Redwood City Public Library eNews
September 8, 2020
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
September 12 marks the beginning of Welcoming Week, a worldwide effort of organizations and communities to bring together all residents in affirming the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity. Redwood City Public Library’s mission is to cultivate community by welcoming all people to experience the shared joys of literacy and learning. While we work toward this mission every day of the year, we are actively celebrating Welcoming Week with a host of online events and by highlighting our services that are meant to create a welcoming Redwood City.

PARTICIPATE
Join us for the following Welcoming Week signature events:

Tue. 9/15 11am
Our RCPL CARES team will read books for children that highlight the stories of people of color. Prerecorded and released as a collection.

Sat. 9/19 2pm
Learn how to safely intervene in the event that you witness a hate crime or bias incident. Presented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations SF Bay Area.

Sat. 9/19 7pm
Stuffed animals are coming from other countries looking for a home! Collect your special sleepover supplies from the library between 10am - 11am, then join us online to learn about the countries your stuffies came from.

LEARN
Find our anti-racism reading lists here: 

We have made a selection of Always Available titles concerning race and social justice available without holds through our shared Peninsula Library System Overdrive collection. To view the collection, go here.

RCPL CARES
Redwood City Public Library has been actively immersed in racial equity work for our community since the fall of 2019, when we were selected through a competitive application process to be one of the pilot libraries for California State Library's California Libraries Cultivating Race, Equity and Inclusion (CREI) Initiative. The CREI Initiative's broad goal is to catalyze a statewide network of libraries and library staff committed to racial equity and full inclusion. Our diverse staff team participating in CREI has given itself the name RCPL CARES - Cultivating and Advancing Racial Equity Systemically. The RCPL CARES team has crafted a Racial Equity Story/Case Statement. Read it here

The RCPL CARES work is scaffolded by earlier equity and inclusion work in our community. Since 2015, Redwood City Public Library has been part of Redwood City 2020’s Redwood City Together (RCT) initiative to foster empathy and understanding among community members. In fact, the Library is the only organization to receive RCT’s Welcoming Stars award twice – in 2017 for its broad array of welcoming programs and services, and again in 2020 for the Human Library. The Library has included welcoming and inclusion in its Service Priorities for several years, and helped lay some of the groundwork for the City of Redwood City to be designated a Welcoming City in 2017.

How are you practicing being a welcoming neighbor? Share with us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

I wish you a connection-full Welcoming Week,
Derek Wolfgram
Library Director
NEWS FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
The Friends of the Redwood City Public Library are happy to announce that we have scheduled our 4th drop-off event to collect book donations.

Wanted items: Books in new or like new condition

When: Saturday, September 12 from 10am-12pm

Where: Behind the Downtown Library at 1044 Middlefield Road

Please bring items in bags or boxes and please wear a mask.
WHAT'S NEW
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?

We’re excited to be part of a national effort to strengthen our democracy by encouraging voter registration on September 22, 2020, also known as National Voter Registration Day.

We invite you to register to vote and learn more at: NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org
ONLINE EVENTS TOP PICKS
See the full events calendar here.
Grab your favorite stuffed animal or toy and join us at our annual stuffed animal sleepover! / ¡Elija su peluche o juguete favorito y únase a nuestra pijamada anual de peluches!
Learn how to safely intervene in the event that you witness a hate crime or bias incident. Presented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations SF Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA)
EVENTOS EN ESPAÑOL
LOS LUNES, 11am
Disfruta de una colección de cuentos que está llena de divertidas historias, canciones y más

LOS JUEVES, 5pm
Únase al club de lectura en español "Libros y Café" y disfrute de un momento relajado para leer en la mejor compañía

LOS JUEVES, 10am
Hora del cuento bilingüe en inglés/español en vivo con Armando a través de Zoom.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
SAT SEP 12, 11am
Dogs love to hear stories! Read to a specially trained dog provided by the Peninsula Humane Society.

SAT SEP 12, 12pm
Learn about different African drums and how to play rhythms using items around your home. We will have a virtual dance & drum circle at the end.

Starting SEP 16 - WEDNESDAYS, 3-5pm
Children from 3 to 5 years of age are invited to enjoy different stories, songs and crafts every week!

Starting SEP 16 - WEDNESDAYS, 3-5pm
Children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade enjoy different stories, songs, crafts and at-home challenges every week!

THU SEP 17, 6:30pm
Join us for an online concert with Jazz Guitarist, Composer and Educator Mason Razavi.

TUE SEP 22, 12pm
This is a great introductory workshop for people who are new to bicycling or interested in learning more. // Este es un excelente taller de introducción para personas que son nuevas a andar en bicicleta o que están interesadas en aprender más
 
To keep up with all our online programs, go here.
LIBRARY SERVICE UPDATE
Below is a list of services available at this time. For updates, visit our COVID-19 microsite here.
  • All Redwood City Public Library locations are currently closed until further notice.
  • Downtown Library bookdrops are open to accept returns.
  • Curbside Service for picking up holds is now available.
  • Our events are online! Check our calendar here. In-person Library events are cancelled until further notice.
  • Meeting room reservations are cancelled until further notice.
  • Borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks; use streaming TV, movie, and music services; and access digital subscriptions to newspapers and magazines here.
  • Our Zip Books service continues. Zip Books is a way for customers to request books that the Library doesn't own. The item is shipped directly to you using Amazon Prime.
  • Library customer service is available for general questions. Please call (650) 780-7018, extension 4 or rclinfo@redwoodcity.org. 
  • Online resources are available to current card holders and new cardholders. Don't have a card? Sign up here for an eCard, good for 90 days.
STAY IN TOUCH
Library customer service is available for your questions:
By phone: (650) 780-7018, extension 4

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