Library News Archive From July 2023

Library Happenings

EVENTSONLINE CATALOGLIBRARIESSUMMER READING

Local Author Events in August

Dorothy Lazard Author Reading + Q&A

Tarea Hall PIttman South
Saturday, August 19
2pm

Author Yael Goldstein-Love in conversation with Vanessa Hua 

North
Saturday, August 19
4pm

Robert Liu-Trujillo

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Friday, August 25
10am

National Night Out: Tuesday, August 1

North
3-5pm (National Afternoon!) 

Lawn games, crafts, popsicles, music for the whole family & a visit from the Berkeley Fire Department fire engine 3:00-3:30!

Tarea Hall Pittman South
5-7pm

Live music courtesy of the Bay Area Jazz Mobile, crafts & light refreshments

Claremont
5-7pm

All-ages crafts &

refreshing beverages

More August Highlights

In the Stax - Music Series

Tarea Hall Pittman South
1st Concert: Tuesday, August 1
4pm

Local keyboardist Marco Casasola will give the first concert in this series - amongst all our books! 

Village Rhythms Drumming 

George Florence Park
Saturday, August 5 @ 11am

Onye Onyemaechi offers a participatory experience of African drumming for all ages. 

¡Leamos autoras: club de lectura en español comienza su segundo año!

Huaco retrato by Gabriela Wiener (Perú)

Central
Thursday, August 3
4:30pm

-or-

Zoom
Friday, August 25
4:30pm

Leer Más

Puzzle Swap

North
Saturday, August 5

1:30pm

All ages.

Death Café Discussion Group 

West
Wednesday, August 16
1:30pm

Resume Workshops via Zoom

Tips from Interview Questions that can Strengthen your Resume

Tuesday, August 8
5pm

 

Mid-career Re-Entry and Transitioning
Tuesday, August 22
5pm

Research Talks: Popping the Science Bubble 

Central Library 1st floor & Via Zoom
Tuesday, August 15

5:30pm

Uranium: Skeletons from its Past, Myths of its Presents & Questions for Its Future

- Joe Brackbill, Chemistry, UC Berkeley

Turning the Tables on CO2 Fuels from Sunlight

- Rajiv Ramanujam Prabhakar, Chemical Science Division, Berkeley Lab

Cat Cafe with Berkeley Animal Care Services

North
Thursday, August 24

3-5pm

Exciting Discoveries in Art History

Central & via Zoom
Tuesday, August 22
5:30pm

This lecture explores the stories of several different important and valuable works of art that have been rediscovered in unexpected places. The program reviews a brief background of each piece, artist, and how the piece got to be lost, and then found.

Documentary Screening & Live Dance Performance with La Mezcla

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, August 26
2pm

 

La Mezcla is a polyrythmic dance group rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions and social justice. Come enjoy their award-winning documentary followed by a dance demonstration.

Get Creative at the Library!

Zine Together: Adults & Teens 

North
Saturday, August 5
11am

Knitting Group

Central, 5th floor
Tuesday, August 8
3:30pm

and
North
Wednesday, August 9
5pm

Learn to Make Mochi

via Zoom
Tuesday, August 15
6pm

Wire Jewelry Making Basics

North
Saturday, August 26

3pm

DIY Light Up Cards

West
Tuesday, August 16
6pm

Mindful Making: Bring Your Own Project & Create in Community

Tarea Hall PIttman South
Saturday, August 19

11am

For a full list of craft-related programs for all ages, filter the event calendar by category "crafts:" 

Event Calendar

Focus on Teens

Anime, Manga & Comics 

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Tuesday, August 22 & 29
4pm

Dungeons & Dragons for ages 14-22

West
Tuesday, August 22
4pm

Poetry Workshop

North
Thursday, August 10
3:30pm

Back-to-School Self-Care Kits

North
Thursday, August 31
3:30pm

Become Berkeley's First Ever Youth Poet Laureate

The Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate Program is a project to elevate and amplify Berkeley teens’ voices through poetry. Teens will get a chance to explore their civic voices, join a cohort of young writers, and help nurture a writing environment at the library and in school this Fall.

One person will be named Berkeley Youth Poet Laureate for 2024!

More Information

More Summer Fun for Kids

Ice Cream Party

North

Saturday, August 5
1:30pm

Slime Lab

Claremont
Saturday, August 12
11am

Peace Day Commemoration: Koto Music, Story Time & Paper Crane Folding

North
Wednesday, August 9
3:30pm

Jelly Jam Time presents The Muffin Man Puppet Show

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, August 12
10:30am

Screenprinting for 8-12 year olds

West
Saturday, August 12
11am

Reptiles, Amphibians, and You with East Bay Parks

North

Saturday, August 19
10am

East Bay Vivariaum

West
Saturday, August 19
11am

Petting Zoo

North
Saturday, August 26
10am

 

There is much more happening in August:

Event Calendar

Save the date for the Library’s free comic convention: October 28, 10am-5:30pm, at Central. There will be panels and author talks, cartooning and cosplay workshops, documentary screenings, an artist alley, vendor's hall, and an art exhibit from the Cartoon Art Museum in SF.

Programming is made possible by the support of the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library. Thank you, Friends!

Community Survey

Help shape the future of Berkeley Public Library! We are working on a strategic plan and need your feedback to make improvements and prioritize initiatives. 

This survey should only take 5 minutes to complete. All responses are optional and anonymous.

Thanks for your participation & please forward this to others!

Take the Survey

Come Talk to Us

Want to chat and provide feedback for the strategic plan?

There are two more community meetings happening: Saturday, August 26, 10am at Tarea Hall Pittman South & Saturday, September 16, 2pm at West in Spanish.

Contact: Tess Mayer
Director of Library Services
Berkeley Public Library
(510) 981-6100
tmayer@cityofberkeley.info
 

Community Feedback Needed!

Help Shape the Library’s Strategic Plan

Berkeley, California (July 21, 2023) – Help shape the future of Berkeley Public Library! The Library is working on a strategic plan with consultants The Pivotal Group and we need community feedback to make improvements and prioritize initiatives.

1. Take the survey. It should take approximately five (5) minutes to complete. All responses are optional and anonymous. Both online/digital and print versions are available in the following languages: English, Español, Tiếng Việt Nam, 简体中文 and .العربية .
2. Attend an in-person community meeting. Meeting dates and Library location information can be found here.
3. Prefer to email the Library with feedback? Use the contact us form.

"The power of community voices is driving this process forward," shared Tess Mayer, Berkeley's Director of Library Services. "We want to reach and hear back from our tens of thousands of regular library users as to what is important to them and how we can improve. We also very much want to reach those who do not visit our libraries or use our online collections to learn how we can better invite them in and make our services and collections both relevant to their daily lives and more easily accessible."

A mix of one-on-one interviews and focus groups are being held with community leaders, local organizations, non-profits and businesses within Berkeley. Additional outreach efforts include direct mail, ads in local print papers and survey outreach teams made up of Library staff.

As one of California's most heavily utilized libraries, Berkeley Public Library recognizes its role as a hub for reading, learning, and community engagement. This strategic planning process is a testament to that, and the Library is eager to continue evolving its services in alignment with the City of Berkeley's diverse and growing needs.

“We are deeply committed to making this strategic planning process as inclusive and representative as possible," Mayer reiterated. "Every voice matters. The acute challenges of library services during a pandemic have been met and it is time to cement a plan for the future that serves Berkeley’s diverse needs, now."

For questions regarding about the strategic planning process, please email areeder@berkeleyca.gov.

For questions about additional Library events, services, hours and locations, please call (510) 981-6100 or visit www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.
 

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