September Library Happenings

Library Happenings

Special Exhibits: Braceros
Aug 26 - Oct 15

man in field holding a bag used for agriculture

Ernest Lowe Photography

@ West Branch in the Teen Room

Special reception on Sept 18 @ 12 noon

Henry P. Anderson Papers + Rick Tejada-Flores Photography Collection

@ the Central Library on the 5th floor

From the 1940s to the 1960s, temporary Mexican workers in the United States were called Braceros, the Spanish word for "one who works with his arms".

Braceros is a 2-part exhibit (at West Branch & at the Central Library) that honors the labor, culture, and enduring legacy of California farmworkers and reflects on the broader context of civil rights and labor justice movements.

Special thanks to Ernest Lowe, Dori Rodriguez Anderson, Paul Richards, the San Francisco State University Labor Archives and Research Center, and the UC Merced Library Archives for generously providing image rights. 

Braceros on Film: Screening & Discussion 

West
Sat, Sept 27
2 pm

In concert with the exhibit, West will be showing the 2010 documentary film Harvest of Loneliness: The Bracero Program, directed by Gilbert González, Professor Emeritus of Chicano/Latino Studies, UC Irvine.

September Event Highlights

Berkeley Walks 10th Anniversary Celebration + North Berkeley History Hunt 

North
Sat, Sept 6
2 pm

Registration required.

Author & Illustrator Visit: Story Time + Crafts 

Aditi Raychoudhury, co-author and illustrator of Mimi, the Little Umbrella

North
Mon, Sept 15
11 am

Local Author Visit: Yvonne Martinez in conversation with Berkeleyside's Joanne Furio 

North
Wed, Sept 17
6 pm

Libraries Rock: In the Stax Live Music Series 

Free concert featuring the all-Teen School of Rock House Band

Central - Teen Room
Thurs, Sept 25
3 pm

Berkeley Old-Time Music Convention: Stringband Contest, Jams, Panels & More 

Central
Sat, Sept 20
10 am - 5 pm

  • Family Concert with WB Reid & Bonnie Zahnow @ 10:15 am
  • Panel Discussion "Black Old-Time Musicians: Perspective" with Jake Blount (moderator), Angela Wellman, Darcy Ford-James, and Patrice Strahan @ 10:30 am
  • String Band Contest from 12 noon - 4 pm with Manning Music Fiddlers
  • Old-Time Tune Jam with Darcy Ford-James, Patrice Strahan & Hannah Mayree @ 2 pm

The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five-day music festival featuring performances by local and national acts, a rollicking square dance, an open cabaret, and the illustrious stringband contest in venues throughout Berkeley. 

Learn more about the Berkeley Old-Time Music Convention 

More September Events

Non-Violent Communication with Kayla Hurd: Reparative Justice for Survivors of State Violence 

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Tues, Sept 2
6 pm

Reading Buddies: Kindergarten-3rd Grade 

North
Thurs, Sept 4
4:30 pm

Reading Buddies builds confidence in young readers and makes reading fun! Kids will be paired with a teen mentor to read together and play word games.

Reading Buddies is a collaboration with teen volunteers from the Youth Literacy Project. 

Registration required.

Petting Zoo 

North
Sat, Sept 13
10 am

Registration required.

The Story Time Band - all over Berkeley!

story time band characters in front of The Freight venue

The Freight
Thurs, Sept 4
10 am

Francis Albrier Community Center
Thurs, Sept 11
10 am

Willard Park Clubhouse
Thurs, Sept 18
10 am

80's Week 

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Sept 22-26

  • Monday: Make 80's themed library cards, sunglasses, keychains, buttons and more!
  • Wednesday: 80's Movie Night: Valley Girl & Krush Groove
  • Friday: 80's Trivia and dance party!

Stuffie Sleepover 

What happens at the library when it’s closed?

We invite your stuffed animal friends to join us overnight on the 4th Floor (Children's floor) of the Central Library.

Please drop off your stuffed animals on Thursday, September 25, or Friday, September 26.

You can pick them up on Saturday, September 27 and learn all about their nocturnal adventures!

Safety First! Events

Houses on a hill with speech balloons with questions about fire safety

Fire Weather Planning

with the City of Berkeley's Office of Emergency Services

North
Thurs, Sept 4
5 pm

Claremont
Mon, Sept 15
12 noon

Infant & Child CPR 

Claremont
Sat, Sept 6
10 am

Registration required.

There are many more library programs happening in September:

View the event calendar 

History Room... Did you know?

Exterior of Normandy Village, a fancy stone apartment complex.

Like a phoenix rising from the proverbial ashes, what is popularly known today as Normandy Village began its existence almost as the cinders from the great fire of 1923 began to cool.

A century later the village still stands on Spruce Street, near Hearst Ave.

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

Your history awaits!

Friends of the Library's BIG Book Sale

The Friends of the Berkeley Public Library's BIG BOOK SALE will be September 19 & 20, 10 AM - 4 PM at Berkeley Main, 2090 Kittredge (at Shattuck).

There will be hundreds of books, CDs, and DVDs — most for just 50 cents each!

Learn more about the BIG Book Sale 

City of Berkeley's Trashure Hunt

Learn more about the Trashure Hunt 

All Libraries are closed on Monday, September 1.

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

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

Thank you, Foundation & Friends!