Learn about BAMPFA's current exhibition, New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century, via zoom. This landmark exhibition is international, intergenerational, and gender-inclusive in its scope, highlighting a diverse roster of 75+ emerging and established artists who have shaped the trajectory of contemporary art.
The Trio is made up of singers, a celebrated accordion player, a guitarist and a scrubboard player. Specializing in Zydeco and Cajun music from southern Louisiana, most of the songs featured at this event will be sung in Louisiana French dialects.
Learn how to grow your own herbal medicine and boost your immune system. Be introduced to a variety of perennial and annual herbs that you can grow, dry and then use to stock your medicine cabinet.
Celebrate the Library’s new Teen Room at the Central Library with Teen Taco Tuesday!
Tacos el Rulas will be serving up free veggie or chicken tacos to teens starting at 3:30 PM until food runs out. The taco truck will be parked across the street from Central Library on Harold Way at Kittredge Street, hopefully catching many teens heading home after a day at Berkeley High School.
A Naturalist from Lindsay Wildlife will share fun amphibian facts, teach how to help our amphibian neighbors, and to introduce Sal, a California tiger salamander.
Play via clues about amphibian habitats and the extensive watersheds throughout Berkeley on the Library's Instagram page starting Monday, November 1. Or, drop by one of our libraries after Monday, November 8 for a paper game card version.
Visit any two of the spots for a chance to win a $25 gift card or our grand prize $100 gift card!
The popular virtual music storytime, Reading is Instrumental, returns for its third season with some exciting new guests. Up first is Josh Kornbluth reading The Monster's Monster by Patrick McDonnell, accompanied by pianist Joan Cifarelli), premiering on the Library's Facebook page at the end of November.
In the meantime, catch up on prior episodes, that featured Bay Area celebrities such as Andy Samberg, W. Kamau Bell, Gasia Mikaelian, Rita Moreno, Thatcher Hurd and more by clicking here.
¡Presentamos MakeMake libros electrónicos en español para niños!
MakeMake es una colección de 500 libros electrónicos en español de alta calidad para jóvenes de 3 a 12 años. Esta colección incluye libros ilustrados, libros de lectura, ficción y libros interactivos donde los niños pueden leer y escuchar el texto al mismo tiempo. La interfaz y la búsqueda están en español y la mayoría de los títulos de MakeMake están escritos por escritores latinoamericanos. Todo lo que necesita es una tarjeta de la Biblioteca Pública de Berkeley para acceder a MakeMake en una PC, tableta o teléfono inteligente. MakeMake proporciona acceso simultáneo ilimitado sin límites de salida ni listas de espera
Introducing MakeMake Spanish eBooks for Children!
MakeMake is a collection of 500 high-quality Spanish language e-books for youth ages 3-12. This collection includes picture books, read-along books, fiction and interactive books where kids can read and listen to the text at the same time. The interface and search is in Spanish and most of the titles on MakeMake are written by Latin American writers. All you need is a Berkeley Public Library card to access MakeMake on a PC, tablet or smartphone. MakeMake provides unlimited simultaneous access with no check out limits or waitlists.
Celebrating the Leadership & Legacy of Mr. Jacobs
Photo: Mr. Jacobs offering musical storytime at South, 1960s.
The Library’s staff Racial Justice Advisory Group (RJAG) was formed in March 2021 and includes five staff members from a diversity of library locations and personnel classifications.
RJAG has dived into a variety of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work. One project has been to discuss, research and document historic and impactful moments in the City of Berkeley and Berkeley Public Library’s history as part of contextualizing and setting the foundation for future EDI efforts at the Library.
RJAG wanted to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of one of the Library’s former librarians, Jim Jacobs, whose leadership has inspired generations of Berkeley residents and library staff.
RJAG reached out to Board of Library Trustee and Councilmember Sophie Hahn who enthusiastically supported and facilitated honoring Mr. Jacobs Citywide. At the October 26 City Council meeting, a Special Proclamation honoring Jim Jacobs was adopted:
WHEREAS, Jim Jacobs had an important, impactful, decades-long career at the Berkeley Public Library, serving the community and City with dedication, excellence, and deep care; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs was the only African American in his Masters of Library Science graduate program at UC Berkeley and became Berkeley Public Library’s first African American librarian in 1960; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs pioneered the effort to desegregate the Berkeley Public Library’s collections after noting that books authored by African American writers as well as books about African Americans were all shelved in the Dewey Decimal 326 category of “326 Slavery & Emancipation,“ regardless of topic, genre or scope; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs in the early 1960s began ensuring that collections and story times also featured female protagonists, supporting gender representation much sooner than many colleagues and libraries; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs worked tirelessly to serve the children of Berkeley in creative and fun ways, from offering memorable story times to teaching children to enjoy research for school reports, building puppet show theatres, and enticing teens into the reference room by sharing “real life” resources such as car repair manuals; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs launched the Berkeley Public Library's first Summer Reading program at his branch, which was replicated citywide and remains to this day a fundamental component of library programming; building literacy and fostering a love of reading for Berkeley patrons of all ages; and
Whereas, several current and former Berkeley Public Library staff cite Mr. Jacobs as inspiration for their love ofbooks and libraries, and for their own fulfilling careers in libraries; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs began his career at the Berkeley Public Library shelving books in 1958 while attending graduate school at UC Berkeley; and Whereas, Mr. Jacobs held numerous supervisory and leadership roles in the Library, serving in the Central Children’s Division and as the branch manager of Tarea Hall Pittman South; and
Whereas, at 91 years of age, Mr. Jacobs continues to offer his friendship, wisdom, and support to current Library staff; and
Whereas, Mr. Jacobs’ librarianship has inspired generations of library patrons and, after retiring in 1990, Mr. Jacobs continues to receive messages from patrons who recount how much he and his story times still mean to them;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, Jesse Arreguin, Mayor of the City of Berkeley, do hereby honor, recognize, and celebrate the contributions of MR. JIM JACOBS for his dedicated years of service to the Berkeley Public Library and his many contributions to the children, residents and staff of the Berkeley Public Library and of the City of Berkeley.
Photo: Current library staff after an Outdoor Storytime in Grove Street Park that honored Mr. Jacobs.
Staff continue to plan ways to honor Mr. Jacobs, including dedicating storytimes to Mr. Jacobs during which staff sing songs he also used to sing to Berkeley children, decades ago.
Do you have memories of Mr. Jacobs and what he meant to you? Feel free to email areeder@cityofberkeley.info and we will make sure Mr. Jacobs receives those messages.
West Indoor Service Hours Change begins Monday, November 8
Beginning Monday, November 8, West Indoor Service Hours will be Monday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm. For all Library locations and hours, please check berkeleypubliclibrary.com/locations.
All Library Locations will be CLOSED:
Thursday, November 11 (Veterans Day) Thursday, November 25 - Friday, November 26 (Thanksgiving)