Attention - Beginning December 1st, Oakland Public Library will no longer mail hold pickup/cancellation notices. In order to receive information about your holds, please make sure we have your current email or phone number. This change is more environmentally friendly and will reduce mailing costs. Thank you for your cooperation.
Citizenship and Immigration
The resources you will need to apply for citizenship are all available online on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. The San Francisco Public Library also hosts a website with useful information which is described at the end of this section.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Website
You can also find Citizenship and Immigration Forms at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website at the URL listed above. When you land on the page, click on forms. This will take you to a listing of all of the Citizenship and Immigration forms. The forms are free so you should never pay anyone for Citizenship and Immigration forms.
If you’d like to print a form or forms, just click on the name of the form you want. You will then be given the option to download the form. Click on “Download Form”. You will now see the form on your screen. You may either print the form from the library’s computer for 15 cents a page or copy the form onto a USB flash drive. If you need to fill out the form online, you may also do this from one of the library’s internet accessible computers. If filling out a form online, please be aware that you only have one hour of computer time so you may want to periodically save the form on a flash drive to make sure you don’t loose any information.
Civics and Citizenship Toolkit
Another useful resource is the Civics and Citizenship Toolkit: A Collection of Educational Resources for Immigrants which is available at the URL listed above. Oakland Public Library also has several print copies available at the Main and Chavez branch. This toolkit contains a guide for new immigrants, flash cards to help you study for the naturalization test, a DVD highlighting events in U.S. history, the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, an overview of the naturalization process, a study booklet to help you prepare for the 100 questions on the naturalization test, and a pocket-sized version of the United States’ founding documents including the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States.
S.F. Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library hosts a comprehensive web page of citizenship materials, including English language learning support and community resources at the URL listed above. On this website you will find study materials, guides, and exams among many other useful resources. Information is available in Chinese, English, Filipino, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. An introductory video in the languages listed is included on the home page of the site.