Oak Park

The Oak Park library is another one of the smaller branches of the SDPL system, serving the Oak Park community. Similar to the Mission Hills and Balboa branches, it consists of one big room and has a section of desktop computers and tables in the center, with bookshelves surrounding on the perimeter.

The library is located only three miles south of San Diego State. Oak Park is an older area in Southeast San Diego, consisting of single-family homes and apartments/condominiums alike. It is a working class neighborhood, and one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the city. This diversity is shown in the book selection of the library, which features tests in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Cambodian, among other languages.

In 2014, the famous Democratic Georgia congressman and civil-rights leader, John Lewis, actually spoke at the Oak Park library, discussing in part how he was unable to receive a library card as a child due to the segregation prevalent in the rural Alabama. His address to the library and residents of Oak Park and other areas centered around the importance of education and of tolerance in creating a more cohesive and peaceful society. Looking at the Oak Park library and the patrons it served, it is clear that the library is meeting this lofty goal.

Photo from San Diego Free Press

Link to San Diego Free Press article on John Lewis:
http://sandiegofreepress.org/2014/03/civil-rights-icon-john-lewis-at-san-diegos-oak-park-public-library-in-this-place-the-beloved-community/

Point Loma/Hervey

Completed in the fall of 2003, the Point Loma/Hervey branch library was the first new library completed through the SDPL's $300 million library rebuilding measure. Measuring up at nearly 26,000 square feet, the library is five times the size of the previous Point Loma branch and, according the the City of San Diego, holds over 80,000 books and other materials.

As its name suggests, Point Loma is is a peninsula that borders the Pacific Ocean, San Diego Bay, and San Diego River. It's home to the Cabrillo National Monument, a national cemetery, and three military installations, in addition to residential and commercial areas. Geographically, Point Loma is an extremely large yet condensed area, and the region contains several different neighborhoods within itself.

In 2006, San Diego Magazine named the Point Loma/Hervey branch the best public library in the city. A reflection of Point Loma's proximity to the ocean, the library has a nautical theme. The lower level of the library has a faux ship hull with a mast that extends to the the upper level, and the ship serves as part of the library's children's section, which is the largest in SDPL system. The library also has a nice rotunda that serves as the entrance, and a mosaic map of Point Loma on the ground below.

With its size, the library obviously has a large collection of materials. I was interested to find a section of books on military history and life, as well other as other resources for veterans and military families.

https://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/about-the-library/projects/pointloma

City Heights/Weingart

In the short time period in which I've been visiting different library branches and experiencing the facilities and opportunities available in them, the most apparent conclusion or overarching theme I've deducted from the different branches is that the San Diego Public Library system really molds itself to fit the needs of the different communities it serves and of changes characteristic of 21st century life. No branch that I have visited thus far, however, embodies this idea more than the City Heights/Weingart branch library.

Though in past decades known as one of the most neglected communities within San Diego, in recent years the local community in City Heights, assisted with funding from various government agencies as well as private benefactors and philanthropic foundations, has unified to revamp the communities' public infrastructure and resources. This development has centered around the City Heights Urban Village, a redevelopment project complex with public parks, retail stores, restaurants, affordable housing, a police station, and the Weingart branch library.

The library is a large branch at nearly 15,000 square feet, an apt size to serve what it, according the City Heights Initiative (more information below), the most densely populated community within San Diego. According to KPBS, around the library has around 239,000 patrons annually, and it ranks fourth in the entire SDPL system for public computer usage.

My favorite part of the library is the open feel and natural light coming from the second level. The library has a second level that feels like a loft with lots of seating areas, individual study spaces, and group meeting rooms.


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For more information, check out the City Heights Initiative website:
http://cityheightsinitiative.org/