Benjamin Franklin famously helped bring the membership library to American colonies in July 1731, but a full century would pass before the first free, government-supported  public library was established. “At a town meeting in 1833, the citizens of Peterborough, New Hampshire decided that the pursuit of knowledge was a civic good so great that they were willing to pay for it in perpetuity,” according to Atlas Obscura. “They established a free public library, which would be the first in the world entirely supported by taxation.”

The City of Pleasanton was not quite so farsighted. In 1898 the electorate “voted against bond issues to pay for not only the water system but also street lighting and a public library,” according to author Ken MacLennan in Pleasanton, California: A Brief History. Happily, the Women’s Improvement Club recognized the value of libraries and successfully campaigned to replace the city’s existing reading room at Main and Division Streets with a combined Town Hall and Library on land the group donated to the city. The new building opened in January 1915; it replaced the reading room that existed earlier.

Community Centers

“As a constellation of libraries rapidly spread across the US at the turn of the twentieth century, a corps of passionate, trained librarians stepped up to staff them,” according to A History of US Public Libraries, an exhibit created by Hillary Brady and Franky Abbott for the Digital Public Library of America. Many of those librarians were women “compelled to move to rural southern and remote western destinations in order to put their educations to work.”

The challenges were many, and the work was hard. Early librarians were innovators. In response to the challenges, they sent educational material to workplaces, created traveling libraries to reach rural dwellers, and delivered books on horseback. As a result, “successful librarians transformed their libraries into cultural centers at the heart of their towns.”

Over the years, our society has changed dramatically, and public libraries have changed as well. Librarians from the early twentieth century would not recognize everything inside a modern public library. However, they would appreciate how libraries continue to act as important community centers and respond to local needs by offering public access to more than books. The patrons of the East Bay’s Alameda Free Library, for example, can check out handheld gardening equipment from a Tool Lending Library. The library also loans out backpacks for outdoor enthusiasts. “Each pack contains a pair of binoculars, a First Aid kit, 5 pocket-sized field guides, and a packet of information from our parks partners that includes park information, trail maps/guides, Junior Ranger type activities, and more,” according to library officials. Among other things, the library also offers three-week loans of GoPro camera kits, puzzles, and board games. It also maintains a seed library.

At Your Service

The Pleasanton Public Library has moved several times in its history. Now located at 400 Old Bernal Avenue, its collection and programs have changed greatly since 1915. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Paws to Read, for example, which originated at the Pleasanton Public Library thanks to a partnership with the Valley Humane Society. The program lets children in first through fifth grades read out loud for 25 minutes to an understanding audience: a dog from a certified Canine Comfort team. The autumn schedule begins in October and runs for six weeks; a child can participate in up to three sessions. Parents must register their children for the free program by visiting the Children’s Desk in person or calling (925) 931-3400 ext. 3. The history of Paws to Read suggests that shy or reluctant readers sometimes warm up to books after participating.

A local library card unlocks many useful, free online services. Brainfuse HelpNow provides homework help for students with live, online tutors in math, science, reading and writing, social studies, and standardized tests. The service also offers skills tests, a writing lab, and Spanish-speaking support. HelpNow’s Adult Learning Center gives users access to live, professional assistance in writing resumes and cover letters, U.S. citizenship preparation, and more. The library also offers free access to computers, printers, and scanners.

Brainfuse JobNow/VetNow is an online suite of services for job seekers and veterans that offers live interview coaching and other career tools. Veterans who would like in-person help can turn to the Veterans Resource Center at the library's information desk or the Veterans Resource Center resource page on its website. The Veterans Resource Center was developed as part of California’s Veterans Connect @ the Library initiative. “California has a very high veteran population, and almost half of veterans who have service-earned benefits have never taken those benefits,” says Julie Eseltine, who has worked in Pleasanton as a librarian for 10 years.

Over the summer, the City of Pleasanton and East Bay Community Energy created a new program at the library that lets residents borrow a single-burner induction cooktop along with a pot, a pan, and an instruction booklet. That gives borrowers a free way to explore this high-efficiency, emissions-free cooking technology for three weeks. Other items that can be reserved through the library’s online system or in person and borrowed include internet-enabled laptop computers and portable WiFi hotspots. In March 2021, the computers and hotspots were added to the collection in response to the pandemic.

“Earlier in the Covid pandemic, when we had reopened and the laptops were newly available, one borrower was applying for housing,” notes Eseltine. “She had a lot of forms to fill out, and a lot of them were online. She said she wouldn't have been able to stay in her home without the use of the computer.”

Several other programs are worth highlighting, according to Eseltine. They include an online book club and an online film club. Once held in person, these groups can now accommodate patrons who prefer to participate from the comfort of their homes or elsewhere.

In another partnership, the Pleasanton library hosts free Fixit Clinics run by community workspace Robot Garden, which is based in Livermore. Tri-Valley residents are encouraged to bring broken items to a Fixit Clinic rather than tossing them into a landfill. Fixit Coaches work with attendees to diagnose and repair the items, such as a broken ceramic, small appliance, cell phone, laptop, or other electronics. Fixit Clinics will be held between 10 am and 1 pm on the following Saturdays: October 8, November 12, and December 10.

“Libraries continue to offer services, programs, and resources that, whatever their current form, are still critical to everyday life,” says Eseltine. “Books may not always be in print form, they might be digital, but they're still meeting a critical need for users. We lend out DVD films but we also have a streaming film service. So we still are offering ways for people to explore new ideas and learn new things and get exposed to new content and be inspired, hopefully, by what they see and hear and read.”

For more information about the Alameda Free Library, please visit www.alamedafree.org/Home.

For more information about the Pleasanton Public Library, please visit www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/lib/default.asp.