Friends of Montclair Library

You may remember that way back last spring, before everything shut down, the Montclair Library was planning to host a presentation about electric vehicles. If you still have electric car questions, OPL is hosting a virtual program about electric vehicles tomorrow, April 22, from noon-1pm on Facebook: https://oaklandlibrary.org//save-money-and-environment-ele

Don't forget that tomorrow (4/17) is the last day for Sidewalk Pickup. Starting Monday 4/19, the library will be open for "OPL Express" service. Details at https://oaklandlibrary.org//oakland-public-library-express

Happy National Library Week! Catch up on reopening plans, and ways to advocate for libraries and celebrate National Poetry Month virtually, in our April newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/5a1ba5986119/montclairapr2021

Browsing is back! Things will still be a little different than you remember, but the Montclair branch (and 15 other locations) will open for indoor "OPL Express" service starting April 19. Sidewalk Service is being discontinued April 18. Read the article to get the full scoop on how things will work.

Our March newsletter has tips for finding books kids will love, a virtual social connection for teens and our roundup of books that sum up 2020. https://mailchi.mp/6f424874132d/montclairmar2021

Heads up: The Montclair branch will probably be closed Monday 10/25 due to the planned PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) which will affect our area. Please check the OPL website or call the branch for the latest before heading over. For more information about the PSPS, see https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/updates/

Time for another newsletter! Get the latest on Sidewalk Pickup, book club, voting resources and Banned Books Week. Plus OPL's pandemic response statistics, like the fact that patrons have requested 100,000 items across the system since Sidewalk Pickup was announced. https://mailchi.mp/c24848a3c10b/montclairoct2020

Love Oakland history? Check out this podcast series by the fabulous Dorothy Lazard.

It's Banned Books Week! From "The Handmaid's Tale" to "The Hate U Give," banned books feel more important now than ever. For more info, check out http://www.ala.org//b/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2019 and https://bookriot.com/banned-books-for-banned-books-week

A library card is like a skeleton key to the whole universe. It unlocks not only the infinite knowledge and resources available at libraries, but every beautiful, complex, handcrafted universe ever created in a story.Emma H. To celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month this September, the ALA asked people what they love most about having a library card. Read more responses here: http://www.ilovelibraries.org//10-people-share-why-they-lo

If you enjoyed our book club discussion of Dashka Slater's "The 57 Bus," check out her Author Chat benefiting The Friends of the Oakland Public School Libraries (FOPSL) on October 15. She'll be discussing "The 57 Bus" with Aishatu Yusuf, project director with the justice reform nonprofit Impact Justice, and her children’s books with OUSD school librarian Mariah Sparks. There's a whole series of chats happening every Thursday in October via Zoom - for more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://fopsl.org/tickets/

Don't forget to join us via Zoom at 6:30pm tonight to talk about the cookbook "Flavors of Oakland" and the stories and recipes it includes, like this vegan chocolate cake I tested today! Purely for scientific purposes, of course.

But also, no Sidewalk Pickup today due to poor air quality. Stay safe, Oakland!

Expanded Sidewalk Pickup hours coming at Montclair (and other locations) next week. Yay!

Mark your calendars: We'll be Zooming Tuesday, September 15 from 6:30-7:30pm to discuss our next Oakland-themed book selection, "Flavors of Oakland" by Elazar Sontag and Anya Ku. This cookbook profiles 20 Oakland residents and the stories behind the recipes they chose to share. Extra credit: If you're interested, we'll have time for people to share the story of a recipe that's significant to them. Find the book here: https://encore.oaklandlibrary.org//enc/record/C__Rb208069...5 We'll be sending the Zoom link to book club subscribers next week - if you'd like to be added to the list or have any questions, please contact [email protected]. Program details: https://oaklandlibrary.org//onl/online-montclair-book-club

Our September newsletter has info on Sidewalk Pickup, our next book club meeting, voter information and more! https://mailchi.mp/f32d1e8e5e14/montclairsept2020

In case you were wondering how the world's library cats are faring during the pandemic, ILoveLibraries.org has answers.

Big news: Sidewalk Pickup at the Montclair Branch starts tomorrow, Saturday, August 15!