 years!

The accomplishments of the Friends over the past 75 years were made possible by the dedication of literally hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers and donors. Thank you to all for participating in the important work of preserving and enhancing library services in our community. Here’s to the next 75 years!

Sources: (1) “The Friends’ Tale: Fifty Years of Love and Support” and “Warriors for the Cause” from the Friends of OPL’s Off the Shelf newsletter, Volume 8, Issue 7 (August 2000), available at OPL, Oakland History Center, call number 027.47946 Friends. (2) Newspaper Archive available through the Oakland Public Library