Borrow FAQs

  • General Questions

    In the upper right of any page on our site, you’ll see “Search the Catalog” and a search box. On a smaller screen or smart phone there will be a magnifying glass icon instead of a search box. The new website uses a "smart search." You can simply type in what you’re looking for, i.e. "new audio books by John Stanford" and press search. You can utilize filters on the next page to refine your search. These will be on the left hand side of your screen.

    The login button does look different on the new site. Rather than “My Account,” the button is labeled “Log In / My OPL”. It still appears in the upper right corner of every page. You will need to  create a BiblioCommons account  to perform catalog functions on the new site—it’s quick, easy, and private, and BiblioCommons does not share your personal information.

    You create a PIN when you apply for a library card. Your PIN is a four-digit number.
     
    If you do not have a PIN, call or visit any Oakland Public Library location. 
     
    You can reset your PIN by logging into your BiblioCommons account and looking under My Settings.

    Your checkout history is not kept on your personal account. If an item is overdue, a record of the title will remain on your account. OPL staff will not release check-out history unless presented with a warrant or subpoena by law enforcement.
     
    OPL protects library user account information by placing it on a secure server. OPL keeps very limited records of your borrowing activities. Returned items stay on the item’s record for the rare occasions that we may need to contact you about the item.
     
    As a patron, you may choose to enable the “Borrowing History” option on your account. By selecting this option, you choose to give explicit consent to storing your check-out history from the opt-in date. Library staff DO NOT have access to the Borrowing History. You can opt out of this service and delete your Borrowing History at any time.

    Unfortunately, because borrowing history is accessed in real-time from the ILS, BiblioCommons's ability to add this search functionality is limited. They recommend patrons move titles from their Borrowing History to their Completed Shelf in batches (can be done page-by-page by selecting all). Patrons can then sort and search for titles within their Completed Shelf. We acknowledge that this can be a time-consuming process, but worth it!

    All library cards expire every 3 years. You can renew your card online, emailing eanswers@oaklandlibrary.org, opens a new window, calling (510) 238-3134, or visiting any Oakland Public Library location, opens a new window.

    If you got your library card online, it will expire in 30 days. To receive full borrowing privileges and update your card, please visit any Oakland Public Library location, opens a new window or contact us, opens a new window.

    For children ages 0-7:
     
    The parents or legal guardians listed on the account can access and update the account. They also have access to the child's information.
     
    For more information, read our circulation policy.
     
    For children ages 8 and up:
     
    We cannot tell you what your child has checked out without your child there, unless a fee is due.

    Navigate to My Library Dashboard from the drop-down menu under your username, and then click Checked Out. Once you are on your Checked Out page, use the checkboxes to select the desired titles and then click Renew.

    RFID stands for radio-frequency identification. OPL puts RFID tags on materials so they can be read by checkout machines. It's how we check out your books!
     
    The only pieces of information stored on the RFID tag are:
    • the item barcode
    • a security bit that indicates if the item is in or out of the library.

    Our library cards do not use RFID technology or smart chips. We do not plan to use RFID for library cards.

    There is a maximum of 75 items that can be checked out at the same time and a maximum of 15 holds.

    Video games and toys are limited to two checkouts at a time. Wi-fi hotspots are limited to one at a time.

    No more than ten tools at a time can be checked out from the Tool Lending Library. 

    You can keep most library items for three (3) weeks. You can only keep tools and test prep books for one (1) week.