About Us
We offer access to over 23,000 books and 575 audio books.
We have a wonderful children's room that features picture books, juvenile fiction, juvenile non-fiction, children's audio books, magazines, and a small collection of video tapes.
The library has a blossoming young adult section. This section has YA fiction, non-fiction, biographies, and magazines.
Oakland Public Library also boasts adult fiction, non-fiction, mystery, science fiction, western, and biography sections, as well as an impressive large-print collection. In addition, you can find an area dedicated entirely to Maine books. Thanks to the Bill Gates Foundation and the MSLN (Maine School and Library Network), the library has six computers available to the public, offering Internet and word processing capabilities. Anyone visiting the library, resident and non-resident alike, can use this service.
Mission Statement
The Oakland Public Library strives to meet the educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the entire community in a welcoming and respectful atmosphere.
History
Construction of the Oakland Public Library was started in 1913 and completed in 1915. It was funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, on land donated by Alice Benjamin. The original building was built to house 4,000 volumes; and by 1996 the building had over 16,000 books. Additionally, the original building had no handicap accessibility and lacked adequate space and parking area. Therefore, to address these issues, planning for a Library Renovation/ Expansion Project was begun in 1996. An ambitious fund-raising campaign was also started, and by the time construction began in 2002, a total of over $400,000 had been raised. With the town agreeing to pay for the rest, a restoration and expansion project was completed in the spring of 2003, for a total cost of $1,055,000. This has doubled the size of the library, providing much needed handicap accessibility and additional parking.The library currently houses over 23,000 books.