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January Event Highlights

Author Visit: Claire Kahane

Nine Lives: My Risky Road from Fifties Rebel to Feminist Critic

North
Wednesday, January 7
6 pm

Film Screening with Director Linda Rosen:
Inside the Berkeley Free Speech Movement

Central

Saturday, January 17

2 pm

Intro to Game Design

with Randy O'Connor
for teens and adults

Claremont
Sat, Jan 24

2 pm

Metal in the Dead of Winter

Central

Tuesday, January 27

6 pm 

This extreme music listening session is focused on the heaviest, bleakest sounds from the fringes of noise and beyond. Feel welcome to bring a copy of your favorite tune on a slab of wax, tape, or cd.

Youth Poet Laureate Kickoff Party

Celebrating and Announcing our newest Poet Laureates!

Central
Tuesday, January 13
6 pm

BUSD Partner Series

Author Visit:Steph Cherrywell

Unboxing Libby

Virtual
Thursday, January 15
12:30 pm

*in partnership with the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Book Club

Author Visit:Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Kareem Between

Virtual
Tuesday, January 27
10 am

*in partnership with the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Book Club

New Year's Resolutions

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Hiring Examined

For Active Job Seekers

Virtual
Tuesday, January 13

5 pm

Overcome 'job-itis' and 'title-itis' to land your next job

For Active Job Seekers

Virtual
Tuesday, January 27

5 pm

New Year Vision Boards

with artist Cristina Edwards

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Wednesday, January 14

6 pm

Cozy Crafts: Vision Boards

Claremont
Saturday, January 17

11 am

Healthy Living for your Brain & Body

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, January 17

2 pm

Decluttering for the New Year

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, January 24

3 pm

Unfinished Craft Projects

West
Wednesday, January 21

4 - 5 pm

Document Family History through Narrative Writing
with the Historical Society & Museum

West
Saturday, January 24

1 - 3 pm

In this workshop also learn about the Museum's current exhibit: Berkeley's Latino Community: A Story of Pride and Resilience

Music at the Library

Tamales Karaoke

Tamales plus tunes for a happy, healthy 2026

West
Thursday, January 8

5 - 7 pm

 

Do tamales and singing go together? Does Bad Bunny have a hearty appetite? Does Lalo Guerrero have the best lyrics about Mexican food? 

Music for Everyone! A neurodiversity-affirming music series

Focused on ages 8 and under

Central

Friday, January 9, 16, 23 and 30

4:30 to 5:30 pm

Jazz Lounge

Tarea Hall Pittman South
12 - 2 pm

Saturday, January 10 with Michael Mitchell Quarter

Saturday, January 24 with Sylvia Cuenca
 

Chorus Song Circle

Intergenerational folk song circle

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, January 10
2 - 5 pm

Electronic Music-Making Studio

Drop-in, open-studio to play with Ableton music software and instruments

Central
Monday, January 12 and Tuesday, January 27

4 - 6 pm

K-Pop Party

North
Saturday, January 17

1 pm

 

Join us downstairs at North for an afternoon of K-Pop:

• Play your favorite music videos
• Decorate a photocard frame
• Make a picket or bracelet (or both!)
• Meet and trade w/ other fans

Registration is NOT required, but you can register for this event to receive email reminders. 

SF Chamber Orchestra Very First Concerts

For young listeners

Central
Saturday, January 31

11:30 am and again at 12:30 pm

More January Events

Social Services Drop-In

Support on various services including healthcare, housing and employment

North
Friday, January 2

10 am - 2 pm

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Monday, January 5 and January 19

10 am - 2 pm

Claremont

Tuesday, January 6

10 am - 2 pm

West

Friday, January 16 and January 23

1 - 3 pm

Games Galore - Retro Edition

For Ages 5-12 play video, board and card games

Central

Friday, January 2

3 - 5 pm 

Community Craft Circle

Knitting, Embroidery, or any craft you like

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Friday, January 2

1-4 pm

Family Photo Fun Crafternoon

Create a lasting memory with family and friends

Central

Saturday, January 3

3 - 5 pm 

Flower Painting Workshop

Claremont
Saturday, January 10

2 pm

Puzzle Swap

Claremont
Saturday, January 10

2 pm

Japanese Stab Bookbinding Workshop

Central
Monday, January 12

5 - 7 pm

Berkeley City Council Agenda

Learn to understand how to read it and become involved in local government

Central
Monday, January 12

6:30 pm

Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Thursday, January 29

4 pm

Astrology Salon Series

Claremont
Saturdays

2 - 4 pm

 

Class One: The Anatomy of a Chart: - January 31 

 

Class Two: Symbols in Practice - February 28

Class Three: Bringing It All Together - March 28

There are many more library programs happening in January:

Event Calendar

Winter  Bingo (with prizes!)

TEENS & KIDS - Keep learning over the winter break!

The Library's Winter Reading Bingo Game is on! BINGO cards are available at any library location or online.

Now - January 20, 2026

To earn the prize, participants must complete all the squares on the game card. Turn in completed BINGO cards to claim the prize while supplies last. 

For K-8 students, get a prize voucher for 2 tickets to the Cal Women’s Gymnastics match on March 7, 2026. 

Grades 9 and up will receive a different prize (pop up keychain & squishy toy). 

Bingo

Pardon Our Dust

Part of the 4th floor of the Central Library is under construction.

A beautiful new Story Time Room is in the works!

 

Holiday Reminders

All Libraries are closed on January 1 & January 19.

 

All Libraries will close early at 6pm on December 31. 

eBooks, eAudiobooks, newspapers, music, movies & more available 24/7 at berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

 

Thank you!

Working together to make a great public library extraordinary...

Thank you, Foundation & Friends!

December Event Highlights

Author Visit: Love Rebels: How I learned to Burn it Down without Burning Out by Kitty Stryker

North
Wed, Dec 3
6:30 pm

Author Visit: An Independent Man: Ed Roberts and the Fight for Disability Rights by Scot Danforth

Central
Sat, Dec 6
2 pm

Jazz Lounge Concert Series

Sticklerphonics featuring Scott Amendola on drums

Tarea Hall Pittman South

Sat, Dec 13

12:30pm

All Ages Paddington Party

Crafts, marmalade sandwiches, costumes and movie

North

Mon, Dec 29

11 am

More December Events

Cantonese Bilingual Story Time

with Beatrice Tebbe of Meh Yun Educators

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Tues, Dec 2

10:30 am

North

Sat, Dec 3

10:30am 

Concert: Opera+

with Gabriell Lochard

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Tues, Dec 2

6 pm

Tech Exchange

Attend beginning tech class series and earn a free laptop!

Central @ 3pm

Tuesdays: Dec 2, 4, 9, & 11 

*Registration Required

Zine Readings with Artists

Artist Preview night at the Library for Oakland Creates Zine Fest 2025

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Thurs, Dec 4

6 pm

Snacks, Crafts and Classic Movies

Tarea Hall Pittman South
 

Wed, Dec 3, 4pm: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Wed, Dec 17, 4pm: Gremlins

Crafting Nostalgia: A Tribute to PBS

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Sat, Dec 6
2 pm

Launching Your 2026 Job Search for Better Results

Virtual
Tues, Dec 9

5 pm

Winter Wonderland Crafts, Music & Treats

Claremont
Thurs, Dec 11

4 pm

Winter Karaoke Party

Designed for adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (#idd)

Central
Fri, Dec 12

4:30 pm

Robotics Build for Grades 3-5

North
Sat, Dec 13

12 pm

*Registration Required

South Berkeley Sewing Circle

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Wed, Dec 17

10:15 am

Poetry Circle

Claremont
Thurs, Dec 18

6 pm

Reading Rainbow Watch Party 

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Sat, Dec 20

10:30 am

 

Join us for a morning of butterflies in the sky as we watch the new reboot of Reading Rainbow featuring Mychal Threets plus craft and snack in community.

Did you know that our West Branch Library was chosen as the first location to shoot the Reading Rainbow reboot?

Nutcracker Puppet Show

North
Sat, Dec 20

11 am

*Registration Required

Clay Ornaments

To decorate any festivity

Central
Sat, Dec 20

1 pm

Bright Ideas: Ways to Spark New Writing

with Award-winning Poet Maw Shein Win

Claremont
Sat, Dec 20

2 pm

Kwanzaa Story Time

North
Fri, Dec 26

11 am

Indoor Bubble Show with Bubble Sam

Central
Sat, Dec 27

3 pm

Let's Cook Karamu!

Cooking demonstration, history talk, and sharing of a Kwanzaa meal

North
Tues, Dec 20

11 am

Noon Year's Eve for Kids

Central
Wed, Dec 30

11:30 am

Lego Club for Kids

Central
Tuesdays

4:30-6 pm

Fall Series with Teaching Artists from MOCHA
(Museum of Children's Art)

Central

Fridays, 3:30-5:00pm

Tarea Hall Pittman South

Thursdays, 3:30-5:00pm

There are many more library programs happening in December:

Event Calendar

Know Your Rights / Conozca Sus Derechos

Know your rights! There are protections and rights that everyone in the United States share, regardless of immigration status. Plus, there are organizations and programs that can help with the citizenship process. Visit the Library's website for more information.

Siéntase libre de imprimir este folleto: Conozca sus derechos si aparece ICE PDF. Se puede doblar al tamaño de 2.75 x 4.25 pulgadas, con un resultado final de un minilibro de 8 páginas. Si desea algunos ya impresos y doblados, pase por la Biblioteca Central o llame al 510-981-6100.

Resources

From the Berkeley History Room @ Central

Who was James W. Plachek?

Most likely most current Berkeleyeans have no idea, but almost everyone in Berkeley is familiar with his work.

Plachek was born in 1885 in Chicago of Czech parents, began working with architects by age 15, and attended the Chicago Art Institute. In 1906 he was sent by the Chicago mayor to San Francisco to study the effects of fire on building materials – think the 1906 earthquake and fire. In 1912 he opened his own architecture office in Berkeley, and worked here until his death in 1948. During those decades, he transformed Berkeley as the “unofficial official” architect of this fair city.

Just some Plachek buildings that you may recognize aside from the Glide Memorial Church in SF:

• the Central, North & Claremont Branches of the Berkeley Public Library
• Berkeley’s City Hall and several buildings around it
• the old U.C. Theater on University Ave.
• many if not most of landmarked buildings in downtown along Shattuck Ave (too many to list!), and apartment buildings and houses all around town.

What would Berkeley be like without him?

The answer: Different, very different.

 

The Berkeley History Room at Central is open Wednesdays from 10am-1pm, and by appointment: libraryhistoryroom@berkeleyca.gov.

Your history awaits.

 

From our City of Berkeley partners: Rent Board

Help Guide Rent Board Services

 

The Berkeley Rent Board is seeking feedback about tenant, landlord, and property manager experience with the Rent Registry.

Respond to the 2025 Berkeley Tenant & Landlord Rent Registry Survey by December 14 to help guide Rent Board services.

No experience with the Rent Registry is needed - if you have not used the Rent Registry, they would like to hear why. If you have, they would like to learn what is or is not working for you.

Survey

From our City Of Berkeley partners: Parks, Rec & Waterfront

Scholarships are available for kids and families for the City of Berkeley's many recreation programs including sports programs and overnight camps.

Apply online or register to attend a workshops on Dec 9. to get help applying for scholarships that cover 50-100% of program fees!

 

Learn More

Pardon Our Dust

Part of the 4th floor of the Central Library is under construction.

A beautiful new Story Time Room will open next year!

 

Holiday Reminders

All Libraries are closed on December 24 & 25.

 

All Libraries will close early at 6pm on December 31. 

eBooks, eAudiobooks, newspapers, music, movies & more available 24/7 at berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

 

Thank you!

Working together to make a great public library extraordinary...

Thank you, Foundation & Friends!