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Library Partners with Equal Read: Project Offers Easy Access to the Diversity of Berkeley Public Library’s Children’s Collections

Contact: Sarah Dentan
Acting Deputy Director
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6195
sdentan@cityofberkeley.info



Berkeley Public Library Partners with Equal Read:

Project Offers Easy Access to the Diversity of Berkeley Public Library’s Children’s Collections
 

Berkeley, April 25, 2016—Berkeley Public Library is thrilled to offer a new online resource for kids and their caregivers. Berkeley Public Library’s children’s collections are now searchable with the phrase “equal read.” Equal Read’s engaging and highly recommended book selections feature a broadly diverse collection of characters that appeal to young readers. “By partnering with Equal Read, library users can now more easily find a wide diversity of books in our collections. This is a wonderful, new opportunity for us to better serve our community,” said Acting Deputy Director Sarah Dentan.


Founded as a nonprofit organization in Berkeley in 2013, Equal Read works with schools, libraries, academics, booksellers, and publishers, to build empathy with diverse books and curricula. This year, Equal Read is working with UC Berkeley’s literacy mentors at all of Berkeley’s Unified School District’s (BUSD) elementary after-school programs, building inclusive book collections that represent all learners. Next year, Equal Read plans to pilot its successful Equal Read Classrooms program at BSUD’s Emerson and Malcolm X Elementary Schools.


Berkeley Public Library’s new Equal Read collection tags not only help readers, parents, and caregivers find more diverse engaging books, they also serve teachers looking for appealing books with characters that have identities that are similar and different to their readers. Research shows that reading such "mirror" and "window" texts increases empathy, an essential 21st century skill for learning.


Please visit any Berkeley Public Library location for a demonstration of how this search technique can help you find more diverse books in Berkeley Public Library collections.


The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley CA, and is open: Monday, 12 noon-8:00 pm, Tuesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10:00am-6:00 pm. Branches are open: Monday, 10:00am-6:00pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Thursday 12 noon-8:00pm, and Friday and Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm.


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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West Branch Earns LEED Platinum and AIA COTE Top Ten Award

Contact: Sarah Dentan
Acting Director, Library Services
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6195



Berkeley Public Library’s West Branch Earns LEED Platinum and AIA COTE Top Ten Award


Berkeley, CA.  April 22, 2016— Earth Day—The West Branch of the Berkeley Public Library has earned two more highly distinguished awards for its environmentally “green” features, the Berkeley Public Library announced today.


The Library has recently learned that West Branch has received the highest level certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)—Platinum, according to Sarah Dentan, Acting Library Director This is the first City of Berkeley owned building to achieve this status.


Today the Library received notification from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) that West Branch is the recipient of the prestigious COTE Top 10 Award (Committee on the Environment (COTE).  According to AIA, “the COTE Top Ten Awards program, now in its 19th year, is the profession's most rigorous recognition program for sustainable design excellence. The program celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology.”  


Opened in December 2013, the West Branch Library has been recognized multiple times, including certification as a ZeroNet Energy building, the first Net Zero Public Library in California. It actually produces more energy than it takes to run the building, with the excess going back into the power grid. Neil De Snoo, the City of Berkeley’s Energy Program Officer called the West Branch, “Exemplary in both design and operation.”


Pollard affirmed, “As we look to Earth Day for inspiration, motivation, and accomplishment, the Berkeley Public Library is proud to reflect the environmental commitment of the Berkeley community.  We urge the public to stop by West Branch to experience its green features, and to visit other libraries as well to get information about what you can do environmentally in your own homes and businesses,” she said.


Amanda Myers, West Branch Supervisor, agreed, “Working in the first NZE public library in the state is a pleasure. Our building receives an enormous amount of natural light, so much so that working inside is not a far cry from being outside. And, it’s a treat to receive visitors from all of the world coming to check out our innovative work place. Our steady stream of regular patrons who are here working on personal endeavors, enjoying public computers or picking up library materials, is also a testament to how well our new building is appreciated by our public.”


According to the United State Green Building Council (USGBC), “LEED Certification is a process designed to inspire project teams to seek innovative solutions that are better for our communities.”  To achieve LEED certification, building projects must satisfy environmental prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. As part of its Climate Action Plan, the City of Berkeley requires all major remodels or new construction of City buildings to meet LEED Silver certification.


The renovated Claremont Branch and North Branch Public Libraries each achieved LEED Silver. South Branch, which like West Branch, was rebuilt from the ground up, earned Gold LEED Certification.  The Berkeley voters passed measure FF, a $26 million bond measure for the Branch Library Improvement Program, overwhelmingly in November 2008. See more information about West Branch and our other Sustainable Spaces. (View West Branch’s Energy Dashboard  to see energy usage.)


A project of this complexity requires a team:


The Berkeley Public Library opened in 1893 with 264 books. It now has a Central Library located at 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 and four state-of-the-art neighborhood branches with thousands of books, audiobooks, music CDs, DVDs and online streaming and downloadable materials. For more information call 510-981-6195 or visit the library’s website.


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Changes in Recurring Children’s Programs and Registration Process @Claremont Branch Library

Contact: Shani Leonards
Supervising Librarian
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6280


Changes in Recurring Children’s Programs and Registration Process @Claremont Branch Library


Berkeley, California. April 13, 2016 – You love our Children’s events so much! The Berkeley Public Library’s Claremont Branch is making changes to our weekly Baby & Toddler Story Time and Movement and Music programs to improve service and manage these popular programs that regularly draw crowds beyond the capacity of our space.  


Starting April 8th, Claremont Branch Library will pause our Children’s programs. (There will not be no Tuesday Baby storytimes, Thursday Preschool story times or Friday Movement and Music Programs.) When we resume our regularly scheduled Children’s programs on April 22nd, patrons will reserve tickets online for Claremont’s weekly Baby & Toddler Storytime and Movement and Music programs using EventBrite, an online ticketing system used by other libraries. This is an improvement on the current system that involving waiting in line outside for physical tickets. Patrons can also go online via our website calendar and reserve a space for their child.


Registration for these programs goes live the day before each event. (For example, register on Thursdays, beginning April 21st at 12:00pm, the day before our Friday Music and Movement and Mondays beginning April 25th at 12:00pm for Tuesdays Baby & Toddler Story Time.)


Currently, Claremont’s Preschool Story Time does not require registration. This could change if it gets too crowded for safety. To see all of our children’s programs, please visit our online calendar. For questions about these changes or about our branch, please call 510-981-6280.


The Claremont Branch is located at 2940 Benvenue @Ashby, Berkeley CA 94705, and is open: Monday, 10:00am-6:00pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Thursday 12 noon-8:00pm, and Friday and Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm.


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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