All Alameda Free Library locations will be closed on Monday, June 19th, in observance of Juneteenth.

Summer Reading Challenge
The Summer Reading Challenge runs from June 1st through July 31st.

Readers of all ages can play and win prizes. No library card required!

Sign up online or at any Alameda Free Library location on or after June 1st, 2023. The program ends on July 31st, 2023.

More Information

Summer Reading Challenge 2023
June Events for Adults
All Your Favorite Music is (Probably) Black
Study Hall at AFL, a program for teens

Adults

• Sunday, June 4th, 3:30PM | Main. Urban Cycling with Bonnie Wehmann. Learn the basic rules of the road, how to equip your bicycle, fit your helmet, avoid bike theft, and prevent common crashes. No bike required!
• Tuesday, June 6th, 6:00 PM | Main. Staying Safe Online. This event will introduce and cover the basics of creating safe passwords, managing them on your personal devices, and knowing whether to trust things that may pop up while surfing the Internet. Space is limited and registration is required.
• Tuesday, June 6th & 20th, 4:30 PM | Main. Make It. A twice monthly fiber arts craft circle. Bring your project and build community with other craft minded people.
• Thursday, June 15th, 2:00 PM | Main. Audubon Speaker Series. Join us for an informative discussion on the conservation of grassland birds and their inexorable link to privately owned ranch lands.
• Saturday, June 17th, 2:00 PM | Main.  All Your Favorite Music is (Probably) Black. Celebrate Black Music Month with AFL! Join us for a humorous, highly immersive, and historically accurate talk that uncovers the African-American roots of popular music genres that appear to be free of African-Americans.
• Tuesday, June 27th, 6:30 PM | Main. Grain to Glass. Come learn about the collaboration between farmer, maltster, and brewer in a "behind-the-scenes tour" with the co-founder of local malthouse Admiral Maltings, Dave McLean.
• Wednesday, June 28th, 6:00 PM | Main. Pride Movie Night. Celebrate Pride month with the snappy and heartfelt film Bros (2022, R). Bobby, a neurotic podcast host, is on a rom-com journey navigating Tinder dates, opening a LGBTQ+ museum, and possibly, probably, stumbling towards love.

Children

• Saturday, June 10th, 2:30 PM | Main. Brian Scott Magic. This interactive magic show has been delighting audiences throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. All are welcome; children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
• Sunday, June 11th, 2:00 PM | Main. Family Movie Matinee. Join us for a sensory friendly family movie matinee, featuring Disney and Pixar's Turning Red (2022, PG). Our goal is to create an inclusive environment that makes it easier for anyone with sensory sensitivities to enjoy their movie watching experience. Please visit our website calendar for more details.
• Wednesday, June 14th, 2:30 PM | Bay Farm. Bingo Schmingo. Join us for some musical fun! Bingo Schmingo Music is a lively presentation full of interactive songs, stories, and dances, suitable for the entire family.
• Thursday, June 29th, 2:30 PM | Main. Drummm.  Participants of all ages will explore, play, and discover how rhythm connects us with each other and the world around us.

Storytimes:

Bay Farm Island Branch:

• Family Storytime: Every Tuesday at 7pm, all ages
• Preschool Storytime: Every Thursday at 10:30am, ages 3-5

Main Library, Children's Programming Room:

• Preschool Storytime: Every Tuesday at 10:30am, ages 3-5
• School-Age Storytime: Every Wednesday at 3:30pm, grades K-3rd
• Mother Goose on the Loose: Every Thursday at 10:30am, ages 0-2
• Toddler Storytime: Every Friday at 10:30am, ages 1-3
• Toddler Storytime: Every Saturday at 10:30am, ages 1-3

West End Branch:

• Mil y un Cuentos: Every Monday at 7pm, all ages
• Toddler Storytime: Every Tuesday at 10:30am, ages 1-3

Teens

• Monday, June 5th 4:00 PM & Tuesday June 6th 2:00 PM | MAIN. Study Hall @ AFL. Looking for a place to study? Need to catch up on assignments? Join us at the library!
• Tuesday, June 6th, 4:30 PM | MAIN. Teen Advisory Board. Plan community events, get experience, and earn volunteer hours! Ages 13-18 only
• Wednesday, June 7th, 4:00 PM | MAIN. Teen Book Club. Teen book club members choose what we read each month. Ages 13-18 years old.  Free copies on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register to join. June Title: The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora.
• Monday, June 12th, 6:00 PM | Main. Dungeons & Dragons Looking to get into Dungeons & Dragons? No experience needed. Character sheets, dice, and rules explanations provided. Teens only!
• Wednesday, June 14th, 3:30 PM | Main. Game Break!. Don't forget to take a break...A GAME BREAK! Try out our new games and/or watch others play! Teens only!

Book Clubs

Teen
Book Club

Main Branch
Stafford Room

Wednesday, June 7th
@4:00 P.M.

Alameda
Great Books

Main Branch
Family Study Room

Tuesday, June 13th
@6:30 P.M.

Cup of Coffee & a Good Book Club
      

Islandia Clubhouse:
1138 Island Drive, Bay Farm

Wed, June 21st
@1:00 P.M.

Mystery
Book Club

Main Branch
Family Study Room

Monday, June 26th
@6:00 P.M.

Mystery
Book Club

Bay Farm Island Branch
Tues, June 27th
@5:30 P.M.

Staff Pick

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver takes place in a world full of real, breathing magic. Drawing heavily on the classic fairytale of Rumpelstiltskin, Novik spins a bewitching story with lush characters and perilous promises. Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender, and Irina, the daughter of a regional duke, both find themselves in precarious positions where they must use their wit to secure their fates among fey and demons.

Novik’s story is heavily inspired by her father’s family, who were Lithuanian Jews who had to escape persecution. The fairytale land she builds, sculpted by greed and discrimination, ultimately speaks to the power of building connections beyond cultural barriers.

I was charmed by the way the protagonists weave in and out of each other’s’ lives. Like a tapestry, the threads of this story come together in such unexpected and enchanting ways. Novik’s deft ability to bring us into her world makes this a must read for fans of fairytales and folklore. – Recommended by Alyssa

Featured Resources

Check out LGBTQ+ Source, a comprehensive
Check out LGBTQ+ Source, a comprehensive database for LGBTQ+ studies and research.

Use novel list to find your next great read.
Use NoveList to find your next great read! Get recommendations based on genre, age range, and much more!

Calisphere a database of California history.
Access Calisphere and discover a collection of unique and historically important artifacts for research, teaching, and exploration.