San Rafael Public Library

Library Updates

The Secret Lives of Bees – Marin Master Gardeners

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Bees have great agricultural importance. One out of every three bites we eat can be attributed to the work of bees. In your own home garden, attracting bees will maximize flower, fruit, and vegetable production. It’s easy to turn your garden into a pollinator paradise. Just think like a bee and follow the easy steps presented at this informative seminar.

Our speaker, James Campbell, has been a Master Gardener since 2010 and a beekeeper since 2008. Beekeeping began as an accidental hobby and it soon became a passion. James has mentored new beekeepers in Marin and Sonoma counties and firmly believes bees will tell a beekeeper everything they need to know.

1CE unit; UC sponsored

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Dia de los Niños/ Dia de los Libros

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Families with children of all ages are invited to the library to celebrate Dia de los Niños/ Dia de los Libros! Join us on our front lawn for Bilingual Music Time with Mariela Herrera, movement and dancing, a book giveaway and outdoor games. No registration required! Sponsored by the Friends of the San Rafael Public Library.

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Writing from the Soul: A Workshop with Susanne West

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Writing from the Soul Workshop

In this experiential workshop you will learn processes to free your imagination, cultivate your natural writing voice, and overcome blocks to writing.

 

No prior writing experience is necessary.

Please, no laptops, but do bring your own writing supplies: paper or notebook, pencil or pen.

Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Stop by the Reference Desk or call 415-485-3321 to reserve a seat. 

Susanne West is a Professor of Psychology at John F. Kennedy University, and is a recipient of the Harry L. Morrison Distinguished Teaching Award at JFKU. She is the author of Soul Care for Caregivers: How to Help Yourself While Helping Others and the founder of a writing program called Words with Wings.

More information about Susanne is available at www.susannewest.com

 

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Once Upon a Twig: Harry Potter Herbology

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In the Hogwart’s tradition, we welcome Professor Ane Carla Rovetta, storyteller and authority on the cyclical magic of nature. Families with children of all ages are invited on this nature walk, whereupon they will learn the folklore and property of plants from firsthand observations, followed by a wreath-making activity that symbolizes the cyclical return of spring. Enjoy this walk along with talisman creation as you learn the science and magic of nature around us. To register for this event, call us at 415-485-3322, or visit the Children’s Reference Desk.

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Club de Colorear para Adultos

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Venga y disfrute de un momento agradable en la biblioteca coloreando y compartiendo en grupo.  No necesita traer materiales, estos serán proveidos por nosotros.

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VIRTUAL REALITY LAB / LABORATORIO DE REALIDAD VIRTUAL

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All ages are invited to explore educational games, beautiful natural environments, and engaging stories using the Occulus Rift. We’ll show you how to use it and help you with the equipment. Just bring yourself and your sense of adventure!

This program is available courtesy of the CEC Makerspace and the Marin County Free Library, funded by a grant from the California State Library.

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Stay & Play

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Sing, talk, read, write, PLAY! Did you know that playing is not only fun, it’s also one of the fundamental ways to prepare your child to be a reader? This April through July, in lieu of Thursday Family Storytime, we will be offering a full hour of Stay & Play.

The Friends of the San Rafael Public Library generously provided us with funds to purchase a variety of wonderful toys. We’re talking blocks, balls, musical instruments, toys that engage the senses, and toys for imaginative and dramatic play– all the good stuff! Children and their caregivers can come to the library, socialize and play!

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TeenQuake – Young Writers’ Picnic on the Library Lawn & the Dave Rocha Trio

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October is TeenQuake, our annual LitQuake San Rafael Celebration, sponsored by San Rafael’s Teen Library Council. Young writers from two local academic advancement programs, Next Generation Scholars and 10,000 Degrees Program, and the California Poets in the Schools will present new work at this open-mic event.

Special guests include four Marin Poet Laureates: Rebecca (Becky) Foust, Prartho Sereno, Joseph (Joe) Zaccardi, and Albert Flynn DeSilver.

The Dave Rocha Trio will perform jazz and popular standards from 2:30 – 3:30, following the open-mic poets.

Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the readings and music under the spreading tree on the library lawn.

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Monday Night Reading/Discussion Group

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The Downtown library has a book club that meets usually on the 2nd Monday of the month (except where noted) from 6:30 – 7:30 pm in the Library Meeting Room.
We read shorter classics, contemporary short stories, poems, articles, essays, plays, excerpts, and…? Participants have input on future readings.

2018

January 8
Four Short Pieces in Honor of Martin Luther King’s Birthday:
The Battle Royale from Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Growing Up Colored by Henry Louis Gates
The First Day by Edward P. Jones
Everyday use by Alice Walker

February 12 – Farwell to Manzanar  
by Jeanne Wakasuki Houston & James D. Houston

March 12 – Essays: Feminism Past & Present
March is Women’s History Month. We’ll be reading  a selection of essays from Susan B. Anthony, Jill Lapore, Katha Pollitt, Roxane Gay, Rebecca Solnit, Pearl S. Buck, Katie Piophe.

April 9 – Nature Poetry
April is National Poetry Month! Reading selections include poems of Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver,  Kamilah Aisha Moon, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robinson Jeffers, Robert Frost, Robert Penn Warren, Lloyd Schwartz, William Cullen Bryant, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Sheila Black, Marianne Moore, Arthur Sze, and Jane Hirschfield.

May 14 – May is Mystery Month
We’ll read  Murder at the Vicarage (1930) by Agatha Christie

June 11 – June is LGBTQ Month
In honor of LGBTQ month: A Separate Peace by John Knowles

July 9 – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

August 13 – O Pioneers by Willa Cather

September 10 – The Awakening by Kate Chopin

October 8 – 7 Short Stories

September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month. Here are links to seven short stories by a variety of Latin American and Latino writers for discussion. We will provide printed copies of the story at the Adult Reference Desk on the 2nd floor also.

1. Borges, Jorge Luis. “The Book of Sands” 6 pp.

2. Castellanos, Rosario. Castellanos “Cooking Lesson” 9 pp.

3. Diaz, Junot. “Invierno” 28 pp. (starts on page 119; the link is for the entire book).

4. Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” 4 pp.

5. Guimaraes Rosa, Joao. “The Third Bank of the River” 9 pp.

6. Monterroso, Augusto. “The Eclipse” 2 pp.
a. Viramontes, Helena Maria. “The Moths” 6 pp.

November 19 – 3rd Monday, due to Veteran’s Day Holiday
November’s reading has been postponed and will be discussed on December 10th.

December 10 – William Kent Krueger’s Ordinary Grace

2019

January 14 – Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

 

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Monday Night Reading/Discussion Group

Posted by bonnie on

The Downtown library has a reading/discussion group that meets on the 2nd Monday of the month (except where noted for holidays) from 6:30 – 7:30 pm in the Library Meeting Room.
We read shorter classics, contemporary short stories, poems, articles, essays, plays, excerpts, and short novels. Participants have input on future readings.

2019

January 14: Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

February 11: Empire Falls by Richard Russo

March 11: An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

April 8: Celebrating Jazz Month – Body and Soul by Frank Conroy

May 13: Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Month – Everything I Never Told You by Celest Ng

The next three books celebrate The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and Our Summer Reading Theme: A Universe of Stories…

     June 10: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

     July 8: Rocket Boys by Homer Hickham

     August 12:  Endurance by Scott Kelly (Biography)

September 9: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe (Fiction)

October 14: Life After Lifeby Kate Atkinson (Fiction)

November 4:
NOTE: This is the 1st Monday – November 11th is a holiday
The Disappearing Spoon : And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by Sam Kean (Non-fiction Science)

December 9: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

 

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  • 4th Street Pop-Up Library

    Hours
    Sun: 10:00-5:00
    Mon: 10:00-7:00
    Tues: 10:00-7:00
    Weds: 10:00-7:00
    Thurs: 10:00-5:00
    Fri: 10:00-5:00
    Sat: 10:00-5:00

    Contact
    (415) 485-3323

    Address
    1009 4th Street
    San Rafael, CA 94901

  • Pickleweed Library

    Hours
    Sun: closed
    Mon: 10:00-5:00
    Tues: 10:00-5:00
    Weds: 12:00-7:00
    Thurs: 10:00-5:00
    Fri: 10:00-5:00
    Sat: 10:00-5:00

    Contact
    (415) 485-3483

    Address
    50 Canal Street
    San Rafael, CA 94901

  • Northgate Library

    Hours
    Sun: closed
    Mon: closed
    Tues: 12:00-7:00
    Weds: 10:00-5:00
    Thurs: 10:00-5:00
    Fri: 10:00-5:00
    Sat: 10:00-5:00

    Contact
    (415) 890-5670

    Address
    5800 Northgate Drive Ste. 083
    San Rafael, CA 94903


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