One Book, One Coast Book Virtual Author Talk

Posted by davagy on 04 April 26

To close the program, George Takei will appear for a special author talk. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube, allowing readers across the region to participate together. The San Rafael Public Library will be showing the livestream at the Carnegie Room or a link to the livestream will be shared with customers in the coming months.

Angel Island Guided Hike

Posted by davagy on 04 April 26

As part of the One Book, One Coast community initiative, join us on a 1-hour in-person guided hike to learn about immigration history at the Detention Barracks Museum on Angel Island. We’ll start our morning with a 20-minute ferry ride to Angel Island, followed by a 35-minute hike (including 143 trail stairs!) to the immigration site where we will meet our tour guide. Then enjoy lunch on your own and a ferry ride back to Tiburon. This trip is for all patrons 8-years and older. Adult supervision is required for all minors registering.

Transportation to Tiburon is not provided. Ferry tickets and guided tour fees are provided for all registered patrons. Space is limited and advance registration is required! Walk-in registration begins April 16. Stop by any of the 3 Library Branches to reserve your spot. Online registration begins April 20, click here for the link to the online registration form.

One Book One Coast Book Club Launch!

Posted by davagy on 04 April 26

San Rafael Public Library Joins One Book, One Coast, the West Coast’s Largest Book Club Connecting Communities Across Three States

This spring, San Rafael Public Library invites the community to take part in One Book, One Coast, a shared reading initiative connecting more than 130 library systems across California, Oregon, and Washington.

As the largest book club on the West Coast, One Book, One Coast brings readers together around one book to create opportunities for conversation, reflection, and meaningful connection across neighborhoods, cities, and state lines.

San Rafael Public Library and its partners will read and discuss They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger and illustrated by Harmony Becker. Beginning on April 16, we will have free copies of the book (10 in English and 5 in Spanish) for the first 15 people to register. Plus, additional copies are available on the Libby app by Overdrive.

Through this shared reading experience, communities are encouraged to explore themes of identity, patriotism, family, loyalty, and resilience while strengthening connections through dialogue and learning.

San Rafael Public Library will also offer an Angel Island Guided Hike, 1,000 Cranes Community Art Project, Book Club Meeting and a Virtual Author Talk designed to bring community members together in conversation.

Residents are encouraged to visit srpubliclibrary.org for more information.

About the Book

They Called Us Enemy is a powerful graphic memoir by George Takei that reflects on civil liberties, democracy, and what it means to be American — both historically and today. Younger readers can joins the book club by reading My Lost Freedom also by George Takei.

Marin History Museum – San Rafael Historic Sites

Posted by bonnie on 03 April 26

City of San Rafael Historic Sites with walking tour docent Lori Deibel.

More information to come.

Celebración por el Día del Niño | Children’s Day Celebration

Posted by davagy on 18 March 26

El Día del Niño es una celebración anual en América Latina, es un día para honrar la vida de los niños, su bienestar y felicidad. ¡Acompañanos a esta fiesta comunitaria para pasar un día de música, obsequio de libros y mucha diversión en la Biblioteca Pickleweed!

Children’s Day is an annual celebration in Latin America, it is a day to honor the lives of children, their well-being and happiness. Join our community celebration for a day of music, book giveaways and lots of fun at Pickleweed Park!

Odyssey of Big Brother & The Holding Company

Posted by bonnie on 12 March 26

Celebrate the Summer of Love with a special library program on Big Brother & the Holding Company, the legendary San Francisco band that launched the career of Janis Joplin and helped define the psychedelic rock sound of the era. The program features a discussion with the two surviving members of the original band, bassist Peter Albin, and drummer, Dave Getz, who is a resident of Marin. Peter and Dave will share firsthand stories about the band’s origins, the Haight-Ashbury scene, and the cultural impact of their music.

We’ll also view video clips of the band playing at multiple venues including the Monterey Pop Festival and The Smothers Brothers Show. Our program moderator is Rodney Paul, who leads art and history walks throughout the Bay Area, and has presented programs on Summer of Love music topics at multiple California libraries.

No Registration required.

Poetic Playlist

Posted by davagy on 10 March 26

A creative writing class for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 13-18. For those who love music and writing, looking to hone their craft and create a writing practice. We’ll analyze and discuss lyrics by iconic songwriters as inspiration for our own writing.

About the Artist: Gretchen Cion is a multi-genre writer, filmmaker, and educator currently teaching through Berkeley City College. She has an M.Ed. from Hunter College, and an MA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing, both from San Francisco State University. Her essays have appeared in Transfer Magazine, Sky Island Journal, and Brevity and her first short film, “Full Crow,” was a Semifinalist at the Boden International Film Festival. Gretchen is the Erma Bombeck Humorist-in-Residence for 2026.

Registration required.

To register, please email brianna.collins@cityofsanrafael.org

Free For All: The Public Library

Posted by davagy on 10 March 26

Join us for a special screening of Free For All: The Public Library, to celebrate National Library Week.

Following the film, we’re honored to welcome director/writers Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor for a Q&A discussion.

Free for All: The Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today’s librarians who serve the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.

NR, 60 mins., rated TV-14 

Marin Master Gardeners – Native Groundcovers

Posted by bonnie on 09 March 26

More information to come.

Speakers: Kathy Hunting and Yvonne Rojas

Marin Master Gardeners – Edible Perennials

Posted by bonnie on 02 March 26

Discover the world of perennial vegetables—long-lived plants that return year after year, providing nutritious food with minimal effort! This presentation profiles a number of delicious vegetables you can grow here in Marin and explores a “plant-it-once” system that builds soil health and biodiversity. Learn about these hardy, sometimes drought-resistant plants to potentially include into your garden. They are productive, beautiful, and can keep you in food all year long.

Speakers:

Keri Pon has been a UC Marin Master Gardener since 2011. She has been involved with the Edibles Guild since 2013 and has also worked with the Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden. She is a contributing writer for Backyard to Belly, as well as grow sheets for the MMG website and articles for the Leaflet.

Jenine Stilson became a UC Marin Master Garden in 2014. She has been a long-time member of the Edibles Guild, leads and supports the Tomato Market, is a contributing writer for Backyard to Belly and has presented at the Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden. She spent time growing up on her parents’ almond orchard in the heat of Yolo County and has been a life-long gardener of edibles ever since.