Upcoming Events, News
& Happenings
It's happening on March 6th -- Save the date!
Register early! Join us for celebration and FUNdraising!
A virtual celebration and fundraiser hosted by Roman Mars, creator of radio show 99% Invisible and author of 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design. Enjoy a sneak peek inside the newly renovated Central Library spaces and an engaging array of music, dance, theater, stories, and poetry brought directly to your living room by notable library lovers from Berkeley and beyond. Special appearances by:
 
  • Ross Gay, poet, author of New York Times bestseller The Book of Delights: Essays
  • Laleh Khadivi, filmmaker and author of A Good Country
  • Linda Schacht Gage, Emmy award-winning television reporter and library champion
  • Berkeley Symphony's Artistic Director René Mandel and violinist Mathew Szemela
  • Berkeley Ballet Theater with Artistic Director Robert Dekker and BBT Studio Company Dancers
  • Shotgun Players Founding Artistic Director Patrick Dooley, with Joy Carlin, Nancy Carlin, and Megan Trout

Free, but registration is required.

Love our Libraries? BE A FAN! Want to know more? Click on through to our Libraries Are Central event landing page, updates made weekly.
Our Annual Authors Dinner has been postponed until we can safely gather again in person. We hope you will join us for a virtual good time in March at Libraries are Central!
Season 2 of our popular celebrity storytime series co-produced with the Berkeley Symphony begins again on Friday, February 19 at 11:00 AM on the Library's Facebook page. Berkeley Symphony musicians accompany readers with their favorite stories. Look for Chef Tanya Holland, KTVU's Gasia Mikaelian, Writer Kate Schatz, Comedian W. Kamau Bell, and UC Chancellor Carol Christ with Berkeley Symphony musicians Kevin Neuhoff on timpani/percussion, Darcy Rindt on viola, Scott Macomber on trumpet, Nancy Bien on cello, Joan Cifarelli on piano.
In Remembrance of
NANCY PARKS
The Foundation lost a dear friend and former Board member with the passing of Nancy Turner Park on December 29, 2020. Nancy’s passions included photography, art, theater, and the majestic beauty of the Bay Area and coastal trails. She was warm and kind and filled with a generous and compassionate spirit. Nancy’s support of the Berkeley Builds Readers Program at the Berkeley Public Library was indicative of her strong commitment to our community and her profound sense of equality and opportunity. Nancy is survived by her partner, Robin Kaer, and leaves a vast network of friends, including the current and former members of the Foundation Board of Directors. We all miss her dearly.
All proceeds and donations support library innovations, new literary projects, and expanding access and connectivity throughout our community.