The Oakley Library currently has a month-to-month lease for 3,000 square feet of space inside the Freedom High School Library on Neroly Road. The library space has no community meeting rooms, the shelf space is limited and there are no quiet study or workspaces separating it from the High School side of the library. The Oakley Library needs to have a permanent space, with enough square footage to accommodate the needs of Oakley residents. Oakley residents need and deserve a Library Community Center with a suitable collection of resources, the latest technology, ample community space, sufficient parking, and appropriate visibility. Our goal is to keep the public informed on the latest developments for the City to have its very first standalone Library.

Data shows that libraries are good for the community. Both literacy rates and property values increase in communities with a thriving public library. The Oakley library is currently open 40 hours per week. Those hours won't increase in the existing space, as there is nowhere for additional staff to work. A new Oakley Library has been in the works for some time but has continued to hit hurdles along the way.

In 1999 the Oakley Library moved to Freedom High School with the expectation that the move would be temporary. In 2015 The New Oakley Library and Community Learning Center Committee presented a new measure to create a new Library and Learning Center in downtown Oakley. Unfortunately Ballot Measure K was shy of getting the required votes needed for a new Library and Community Learning Center in downtown Oakley. Recently the City of Oakley has been looking to convert the sheriff's substation at East Ruby Street into a library for Oakley. On April 26, 2022 Oakley City Council passed a motion to enter an agreement with Contra Costa County to share the cost of demolishing the sheriff's substation. Under the agreement, Oakley and the county would split the estimated $400,000 demolition costs. The city would then have 36 months to secure funding to pay for capital costs and some operational costs for a new library. If successful, the county, which approved the demolition last fall, would then deed the property to the city.[1]

The latest:
At the January 24, 2023 City Council meeting the consulting firm hired to do an analysis for the construction of a new library will present its findings to the City Council and the Public. This is a pivotal time for the public to get informed, weigh in, and express their support for a standalone Oakley Library.

1.Article from The Press: Public can weigh in on new Oakley Library (Page 13)