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/