On September 1, 2026, we asked California residents to help us reach a lofty goal of 2,500 library card sign-ups by the end of the month. Why? Because we are committed to sharing the love of reading and the joy of libraries not just during the popular Summer Reading program, but all year round. Every September during National Library Card Sign-Up Month we take the opportunity to illustrate the benefits of your Oakland Public Library card in your daily life.
Free access to thousands of books is already a huge benefit for a lot of library patrons, but did you know our library also carries CDs, DVDs, and video games? And for those who prefer the convienece of e-books over physical media, your library card makes it easy to read or listen to books from anywhere when you use Hoopla and Libby apps. Still, for others, it's the physical space of the library itself, the right to exist safely and without the pre-requisite of buying anything, that drives them to pick up a library card.
We didn't want to just tell you ourselves, so we asked the community to share online their favorite ways to use their library card. Mayor Barbara Lee encouraged every Oaklander to pick up a library card, stating free "one-of-akind- resources like the Tool Lending Library" and free homework help are great reasons. Councilmember Janani Ramachandran posted an Instagram reel about the Advisors Give back programs at OPL where library patrons can get free financial advising. A community member, by the name of Craig Hilliard on Instagram, posted that he was first in line to the Martin Luther King Jr. Branch bike clinic where OPL staff member RB talks about how the bike program takes donations to repair and eventually get those bikes into the hands of Oakland youth, teaching them how to maintain the bikes once its theirs.
All of this love and so much more can be experienced across our social media platforms from library enthusiast and invested community members across Oakland and the Bay Area. Thanks to this community effort, by September 30, 2026, we managed to accumulate 3,630 new library accounts for the month, exceeding our initial goal!
This goes to show that you can accomplish more than you think when you're working together as a community. Next time you take a trip to the library, post your book haul, tell us where the State Parks Pass is taking you, or just talk to library staff. Your story makes a difference, and might just bring about a new adventure for someone else.
Add a comment to: We did it! Sign-Up Goal Met