Oakland Public Library: César E. Chávez Branch

Pretty good library, its spacious and clean especially for kids to enjoy books and playroom! The restrooms are clean which is a plus. The staff is nice and attentive. Plenty of books you can find, with a variety of topics!!! Dream place for booksworms 😹❤️ Plus they have a security at the door and inside the library which is a BIG plus for people concerned for their safety since I've witness some adolescents being out of hand at their big age which is embarrassing ☠️ no offense 😹 Come check it out!! ❤️🔥

The library is good and clean. Organize, my kid really like to go there..

This library is so community oriented and always has amazing events, a great collection and is such a safe place to go to. I regularly see different people from all ages and lifestyles. Thank you for all you do for the community!

Another rare gem in the Eastbay. Used to come hear long time ago but never discovered the outdoor aspect to the whole puzzle. A definite place to get away before going back to crazy world. Def recommend to anyone seeking a nice sunny place to chill. Pros: Location, Vibe and atmosphere.

One of the larger selections of books in the Oakland library system, and they've got a nice section for little kids to play with blocks and things. I've spent a few hours here with my 2 year-old on rainy days.

Great atmosphere, everyone is quiet and respectful, a lot of outlets for charging, separated areas for children, teens, and adults. Also a lot of Spanish reading choices available since it's in Fruitvale!

Their narcan/nalaxone supply saved a man across the street today. This library and its services quite literally saved a life.

Love the library. Small personal and clean. Very friendly. Not to mention fun selections

Returned from another jewelery making class, and it's safe to say the consistency is on point. The class size has grown to 10 and I was pleasantly surprised to see a gentleman attend as well. All of the students are very supportive and creativity is definitely flowing.

I stopped in late Saturday afternoon 4/20/24. I was having trouble logging on to their website with my phone as my account there was quite new. The people staffing the front desk were very welcoming, kind, and informative. "Cathy" went above and beyond in helping me navigate their website with my cell phone, actually taking the time to direct me on specific key strokes and fields to fill in. She was SO patient! She was able to verify that my user name and PIN were correct and patiently stood by as I successfully tested my login. Later Cathy went to great lengths to try to locate a book I was looking for, even offering to try to locate it in a different library system and have it shipped to the Caesar Chavez branch. So overall, it appears to be a well-stocked library with wonderful staff. Cathy and her fellow staff members at the front desk are really nice and helpful. My only issue is that they may have dedicated too much square footage to kids' sections of tables and chairs. Chairs in the kids' areas are too tiny for adults to sit on.

I love this library & awesome it is named after Cesar Chavez. As Pubic Enemy rapped "most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps" & not sure if Chavez has a postage stamp yet he was a hero as he was a labor leader & civil rights activist who did lots of great work for farmer's rights along with his non-violent pacifist lifestyle. Chavez was also vegan for animal rights & health! I wanted Bernie Sanders to win yet would be hella cool to have Clinton become the first female president & props to her for giving a shout out to Chavez's widow Helen who died recently! The library has a few interesting photographs of Cesar Chavez & I especially love the images of the Black Panther Party from Oakland as you walk in as Tupac Shakur's parents were Black Panthers & he was Straight Outta Oakland. The library itself is on the second floor & is great for picking up items from other Oakland branches or the California Plus interlibrary loan. You can also print free museum passes with the Discover & Go package by having a library card which is an added bonus for Bay Area cultural excursions. There is a nice outdoor courtyard to soak up the sun on a nice CA day too. There are some books available for purchase as you enter the library with proceeds benefitting the library. The library reflects Fruitvale's demographic as it features a lot of Spanish titles to serve the large Latino population that lives here. I was delighted to pick up the classic Tenth Anniversary edition of the vegan zine: "Hot Dam & Hell Yeah- Recipes for Hungry Banditos w/ Vegan Tex-Mex & Southern Eats" by Ryan Splint here that I got turned on to when I lived in PDX aka Portland, OR in the day. Great selection of magazines & graphic novels as well for all you fan boys are here too ;) The library is conveniently located a short walk to the Fruitvale BART, Tues & Thurs Farmer's Market & probably the best vegan brunch in the East Bay at Two Mamma's Vegan.

Very unique and community oriented library. Friendly staff and nicely decorated. Highly recommended.

Lovely library. They have a two separate areas one for children and one for adults. This is very considerate and awesome. They have creative decorations and very kids community oriented. Very clean. Free Yoga classes occasionally for parents and their kids to bond. The second day here I went to their Yoga class with my kiddo and we loooooooooooooooooove it.

I don't like this library always troubles or fights going on everyday and also I couldn't even get a book because the security guard there was following me in every book shelf. Kept starring at me in a mean way and also was very rude towards me and my partner. We were working in applications and since I can't read because I need glasses I had to get really close to the phone of his and the security guard approached towards us very mean and rudely. After started following us towards book shelf's when we were trying to look for a book to check out. Horrible service.

I like coming here because there is ample parking and the librarians are really nice and helpful. They always apologize profusely when the book I'm looking for has been stolen or destroyed, and when they order me a new copy they apologize again when they tell me it will take at least a year to get it. There is a strange old man who hangs out there and reads aloud to me from the newspaper. Delightful! He also keeps me forever entertained with stories of his experiences with Werner Erhard's EST. I like the fact that this library is rather roomy and the isles aren't cramped. Just don't inhale in Fiction G-N because someone peed on the carpet there not too long ago and it still smells. (An EST-related incident? Hmmmm.... )

We look forward to our visits to this branch every week! The staff are so friendly, and the diversity of children's books is really what I'm looking for. The location is accessible with BART parking as well, especially during these past few months. Thank you!

this library has been in the fruitvale barrio since the chicano movement days in the early 70s it used to be called the latin american library but changed names in 1989 it,s now called the cesar chavez library i have so many childhood memorys at this library the adress on yelp is not correct this library moved in 2004 to the fruitvale village heres the new address 3301 E 12th Street, Suite 271 Oakland, CA 94601

I came here for a presentation on Education Today hosted by my instructor. My classmates and I arrived here around 6 in the evening, so the streets were really busy during that time... I didn't find the library pleasant at all...when we got to the floor we needed to go on, I found it to be quite messy. There were paper scraps all over the floor, books scattered all through the library, and on top of that, the bathroom was disgusting...none of the stalls in the women's restroom had toilet paper...none of them...the toilet covers were running low too, so I told the person working at the desk that the bathroom needed a lot of attention...she said she would get on it.. When we finished the presentation, we used the bathroom again, and that shit was still the same...uhhh...I was alreeady not feeling well that evening...that nasty bathroom totally did it for me...

Beautiful, expansive, modern, colorful library. They have the latest Dvds, Cds, books, magazines its a wonder for me. I can stay up with the latest in Pop Culture without breaking the bank or taking it home. The staff can be fun and playful always informed. These people actually ask if you require assistance or have a question. WINNING!!!!

Their staff members are always very friendly here, and are more than willing to assist patrons with reading materials and electronic resources. They carry plenty of books for readers of all ages, but have 2 of their larger areas dedicated to younger children and teenagers. In addition to books in print, this branch has quite a few toys and board games available for smaller children and a small collection of video games for the older kids. I love just about everything this branch has to offer, but am very glad that they conduct a large variety of classes, services, and events, all of which are free to the public.

Warm, friendly, calm, and comfortable--and the book selection isn't half bad for a space this small.

Cesar Chavez is the unofficial community center of Fruitvale. The breadth of programs they have is amazing. Sure they have the story time and typical library programs, but they also have summer free lunch for youth, magic shows, meditation groups, a seed library, community board, legal help, and so much more.

Truly the best of the Oakland branch libraries. They have a really substantial collection, at least half of which is children's books. Big, beautiful, light-filled, with a variety of spaces for quiet work or for activities.