OHC Friends Newsletter #4
Summer 2026 June - July 2026
2nd Annual Local News Dioramas Exhibit and Contest
There's still time to make your diorama for this year's exhibit! Submissions will be accepted from June 13 to July 5. See all the details here.
Coming soon: July 17 - October 3
All the News That's Fit to Build: Local News Dioramas
Admire an amazing array of dioramas created by the Oakland Public Library community.
All of the dioramas are based on newspaper articles about local events. Subjects range from serious to silly to personal. Stop by the desk at the Oakland History Center before you start so you can play a scavenger hunt while you admire the miniature details. Vote for your favorite in the People's Choice Award!
Oakland Public Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612, 2nd floor.
More information here.
Book Launch: Behind the Desk at the Main: A Librarian's Memoir by Dorothy Lazard
We're proud to present the book launch for Dorothy Lazard's Behind the Desk at the Main: A Librarian's Memoir at 6:00pm onWednesday, August 19 in the Bradley C. Walters Community Room.
Come hear Dorothy's perspective on library work, informed in large part by her decade of service as Librarian in the Oakland History Center. More details here.
Oakland Public Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612, Lower Level, Bradley C Walters Community Room
View of eastern shoreline of Lake Merritt, circa 1914
Lake Merritt Photos Digitization Project Launches with support from Oakland History Friends
With the support of the Oakland History Center Friends, the Oakland History Center is preparing to digitize a large collection of photographs of Lake Merritt. Soon you'll be able to browse images of Oakland's most beloved body of water.
Oakland History Center Friends Launches a Website
After months of planning, the Oakland History Center Friends (OHCF) has a launched a website https://oaklandhistoryfriends.org/ where you can learn the various ways we support the Oakland History Center, such as funding digitization projects, helping with program facilitation.
The site also features our newsletter, links to local organizations working to preserve Oakland and East Bay history, and a contact form to use to ask questions or share information with us.
Consider becoming a member of the OHC Friends. You can make a donation from any page on the site.
Exhibit on the Main Oakland Library's 75 years closes July 7
On View until July 7, 2026
The Oakland History Center is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Main Library building with an exhibit of photographs and more.
Learn about the old Main Libraries, and how we got a new one in 1951 through this exhibit featuring photographs, ephemera, pamphlets, bookmarks, work station layouts, and remodels.
See how the building and library services have changed through the years. Challenge your Oakland trivia skills by guessing if other well-known Oakland places and services are older or newer than the Main Library. Explore Oakland in the 1950s, when the building was still new.
Start in the 2nd floor hallway of the Oakland Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612. Continue in the Oakland History Center (2nd floor).
Let Oakland History Center help you with your research interests!
Summer is busy in the Oakland History Center, but librarians will always make time to help you with your research. Drop by or make an appointment to visit soon!
Catch Oakland History Center programming you missed!
Online: Watch recordings of past Oakland History Center events here. A recording of the Dunsmuir House: Past Present and Future program from April 29 is coming soon.
Questions? Comments?
Contact oaklandhistorycenterfriends@gmail.com
This is a manual send newsletter, to join reach out to us by email.
Friends of the Oakland History Center
The Oakland History Center Friends meet at 6 pm on the second Wednesday of odd-numbered months in the Oakland History Center (Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street, 2nd floor). Donations to the Oakland History Center Friends help fund a variety of projects in the Oakland History Center. Our next meeting will be May 13. Please join us.
To join the Oakland History Center Friends, reach out to us by email.
Do you follow The Oakland History Center on Instagram?
We post small updates and interesting things from our collection on our Instagram account. Please follow us at @Oakland History Center.