Latin American Library

What is their story?

The Latin American Library was founded in September 1966 as one of sixteen branch libraries of the Oakland Public Library system. It had the distinction of being the first all-Spanish library in the Southwest and was one of the first public libraries in the United States to offer services and materials in Spanish.

First known as the Fruitvale Branch, it was located at 1457 Fruitvale Avenue near E.14th Street. In the late 1960’s, at the height of grassroots movements for self-determination, the Latin American Library became a place for cultural empowerment to the Spanish speaking community in Fruitvale and a catalyst for the burgeoning Chicano Movement of the 1970’s.

In the fall of 1970, the Latin American Library unveiled a set of murals painted on the four walls of the library by local Chicano artists. This was an example of how the Library integrated culture and community artists into its infrastructure. In that same spirit, the Latin American Library opened up its doors to community artists, Malaquías Montoya and Manuel Hernandez to establish a screen-print workshop - a taller - at the library. This taller was Malaquías’ first screen-print workshop in the Fruitvale which placed art-making at the center of the community.

The Library location changed several times before moving in 2004 to its permanent location at the Fruitvale Transit Village. Now known as the César E. Chávez Branch, the Library continues to be fully bilingual offering services and collections in Spanish and English. More importantly, art continues to be a pillar of the library, with murals grazing its walls.