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Contact: Shani Leonards
Claremont Branch
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-9280
 

November is National Novel Writing Month @Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, October 22— Writers and Libraries go together. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is celebrating its 16th year of empowering diverse voices and building creative writing communities around the world. NaNoWriMo challenges people to write 50,000 words of a novel in the 30 days of November. This year Berkeley Public Library and NaNoWriMo encourage potential novelists to come write in the Library. Sign-up now on NaNoWriMo.org and come to the official NaNoWriMo kick-off at Central Library in the third floor community meeting room on November 1, 2014 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Meet other writers there and start on your novel.

Writing can be a lonely activity. The Library is collaborating with NaNoWriMo to offer Come Write In, a place to connect with other writers. Bring your laptop or tablet, favorite pencil, notebook (and your library card if you want to reserve a laptop from us to use for an hour or two) and write away. Each branch is hosting a day and a place for your to write with others.

There will be free Wi-Fi, tables, chairs and plenty of power strips to power your laptops. We have free resources to help you write your novel – from grammar guides to thesauruses – as well as books on how to plot your novel, find an agent and get your book published. Ask a librarian!

Come and write between 10:00 am-5:30 pm any of the dates and locations below:

All Library locations are wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: Erica Glenn
Children’s Librarian
510-981-6229
Or
 Isobel Schneider
Reference Librarian
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6150

Berkeley Public Library Presents Two Author Talks
to Celebrate National Novel Writing Month

Berkeley, October 21—November is National Novel Writing Month around the world and Berkeley Public Library wants to inspire the writer (and reader) in all of us. We have two best-selling authors speaking this month. One has written and illustrated many popular children’s books. The other, is a relative newcomer, but on her way to publishing her second book.

Marissa Moss, author/illustrator of Amelia’s Notebook, Max Disaster and Blood Diaries will share her techniques on creative journaling with children ages 8-13 on Thursday, November 13, at 3:30 pm in the Central Library Children’s Room on the fourth floor. There will be a limited number of composition books available so bring a notebook and pen, just in case. (If you are familiar with the Amelia series, you will know what the composition book means. If not, come and see.) Seating is limited.

Patricia Bracewell will tell how she wrote her debut historical novel, Shadow on the Crown, which is about a little-known 11th Century English queen, on Saturday, November 15, from 2:00-4:00 pm at the Central Library’s third floor community meeting room. Bracewell was amazed that she wrote a book, found an agent, a major publisher and is now publishing the second in her trilogy, The Price of Blood, due out in February 2015.
The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Avenue and is open Monday, noon - 8 pm, Tuesday, 10 am - 8 pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm - 5 pm.   

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: Tom Dufour
Reference Librarian
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6148

 
Crowdfunding/Alternative Financing for Your Company
at Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, October 22--Berkeley Public Library and the Alameda County Small Business Development Center present a seminar on crowdfunding and alternative financing for small businesses on Wednesday, November 5 from 2:00- 5:00 pm at the Central Library, 2090 Kittredge (at Shattuck) in the third floor Community Meeting Room.

Crowdfunding is a fast growing source of investment for early stage companies. It is a way of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, usually through the internet. Many experts believe crowdfunding will become more important than venture capital in terms of dollars invested within the next ten years. This free seminar will discuss the latest trends in crowdsourcing, and how companies are raising capital in this market. For more information, call 510-981-6148.

The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Avenue and is open Monday, noon - 8 pm, Tuesday, 10 am - 8 pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm - 5 pm.

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: Bill Kolb
Supervising Librarian, North Branch
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6256

 

Temporary Reduced Services at Berkeley Public Library’s North Branch

Berkeley, October 15, 2014— Due to necessary repairs to preserve features of the historic rotunda windows, the North Branch Library will be offering limited service from October 27 through October 31, 2014. These repairs involve the use of scaffolding and mechanical lifts on the main library level, which may present a safety hazard for the public. Service will be available on the lower level, accessible from the Josephine Street entrance.

During this limited service period, library patrons will be able to request and pick up hold materials (including Link+ interlibrary loan); browse a limited collection of high-demand materials, including New Books, Children’s Books, and DVDs; access the library’s electronic databases; speak with library staff regarding account matters; ask reference questions/request assistance with research; use restrooms and water fountains; and return materials through the book drop.

Normal library services unavailable during the limited service period include story times and other regular programs; comfortable seating and reading spaces; public computer use; printing and copying; and meeting room use.

The library’s open hours will remain the same:
•    Monday, Friday and Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm
•    Tuesday and Wednesday: 10 am - 8 pm
•    Thursday: noon-8 pm

For full service, please visit any of our four other Berkeley Public Library locations which are open as usual. For more information please see the Library’s website.

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Contact: Michele McKenzie
Art & Music Librarian
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6241

 
Erika Gagnon’s Digital Spirits at Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, October 15—In conjunction with Native American Heritage Month in November, Canadian photographer and multimedia artist Erika Gagnon presents her exhibition Digital Spirits at the Central Library from September 29 – December 7, 2014. Her work is in the Catalog Lobby on the first floor of the Central Library, 2090 Kittredge Street. She will give an Artist Talk on Sunday, November 9 at 2 pm in the third floor Community Meeting Room.

The digital collage series, Shadow Catcher Revisited, is the central focus of the show. Gagnon blends historical Native American portraits by turn of the century U.S. photographer Edward S. Curtis, along with her own photographs, scanned objects and other imagery. She brings these ancient spirits into the present day, creating a powerful visual, emotional and political commentary on the state of our Indigenous peoples over the course of the last century. Also on exhibit is the digital collage series, The Americas, an exploration into the Indigenous traditions and medicines of North, South and Central America, as well as other photo composite works. For more about this program call 510-981-6241 or visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org

Erika Gagnon is a Canadian Multi-Media artist of mixed blood heritage, which includes French Canadian, Japanese and Native American ancestry. Gagnon holds a BFA degree, honors in Graphic Design from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She recently moved to the San Francisco Bay area to further her education and creative interests, which include her newfound exploration into the digital arts and especially photo composite work. In the last two years, her work has been selected for over 30 National and International juried group exhibitions in the United States. For more information visit www.erikagagnon.com, or contact her directly at info@erikagagnon.com

This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library (www.berkeleylibraryfriends.org).
The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Street and is open Monday, noon - 8 pm, Tuesday, 10 am - 8 pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm - 5 pm.

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: July Cole
Associate HR Analyst
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6105

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY HIRES JEFF SCOTT AS LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Berkeley, October 14, 2014 — The Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) and the Berkeley Public Library are pleased to announce the selection of Jeff Scott as the new Director of Library Services. He commences his new role in early November, replacing Donna Corbeil, who retired October 3, 2014, after nearly eight years in this position.

“I am thrilled that Jeff Scott will be joining the Berkeley Public Library as our new Director of Library Services,” said BOLT Chairperson Abigail Franklin. “BOLT is especially impressed with Jeff's communication style, innovative thinking, and passion for libraries. We unanimously selected him out of a pool of many talented candidates. We relied heavily on valuable feedback from management, staff, and members of the broader community who so generously and graciously took the time to meet with a number of fine candidates. We are very excited for Jeff to be at the helm of the Berkeley Public Library and know that he will lead our organization in a wonderful direction.”

Jeff has worked in libraries for nearly 17 years, much of that time in administration. Currently, Jeff is the County Librarian (Director of Library Services) for the Tulare County Library. During his years there, Jeff expanded and renovated several of the system’s 15 branches, including two green branch renovations in impoverished areas, funded by a $300,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. Jeff has written and received over $1 million in grants during his tenure in library administration.

While using a participatory management style with library board and staff, Jeff has developed and established next-generation services such as an award-winning Teen Digital Media Lab, the library's first e-book collection, and a Nook® lending program. In 2013, under Jeff’s leadership, the Tulare County Library won the Merit Award from the California State Association of Counties for the project, “Your Library in More Places,” a book machine program that provides 24/7 access to books in underserved areas.

“I am thrilled to accept the position of Director of Library Services for the Berkeley Public Library,” said Jeff Scott. “I am extremely honored to be selected to work for such a culturally rich and historically important community such as Berkeley. I would like to thank the Berkeley Public Library Board of Library Trustees, library staff, and the community of Berkeley for this amazing opportunity. I am deeply grateful.”

In addition to his work in Tulare County, Jeff is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Library Association and is the Chair of the Association's Management Interest Group. Prior to Tulare County, Jeff was the Library Director for the City of Casa Grande Library (AZ) for five years. During his time there, he championed a $4 million General Obligation Bond, approved by 66% of voters, to expand library services, including an award-winning 16,000 square foot joint-use library with a local high school. In addition, Jeff led a community-based planning process and developed a strategic and marketing plan, which resulted in a 40% increase in library usage.

A native Californian, Jeff grew up in Southern California before moving to Arizona to attend Arizona State University (ASU), where he majored in history. While an undergraduate, he began his library career as a library assistant at the Arizona Historical Foundation, an archive at ASU. He went on to earn a Master of Information and Library Science at the University of Arizona. Jeff has been married to his wife, Sarah, for 15 years; together they have two children, ages 11 and 12.

“I am impressed with Jeff Scott’s energy, enthusiasm and zeal for public libraries,” said Trustee Darryl Moore. “I am really looking forward to working with him in expanding the Berkeley Public Library’s incredible programs and services.”

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Contact: Dan Beringhele
Reference Librarian
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6145
dberinghele@cityofberkeley.info

Food Day 2014 at the Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, October 7—Berkeley Public Library is excited to host Food Day 2014 on October 24, 2014 at the Central Library located at 2090 Kittredge Street in Berkeley. Food Day is a year-round nationwide celebration and movement toward more healthy, affordable and sustainable food, culminating in a day of action on October 24 every year. Start Food Day by attending Green Smoothies are Us at 11 am in the Central Library’s fourth floor Story Room. Health coach Esther Suarez shows the easy way to incorporate greens into your diet and give a big boost to your health while also tantalizing your taste buds.

Join us at noon to meet Jessica Prentice. She will present The Nourished Community: The Nutritional Wisdom of Traditional Diets in the third floor Community Meeting Room. Prentice is the cofounder of Three Stone Hearth Community Supported Kitchen in Berkeley and author of Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection.

Food Day concludes with a special Food Day edition of Super Cinema at 3:00 pm in the Community Meeting Room where we will screen the film Sideways (2004) starring Paul Giamatti.  For questions regarding these programs, call Dan Beringhele at (510) 981-6145.

Created by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest and driven by a diverse coalition of food movement leaders and citizens, Food Day aims to bring us closer to a food system with “real food” that is produced with care for the environment, animals, and the women and men who grow, harvest, and serve it. Food Day 2013, the third annual celebration, featured more than 4,700 events in all 50 states!

The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Street and is open Monday, noon - 8 pm, Tuesday, 10 am - 8 pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm - 5 pm.

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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