Friends of the Albany Library

Welcome to Friends of the Albany Library!

FRIENDS OF THE ALBANY LIBRARY (FAL)

The Friends’s purpose is to benefit the library by selling books and other materials in the library, on the Internet, and during on-site book sales. Please go to the Benefit Page to see the types of ongoing events and items that FAL supports. FAL operations and most of our sales take place at 1247 Marin Ave, Albany CA 94706.

Call us at 510.526.3720 during library open days/hours, after selecting a language option, wait for the option to reach Friends of the Albany Library to leave a message as our office is not “staffed”. Leave a message and we’ll call you back. You can also reach us by email at friendsalbany@yahoo.com any time.

For more information about the Albany Branch of the Alameda County Library including open days/hours, visit Albany | Alameda County Library (aclibrary.org) The Albany Library is closed on Fridays.

SPECIAL 3-MONTH SERIES OF ALBANY COMMUNITY READS EVENTS MARCH-MAY

Please join us as the Albany Library launches a three-month community wide reading and event experience inspired by the The Poet and the Silk Girl: A Memoir of Love, Imprisonment, and Protest by Albany author Satsuki Ina. Receive a free copy of the book (while supplies last), hear from the author, experience a powerful documentary presentation, and help fold thousands of origami cranes as a shared symbol of remembrance and hope.

Through films, art, poetry, history talks, cultural programs, and conversations on civil liberties and belonging, Albany Reads invites neighbors of all ages to learn from the past and imagine a more just future together. Given the current national political climate, the Albany Reads events will be timely, topical, educational, interesting, and inspiring.

Detailed information on events will be included on the Friends Site Events Page Events | Friends of the Albany Library during the month the event occurs. Link to all of the events in the Community Reads Series on the ACL Albany Library events page: Events | Alameda County Library | BiblioCommons

Albany Reads Kick Off – Sunday, March 1
A History of Immigration Law – Tuesday, March 3
Alternative Facts – The Lies of Executive Order 9066 – Wednesday, March 4
Children of the Camps – Wednesday, March 18
Albany’s Book Club – The Poet and the Silk Girl – Saturday, March 21
Conscience and the Constitution – Wednesday, April 1
Albany Reads Discussion Group – The Poet and the Silk Girl – Sunday, April 5
Rabbit in the Moon Documentary – Wednesday, April 15
Albany Reads Mid Event – Poetry and Resilience – Sunday, April 19
Albany Reads Discussion Group – The Poet and the Silk Girl – Tuesday, April 21
From a Silk Cocoon Documentary followed by a Discussion with Satsuki Ina – Wednesday, April 29
Albany Reads Discussion Group – The Poet and the Silk Girl – Saturday, May 2
Albany Reads Discussion Group – The Poet and the Silk Girl – Tuesday, May 19
And Then They Came for Us – Documentary followed by a Discussion with Satsuki Ina and Abby Ginzberg – Wednesday, May 27

Albany Reads Events are co-supported by Path to Belonging, a project of the City of Albany; the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Emeryville; Friends of Albany Library, and the Albany Reads series

Come participate in this extraordinary season of learning and connection with your neighbors, because when a community reads together, it can also grow, heal, and imagine together. “We are stronger together than we are alone.” – Walter Payton, Chicago Bears Running Back

SPRING BOOK SALE SATURDAY, APRIL 25 & SUNDAY, APRIL 26

Our next onsite Book Sale is Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26. Information below:

Location: Albany City Community Center Big Room and Albany Library Edith Stone Room at 1247 Marin Ave., Albany

Hours:

Saturday, 4/25: 9am-5pm for both rooms
Sunday, 4/26: 10am-4pm Big Room & 10am-2pm Edith Stone Room

What’s on Offer:

The Community Center Big Room items will be $1.00 and include books of all kinds for adults, pre-schoolers, kids and tweens, lots of CD’s and DVD’s and vintage magazines.
Edith Stone Room items will be at $2 and up and include Jigsaw puzzles for all ages, vintage, rare, and collectible books and magazines including an estate with many academic titles – Focus on History of Christianity, Psychology, Slavic and Russian Studies, and Russian language books
Weather permitting current magazines and library discards outdoors 5/$1

How to Pay:

Cash or check with ID, major credit cards accepted for purchases $3 and up

In the meantime, please continue to donate books to help us prepare and stock up for the April book sale. Before the spring book sale, you can purchase books on the ongoing shelf sale in the library and online at Shop Friends of the Albany Library Books and Collectibles | AbeBooks: Eve’s Book Garden

We will be looking for volunteers to assist in setting up, cashiering and cleaning up as we get closer to the sale date.

As always, we appreciate your help, participation and book purchases! We can’t do it without you! Looking forward to seeing you there!

BOOK DONATIONS TAKEN BY APPOINTMENT

The Friends are now taking donations, but by advance appointment only.

UPCOMING LIBRARY EVENTS SUPPORTED BY THE FRIENDS

We are happy to share a list of one-time library events supported by the Friends for the month of March.

Please go to the Friends Site Events Page for more detailed event information, including event time and location as well as registration requirements if applicable.

March One-Time Events Supported by the Friends

Chess Class – Sunday, March 1
Albany Reads Kick Off – Sunday, March 1
iSearch Help – Monday, March 2
A History of Immigration Law: How We Got Here Talk by Carlotta Wright de la Cal, PHD Candidate, UC Berkeley, and Ming H. Chen, Harry & Lillian’s Hastings Professor of Law – Tuesday, March 3
Rockin’ Kids Sing-Along – Wednesday, March 4
iSearch Help – Wednesday, March 4
Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066 Documentary – Wednesday, March 4
Art Hour for Kids – Saturday, March 7
Family Music Lab – Sunday, March 8
Cinema Sunday: Inside Out – Sunday, March 8
iSearch Help – Monday, March 9
Albany Library’s Conversation Club – Tuesday, March 10
Rockin’ Kids Sing-Along – Wednesday, March 11
iSearch Help – Wednesday, March 11
Pajama Storytime – Wednesday, March 11
Albany’s Arts & Crafts – Can One Make Art with Glue, Flowers, Paint, Stones and a Vase? Maybe…-Saturday, March 14
Chess Class – Sunday, March 15
iSearch Help – Monday, March 16
Albany Library’s Conversation Club – Tuesday, March 17
Rockin’ Kids Sing-Along – Wednesday, March 18
iSearch Help – Wednesday, March 18
Children of the Camps – Documentary followed by Q/A with Satsuki Ina – Wednesday, March 18
Albany Library’s Saturday Afternoon Book Club – The Poet and the Silk Girl – Saturday, March 21
Learn to make Reusable Cloth Beeswax Food Wraps – Saturday, March 21
Family Music Lab – Sunday, March 22
Climate Future Film Festival – Sunday, March 22
Meet the Author – Aaron Parsons “Coherence” – Tuesday, March 24
Read to a Dog – Wednesday, March 25
Albany Library Presents: Women Working in Non-Traditional Industries – Wednesday, March 25
Movies at the Albany Library – Oscar Nominated Hamnet – Saturday, March 28
Double Homicide – LARP – Sunday, March 29
Albany Library’s Conversation Club – Tuesday, March 31

Get Involved!

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