December Library Happenings

Event Highlights

Kids: Learn About Ohlone Culture

Central
Saturday, Dec 2
3pm

Kids: Play Lotería & Learn Spanish from a Luchador!

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, Dec 2
3pm

Alzheimer Talk: Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body

Claremont
Monday, Dec 4

12noon

Experiencing Housing Discrimination? 

Central
Tuesday, Dec5
10am

Local Author Talk: Allison Landa

North
Wednesday, Dec 6
6:30pm

Landa, whose work has been featured in Business Insider, Parents Magazine, The Guardian US, The Washington Post, and HuffPost Personal among other publications, wrote her memoir, The Bearded Lady, as an account of life with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. 

Local Author Talk: Obi Kaufmann

North
Tuesday, Dec 12
6:30pm

Author Obi Kaufmann visits North Branch to discuss his new book California Deserts, the final volume in his California Lands Trilogy.  Copies will be available for purchase at the event.

Author Talk: Sacha Lamb

North
Thursday, Dec 14
6:30pm

Join author Sacha Lamb as they discuss their book, When the Angels Left the Old Country, winner of the Stonewall Award and the Sydney Taylor Award and Best of the Year Award from NPR, New York Public Library and Kirkus.

Book Release Celebration: Authors James Spooner & Chris L. Terry + live musical performance with Brontez Purnell

924 Gilman
Saturday, Dec 9
2pm

Join us for a very special Library event as we celebrate the release of BLACK PUNK NOW, an anthology co-edited by punk rock authors James Spooner and Chris L. Terry. Contributors to the collection include critic Hanif Abdurraqib and cartoonist Raeghan Buchanan, conversations with Brontez Purnell, and a roundtable of all femme festival organizers.

Event Details

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Docent Talk Series

Tarea Hall Pittman South

Come to these talks to learn more about each show and the exciting 2023-2024 season at the Rep:

Dec 13 - Harry Clarke *** new date

Jan 31- Cult of Love
March 13 - The Far Country
May 15 - Galileo
June 19 - Mother Road

The Sandwich Generation: Caring for Kids and Parents

West
Thursday, Dec 7
5pm

The sandwich generation is the “caught-in-the-middle” generation, the group of middle-aged adults who are simultaneously raising children and supporting their aging parents. This can be physically, financially, and/or emotionally draining. This presentation covers the common stressors for caregivers and ways to deal with them.

Kids: Musical Story Time

Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison Street
Thursdays (excluding12/28)
10:30am

 

Teens: Math & Science Tutoring with Go Bears Cal Tutors

Central
Thursdays
4pm

 

Kids: Kwanzaa Story Time

North
Wednesday, Dec 27
10:30am

 

Welcome To Karamu!

Zoom
Wednesday, Dec 27
12pm

You're invited to come prepare a traditional Kwanzaa meal with AAVE Cafe and Berkeley Public Library staff! You'll get to do some cooking, take home a plate, and keep all the custom recipe cards for your next New Years Eve and Karamu party plans.

Get Crafty, in Community!

All Ages Beginning Origami Class

North
Saturday, Dec 2

11am

Adults & Teens: Knitting Group (with snacks!)

Central
Tuesday, Dec 5
3:30pm

Teen Cookie Decorating

North
Saturday, Dec 9
1pm

 

Knot Bad: Teen Knitting

North
Tuesday, Dec 12
3:30pm

 

Knitting Circle

North
Wednesday, Dec 13
5pm

 

Winter Vibes Stamp Making

West
Saturday, Dec 16
11am

 

Mindful Making in Community

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, Dec 16
11am

 

Wire Jewelry Basics 

North
Saturday, Dec 16
2pm

 

Needle Felted Craft Cards

Claremont
Saturday, Dec 16
3pm

 

Adults & Teens: Mend it!

North
Thursday, Dec 28
5pm

 

Collage for the New Year

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, Dec 28
5:30pm

 

Prefer to stay home, snuggle in & get creative?

Stream thousands of award-winning video classes taught by top designers and artists on Creativebug which is FREE with your Berkeley Public Library card! Classes include Knitting + Crochet, Art + Design, Paper Art, Sewing + Quilting, Jewelry Making, Kids Food Fun, and Holiday + Party.

Free Online Arts & Craft Lessons

Kid-focused Crafts

Kids: Fun Friday Crafts

North
Fridays

3pm

Kids: Winter Magic Crafternoons

Claremont
Tuesdays (excluding Dec 26)

3pm

Creative Art Play with MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art)

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Thursdays at 3:30pm

Central, 3rd floor
Fridays at 3:30pm


 

Learn String Figures & Tricks

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Wednesday, Dec 27
4pm

 

There is always a lot going on at our Libraries with programs for a variety of interests & ages. Come browse for books and stay for a program!

More November Events

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

Streaming Service Update: Kanopy "Credits" are the now Kanopy "Tickets"

Watch the same great independent, international, classic and documentary films FREE with your Berkeley Public Library card and Kanopy but now your monthly views are tracked via "tickets," not "credits."

Stream Movies Now

Hello Winter Weather! Preparedness Workshop at Strawberry Creek Park

Bomb cyclones 🌀? Atmospheric rivers 🌧️? Pineapple expresses 🍍? Oh my!

The City of Berkeley invites you and your whole family to get ready for everything winter 2024 may have in store. Join us for a Hello Winter Weather! Preparedness Workshop at Strawberry Creek Park on Saturday December 9, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Start the morning by learning about Berkeley’s winter weather outlook for the year and add your voice to the 2024 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan at 10:00 am at Berkeley Corporation Yard at 1326 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94702. After a short winter weather talk, stick around for hands-on demos and activities with City of Berkeley Public Works team!

• Learn how to Adopt a Storm Drain
• Fill and place sandbags to protect your home and take some home for free!
• Check out our diorama of a mini-Berkeley to learn about how stormwater travels through our city and how you can protect our watershed
• See flood fighting equipment in action
• Staff will lead guided walks of Strawberry Creek throughout the event, where you can learn more about how to be a friend to Berkeley’s precious stormwater infrastructure and the broader ecosystem of the Bay.
• Get resources and information from other partners to get prepared for winter storms

All activities and training are designed to be accessible and engaging for people of all ages.

Parking is available at the Berkeley Corporation Yard at 1326 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94702. The majority of the demos and activities will take place on West Street, just north of the park.

For more information or questions, please email the Office of Emergency Services at oes@berkeleyca.gov

The Berkeley Public Library Foundation partners with our community to broaden support for our Library. This year, gifts to the Foundation will fund librarian-led innovations, building improvements, technology and multimedia software for creative use, fresh furniture and equipment upgrades for the neighborhood branches, and expansion of services for those in greatest need. Help keep our Library strong. Learn more here. 

Library Services Reminder

All library locations will be closed on the following days:

• Monday, Dec 25, 2023
• Monday, Jan 1, 2024

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