Alameda Free Library Event Alert March 2026

Published on February 26, 2026

Event Descriptions – Ongoing Adult and Teen Events: 

Alameda Coin Club: Please join the Alameda Coin Club for presentations, discussions, and valuation of rare coins.

Make It – Keep Calm and Carry Yarn: Please join us for a fiber arts craft circle. All kinds of fiber artists are welcome. Please bring your own materials and expertise. Limited instruction available. It will be an afternoon of community building and crafting.

Teen Advisory Group: Are you a teen in 7th–12th grade looking to share your ideas, help with library projects, and earn volunteer hours? Join our Teen Advisory Group (TAG)! Registration is required.

Grown Folks Storytime: Try a different pace of life with our new weekly storytime for adults! Bring your lunch to the Children's Programming Room of the Main Library on Wednesday afternoons for a half-hour of short stories, picture books, and other tales curated by our expert librarians.

Teen Book Club: Teen book club members choose what we read from a variety of titles and genres each month. Additionally, while supplies last, book club members receive a free copy of the book to keep. The March book is The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe. All teens, ages 13 to 18, are invited to join the book group. The registration link is on the calendar. We will be meeting in person in the Stafford Room at the Main Library.

Alameda Readers Group: Please join us for a discussion of articles and short fiction from the New Yorker magazine. Please register ahead of time. 

Drop-in Chess: All levels welcome.  Boards are provided.  No instruction available.  All teens over 18 and adults are welcome.

Tech Petting Zoo: Meet Our 3D Printer: Learn the basics of 3D printing in this hands-on workshop. Ages 7 and up. Limit 10 learners. Registration is required. Submit your questions for the presenter ahead of time along with your registration.  No question is too large or too small!

Allons-y! French Conversation Circle: Join us on the second Friday of every month to practice your French conversation skills. This is a monthly series designed to increase your confidence in speaking French conversationally in your communities. All levels and dialects are welcome.

Learn Sewing at the Library: Come learn the basics of sewing from local makers Gaby and Cynthia. Make a new sewing project every session! We will provide materials, instruction sheets, and know-how to get you started. No registration required. We will meet on the second Saturday of the month unless otherwise noted. This month's projects are coin purse, pincushion, tote bag.

Alameda Writers’ Group: Come prepared for a short intro, including: your name, why you write, what you write (genre(s)), what you're working on now or most recently. And then let's get to it!

Five short prompts will be provided for those of you that like warming up or prefer to start with some inspiration for writing short stories and such. Join in person or via Zoom.

BFI Tech Tuesdays: Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at the Bay Farm Island Library at 1pm for small-group instruction on computers, tablets, smartphones and more! Registration required – register online or call the Bay Farm Island Library for registration assistance.

Workshop - 3D Modeling Basics: As a companion to our Tech Petting Zoo series, patrons ages 7 and up are encouraged to share and advance their learning of 3D modeling techniques in community. We will begin by progressing through the basic lessons available through Tinkercad, the free app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. A range of backgrounds, skills, and experience levels is desired for this community of practice-style workshop. If you are 7+ and wondering if this workshop is for you - it probably is! Registration is required, and bringing your own device is preferred.

A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book Club: Wondering what to read next? Instead of a monthly book everyone reads, A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book Club will discuss what everyone is currently reading or has recently read that they enjoyed.  The March theme is Hollywood (just in time for the Oscars). Please email the facilitator, Lynda, at llyndaw@gmail.com for more information.

A Novel Idea:  A Novel Idea is a book club for adults featuring novels from diverse genres and authors.  The March selection is Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab.

Mystery Book Clubs: Join the Alameda Free Library’s Bay Farm Island Mystery Book Club for fun and engaging literary discussions! The March selection is The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard.

The Reset – Career Workshops: New job, new you. Your next chapter starts right here in Alameda. Join us on fourth Saturdays for personalized career advice - from resumes to interviews, networking to job boards, we’ve got what you need to get hired. Please bring any materials you'd like reviewed as well as an Internet-enabled device if you have one. Let us support you in taking that first step toward your future. You bring the hustle, we’ll bring the tools. Because every great journey starts with a roadmap—come get yours. Any and all career stages welcome.

Event Descriptions – Special Adult/Teen Events:

Women’s History Month

• Poetry and Film with Tae Poetically Divine: Spend the morning with local poet, filmmaker, and cultural worker Tae Poetically Divine. In honor of Women’s History Month, we will screen her short films, experience her poetry, and share a cup of tea. Registration is encouraged.
• Women in Weaving Workshop: Presented by local artist Cristina Edwards, this is an intergenerational workshop and is geared for children ages 7 and up as well as teens and adults. Space is limited and registration is required.

Online Author Talks - Register and add questions for the author, then tune in live or watch the event recording:

• Michael Perry: Join us in conversation with bestselling author and humorist Michael Perry, whose collection of genre-spanning works encapsulates the experiences–and the magic–of rural town communities and the everyday people who reside in them.
• Shoshona Walter: Join us for a special conversation between award-winning journalist Shoshana Walter and bestselling and award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver as they chat about Walter’s book Rehab: An American Scandal. In this work, Walter, a Pulitzer finalist, exposes the country’s failed response to the opioid crisis, and the malfeasance, corruption, and snake oil which blight the drug rehabilitation industry.
• Kate Quinn: You’re invited to join us for a virtual conversation with acclaimed author Kate Quinn about her latest fantastical work, The Astral Library, which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.

Alameda Free Library Blood Drive: Please give blood if you can! To sign up please visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code ALAMEDALIBRARY  

Career Prep! Job Fairs and Resumes for Teens: Teens, get ready for your first job or career fair! Learn how to create a basic resume, talk to employers with confidence, and make a great first impression. Facilitated by Alameda Free Library and ARPD staff, this workshop is designed as a starting point to help teens practice the basics and feel more confident taking their first steps into the working world. Space is limited and registration is required.

Event Descriptions – Ongoing Weekly Children's Events: 

Mother Goose on the Loose - This fast-paced lap-sit program for little ones and their caregivers includes songs, nursery rhymes, knee-bounces, and movement to help develop important pre-literacy skills. This class is appropriate for infants through 2 years old. This program starts promptly at 10:30am. Latecomers may not be admitted.

Baby and Me: This lap-sit program for little ones and their caregivers includes songs, nursery rhymes, knee-bounces, and movement to help develop important pre-literacy skills. This class is appropriate for infants through 2 years old.

Toddler - A 20-30 minute program that uses stories, songs, fingerplays, and movement to help young children ages 1-3 years old develop word and sound recognition, gain background knowledge of how the world works, and encourages families to build social connections with other parents and children.

Toddler Plus - Toddler Plus Storytime is a 20-30 minute program using stories, songs, fingerplays, and movement to help young children ages 2-3 years old develop word and sound recognition, gain background knowledge of how the world works, and encourage families to build social connections with other parents and children. Toddler Plus Storytime is a bit longer and more complex than what is typically presented during Toddler Storytime and is perfect for children about to enter preschool.

STEAM Wednesdays – Each week we will be leading a different STEAM focused program for ages 8 and up focusing on topics like Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Registration is required.

Family Storytime - Geared for a mix of ages, we invite families to participate as we read stories, sing songs, do fingerplays and more.

New Book Storytime:  A 20-30 minute storytime for children in Kindergarten through third grade featuring picture books new to our collection.  

Build with LEGO - We will provide the LEGO building blocks.  Use your imagination and creativity to create with them!  

Event Descriptions – Special Children’s and Family Events: 

Women’s History Month:

• Storytimes with Special Guests: Celebrate women in our community at storytimes with these special guests: Firefighter Cary, an Alameda Police Office, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, and Naturalist Susan.
• Hands-On Neuroscience for Young Learners: Scientific Adventure for Girls will be hosting this special event designed to spark curiosity about the brain.  Using an interactive neuroscience program designed for TK-6th grade, students will create life-size nervous systems, learn about amazing women scientists, create a model of a spine, and discover how their brain and senses work through taste tests and matching games. Each activity combines creative activities with age-appropriate science concepts, making complex topics accessible and fun. Fun for the whole family.

Author visit with Peter H. Reynolds: New York Times bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds introduces When You Dream Big!, an uplifting story about learning to follow your heart and your toes. Mr. Reynolds will sign copies of his book after the presentation. Books will be available to purchase at the event, but no purchase is necessary to attend. Registration is required.

Family Movie Matinee: Enjoy Smurfs (rated PG)! During movie showings we aim to create a sensory-friendly environment by keeping half the room lights on, lowering the volume, turning on movie captions, offering fidget toys to use during the movie, and leaving open seating with wobble cushions so kids have room to move around. Audience participants are welcome to bring in food, blankets, and pillows! We provide light refreshments and snacks during the movie screening.

Youth Art Club:  4th though 8th graders, meet at the Bay Farm Island Library on the second Thursday every month to create works of art! Learn how to create reproducible art! In March, we will have a short lesson on the history of stamping and printmaking and then create our own stamps!  Spaces are limited with a new sign-up required each month. No prior experience is needed and all materials are provided.

Drop-in Chess Club for Kids: Join us for drop-in Chess Club for Kids (8+) No instruction provided. Just bring yourself; boards and pieces will be available.

Coding with LEGO, Family Edition:  Coding with LEGO comes back to the West End Library!Each family or small group will build and use block-based coding to create a fantastic LEGO project. This event is geared towards beginners ages 6-11. Registration is required.