Berkeley Public Library: December Happenings
Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond:
Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay
 
Thursday, December 17
4pm
 
 Join us for an exciting overview of Post-Impressionist art presented by a volunteer from the de Young and Legion of Honor in San Francisco.
 
Learn to Roast Coffee at Home:
Farm to Shelf with Sweet Maria’s Coffee

Saturday, December 5
1pm
 
Learn the different stages that coffee goes through from plant to cup and also learn to roast your own coffee beans at home.
 
Yan Can Cook: Live Cooking Demo

Tuesday, December 15
2pm
 
Martin Yan of “Yan Can Cook, So Can You!” has wowed television audiences from Shanghai to San Francisco for over 40 years.
 
Personal Finance: Mastering the Basics

Tuesday, December 1
6pm 
 
Sarah Sprague Gerber, founder of Momentum Financial Planning LLC, discusses best practices for personal financial success. 
 
Covered California Health Insurance Enrollment

Thursday, December 3
2pm
 
Learn about enrollment from UC Berkeley's California Health Professional Student Alliance.
 
Berkeley Business Bootcamp: Part 3: How to Use Virtual Networking for Business Growth

Thursday, December 10
10am
 
The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce and Berkeley Public Library have teamed up to offer a 6-part series of FREE online classes. Host David Mitroff, Ph.D. discusses how to leverage the internet and social media to expand your professional and personal brand. 
 
Lawyers in the Library

Thursdays
December 3 & 17
6pm

Register for an appointment with volunteer lawyers who can provide free legal information and referrals.
 
NorCal Bats

Monday, December 21
10:30am
 
Learn about Northern California bats, the myths that surround them, and the importance of bats in our environment. Meet a few rescue bats and ask all about them!
 
Ohlone Tools

Saturday, December 12, 2020
2:30pm 

Naturalist Dino Labiste from Coyote Hills East Bay Regional Park will teach about tools of the Ohlone people, the East Bay's original inhabitants.

Check out tool-related book lists, video links and downloadable activity sheets for kids, here.
 
 Magical Nathaniel: Magic Show and Mini-Workshop

Tuesday, December 29
3:30pm
 
Nathaniel combines magic with humor and the result is a super fun and high energy show that's great for the young ones, skeptical older kids, and their adults too! Learn incredible and easy to do magic with everyday household materials.
 
There are many more virtual programs happening in December!
Browse the Library's online event calendar.
 
Programming is made possible by the generous support of the 
Friends of the Berkeley Public Library.
 
Three Great Ways to Discover New Reads
1 - Check the
New Arrival Lists

Check back often to discover the latest books, CDs and movies available for you to place on hold and check out!
2 - Subscribe to
Monthly Book Picks Newsletters
 
Choose from 20+ genres and receive monthly reading recommendations, right to your inbox!
3 - Use the Personalized Book Picks Service

Fill out a form listing your interests and we will place holds on books just for you!
Recent email from a patron:
 
"Thank you for taking the time and thought to pick out some books for my kid.
She loves this program [personalized book picks] (her 2nd time using it) and I wanted to let you know how the books were received. I applaud Berkeley Public Library for pivoting and working so hard to help keep us all reading. I've always loved books and libraries, and now I love y'all even more."
 
 
What's Your Library Story?
#MyLibraryStory: Pat
 
One of the best things about being a teenager in my hometown Chicago was the abundance and availability of its museums and libraries. As a little kid I never went anywhere unless escorted by parents or teachers, but the infrequent field trips to our grand main library impressed me that admission was free or cheap and they were open almost every day, and each one offered a place of peace, learning and common respect.

Reading since I was three, accelerated grade advancement saw me in high school at 12 and regularly borrowing books. Along with my growing independence and knowledge, I became very politically active and prominently involved as a student leader during the tumultuous years 1967 to 1969.

After a few riots, my militancy got me kicked out of the neighborhood high school (officially “transferred”) and sent to a feared “social reform school.” Instead of immediately attending the feared new school, I attended the libraries.
 
For an entire year I left home every morning and stayed at various libraries and museums all day, filling my mind with information, wisdom and understanding beyond regret.
 
The authorities, led by my dad, eventually figured out my scheme and ensured I attended the prescribed school but never punished me for the adventure. The library time paid off well, resulting in such a big educational boost that I netted a scholarship to a renowned high school the next year.
 
I have plenty of library memories – all good – including studying with my wife-to-be barely thirty years ago while employed as our law school’s librarian, sitting with our son in his high school’s library, and having eureka moments in the law libraries. But the most important story is how that year in the public libraries nurtured my practice of unbridled learning.
 
- Pat, Berkeley Public Library Patron
 
#MyLibraryStory #EveryFriday #berkeleypubliclibrary
#ilovemylibrary  #librarylove #librarylife
 
Send your library story to areeder@cityofberkeley.info
Let's stay connected virtually!
 
Your Library is on Facebook & Instagram.

We post often and you can always direct message us with questions.

Some of our most popular posts are #ThrowbackThursdays and #ReadingisInstrumental all-star musical storytime on Fridays. 
 
 
Reminder: Covid-19 Information and Updates
Updates on Library Services during Covid-19:
 
We will continue to provide updates via this e-newsletter, on social media and in our FAQs on our website:
 
berkeleypubliclibrary.org/coronavirus.
 
For the latest Covid-19 news from the City of Berkeley please refer to:
 
www.cityofberkeley.info/coronavirus.
 
 
HOLIDAY CLOSURES:
 
Outdoor Pickup will be closed on
Thursday, December 24 & Friday, December 25. 
 
 
Berkeley Public Library
2090 Kittredge St.
Berkeley, California 94704
510.981.6100
www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/