Events | Online Catalog | Libraries
Announcing: Group Read Events
Read along with your Berkeley and Albany neighbors the powerful book, The Poet and the Silk Girl: A Memoir of Love, Imprisonment, and Protest by Berkeley author Satsuki Ina, and attend related events all summer long.
Through shared reading and library programs, we will reflect on history, foster dialogue, and connect past injustices to present-day conversations about civil liberties and belonging.
Saturday, May 9
1 pm
Central
Free copies of The Poet and the Silk Girl will be given out while supplies last.
This program is in collaboration with Albany Public Library.
Tuesday, May 5
6 pm
Albany Public Library
1247 Marin Ave
Tuesday, May 26
2 pm
Zoom
Thursday, May 28
2 pm
Central
Wednesday, May 27
6 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
The documentary looks at the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and its lasting effects, told through the voices of survivors and their families.
Using personal stories, archival footage, and historical background, the film shows how fear, racism, and wartime hysteria led to widespread violations of civil liberties. It also explains why this history is still important today.
This program is in collaboration with Albany Public Library.
More "Group Reads" events coming in June and July, including:
- Author Talk and Story Time: Love in the Library with Maggie Tokuda-Hall
- Reading and Craft: Honoring Yoshicko Uchida
- Exhibit and Artist Talk: Alberto Ledesma
- History Talk: Wakasa Monument History
- Documentary screening and conversation: Defiant to the Last: Resistance at the Tule Lake Jail
- Exhibit and Talk: Topaz Toddlers
- Film screening of Omoiyari: A Song Film
- Author Talk: Brandon Shimoda
- South Berkeley Walking Tour with Arlene Acuna
Keep an eye on next month's newsletter for more details and/or check the online event calendar:
View the event calendar
Free Comic Book Day
Saturday, May 2
10 am - 1 pm
Central
The Berkeley High School Mural Club led the reimagining and revitalizing of Central Library’s 2nd floor Graphic Novel Nook. The mural features an imaginative collage of original characters and scenes that reflect the diversity and evolution of the graphic novel medium.
Saturday, May 2
12 pm
Central
Saturday, May 2
12 pm
Claremont
Stop by the Claremont Branch to pick up a free comic book, pose for a comic-themed Polaroid, and decorate a photo card to celebrate Free Comic Book Day!
Monday, May 4
4 pm
West
Our featured guest, cartoonist Dimetria Tokunbo, will teach us how to utilize our most precious memories and stories as inspiration for memoir-style comic art. All supplies provided.
May Event Highlights
Fridays
3 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Everyone’s welcome, no matter your level! We’ll have dominoes sets on hand, or feel free to bring your own.
A shortened film version of the classic opera for kids.
Friday, May 1
4 pm
Central
Saturday, May 2
3 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
In Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America, award-winning author Jeff Chang delivers a groundbreaking cultural biography of Bruce Lee and a story of the creation of Asian America.
Saturday, May 2
1 pm
Central
Saturday, May 2
2 pm
Claremont
Participants will leave the learning space with a deeper sense of community, an understanding of ways conflict is linked to history, as well as an ability to identify types and levels of conflict and communication styles. Recommended for ages 13 & up.
Saturday, May 2
4 pm
Central
Monday, May 4
11 am
North
Tuesday, May 5
3:30 pm
North
Hear a few songs and stories in English and Japanese, sample some Japanese snacks, decorate your own koinobori, and learn how to fold an origami kabuto.
Tuesday, May 5
5:30 pm
North
Tuesday, May 5
5:30 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Wednesday, May 6
6:30 pm
North
Saturday, May 9
10:30 am
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, May 9
11:30 am
Central
Saturday, May 9
1:30 pm
SF Mission District
Join The Story Time Band for a joyful set filled with music and stories at one of San Francisco's best family-friendly street festivals!
Saturday, May 9
2 pm
Claremont
Monday, May 11
10:30 am
Claremont
Urban Cycling 101: Equip your bike, fit your helmet, and avoid common hazards
Saturday, May 9
2 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Register for Urban Cycling 101
Thursday, May 14
5:30 pm
North
Register for Author Talk with Nicole Wong
Thursday, May 14
6 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, May 16
11 am
North
Saturday, May 16
3 pm
North
Individual Poetry Writing Workshops with Berkeley Poet and Teacher Ray Hsu
Register for the Saturday, May 16 poetry workshop
12 - 3 pm
Central
Register for the Tuesday, May 19 poetry workshop
4 - 7 pm
Central
Are you a poet seeking feedback on your own work or new to writing poetry? Work one-on-one with an award-winning poet and experienced poetry teacher to get feedback on your own work and craft.
Tuesday, May 19
5:30 pm
Central Library & Zoom
May topics:
- Is the ‘perfect’ embryo a myth? DNA glitches in early development — Anuradha Mukherjee, Molecular & Cell Biology
- Sticky Science: A Better Way to Heal — Subhajit Pal, Bioengineering
Friday, May 22
4 pm
Central
Saturday, May 23
10 am
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, May 23
11 am
North
Saturday, May 23
2 pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South
Tuesday, May 26
10 am
Claremont
Tuesday, May 26
6 pm
Central
Saturday, May 30
10 am
Tool Lending Library / Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, May 30
11 am
Claremont
Bay Area Book Fest: Saturday, May 30 at Central
Bay Area Book Festival YouthLit takes over the library.
The festival’s ever-popular YouthLit returns and will feature programs on Saturday, May 30, at Central, as well as on two dedicated stages on Sunday, May 31, in the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park.
YouthLit will again be filled with readings, panels, discussions, and interactive fun featuring the most exciting and engaging names in young people’s literature. This year, we also will feature a stage with panels and discussions for adults about children’s books and literacy to address how to best support the children in our lives.
From the Berkeley Public Library Foundation
Summer Benefit Concert:
Where Music Meets Imagination with The Story Time Band
Where Music Meets Imagination is a family-friendly benefit concert featuring Berkeley’s beloved The Story Time Band, presented by the Berkeley Public Library Foundation.
June 13, 2026, 10:30 am
The Freight, 2020 Addison, Berkeley, CA
Buy tickets for the Summer Benefit Concert
Proceeds benefit the Berkeley Public Library.
From the City: Berkeley Bay Festival
Saturday, May 2
11 am - 4 pm
Shorebird Park
Celebrate the San Francisco Bay at the Berkeley Marina and connect with the community through live music, food, and hands-on educational activities.
Join us for the Berkeley Bay Festival to enjoy:
- Interactive learning exhibits
- Fun activities
- Boat rides
- Food vendors
- Free bike valet
- Adventure Playground
- Music by the West Grand Brass Band, Taylor Mountain Band & Battria Batuki
This free, family-focused event celebrates the Bay, its local wildlife, and the people and agencies dedicated to its protection.
Over 30 environmental and wildlife conservation organizations from around the Bay will share their exhibits with the public.
North Branch - Spring Food Drive
The library is partnering with the Alameda County Community Food Bank for a spring food drive at North Branch during the month of May.
Food our community loves:
- Ready-to-eat meals (easy-open cans or pouches)
- Chilis, stews, ravioli, soups, etc.
- Canned chicken, tuna, salmon, etc.
- Snacks for kids (healthy lunch snacks, bars, and fruit/veggie pouches)
- Non-perishable fruit (cups, bowls, or cans)
- Peanut butter
- Cereal (boxes or single-serve bowls)
- Nutrition/protein bars
Please no glass containers, medications, pharmaceuticals, supplements, or soda.
Thank you for considering a donation!
More Library Programs
There are hundreds of upcoming library programs for all ages and a diversity of interests:
View the event calendar
Many library programs are funded by the generous support of the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library.
Thank you, Friends!
All Library Locations will be closed Monday, May 18 & Monday, May 25.
All Library locations will open late on Friday, May 29.
Thank you!
Working together to make a great public library extraordinary...
Thank you, Foundation & Friends!
