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All Alameda Free Library locations
will be closing at 5pm on Wednesday, December 24
will be closed on Thursday, December 25, in observance of the Christmas Holiday
will be closing at 5PM on Wednesday, December 31
 We have launched a new & mobile friendly catalog. Try it out!
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AFL FRESH
@Main Library, Stafford Room
Session 1: Tue., December 16 | 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Session 2: Wed., December 17 |3:30 - 5:30 PM
Teens*, are you hunting for a great spot to study or work on final projects? The library has got your back! During Study Hall, we've got open seating, snacks to keep you fueled up, and even coloring pages to help you take a break and unwind
*This program is for teens in 7th - 12th grade
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@Main Library, Stafford Room
Saturday, December 20, 2:00 - 4:30 AM
Please join us to welcome local poet Noor Al-Samarrai as we pair her works with a screening of the film 'Spaces of Exception' by Matt Peterson and Malek Rasamny. Enjoy refreshments and community. Please register so we know how much popcorn to provide. See you there!
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@Main Library, Stafford Room
Saturday, December 27, 3:00 - 3:45 AM
A magic show inspired by the most magical season of the year, a time of shorter days, colder nights, and annual celebrations of light. Come warm yourself with a little fun and a whole lot of wonder! All ages are welcome at this special seasonal magic show.
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STORYTIME SCHEDULE AT ALL LOCATIONS |
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Regularly scheduled Storytimes are on hiatus at all locations from Sunday, December 21st to Saturday, January 3rd.
Storytimes will resume on Sunday, January 4th
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Las horas de cuentos programadas regularmente están suspendidas en todas las ubicaciones del domingo 21 de diciembre al sábado 3 de enero.
Se reanudarán el domingo 4 de enero.
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MAIN LIBRARY, CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING ROOM
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The mission of the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Friends of the Alameda Free Library (FAL) is to raise funds and advocate for the success of the Alameda Free Library. For more than 50 years, FAL has worked alongside the Library to ensure equal, free, and safe access to critical resources. The Library relies on FAL to maintain and expand its collections of books, digital resources, and technology. Every year FAL's support makes it possible for the Library to offer a broad range of well-liked programs for all ages. To stay up to date with important Library-specific community events, FAL used book sales, and more, please visit us at https://alamedafriends.com/ and sign up for our monthly newsletter here |
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@West End Library
Saturday, December 06, 3:00 - 04:00 PM
This winter extravaganza, “The North Pole Review,” is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. This music-based production showcases the graceful ice skater Crystal Chandelier, the high-kicking antics of the Russian Trepak Dancers, and a trio of dazzling acrobatic penguins. These characters will be singing and dancing at the West End Library.
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@West End Library
Wednesday, December 17, 2:00 - 04:00 PM
Enjoy making crafts to celebrate the Winter Season at the West End Library. We will have crafting stations with various activities for the whole family.
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@Main Library, Children's Programming Rm
Wednesday, December 24, 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Join us for a very special story time. It's an hour jam packed with holiday themed stories, songs and crafts. Families welcome!
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MONTHLY EVENTS :: CHILDREN
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@Bay Farm Island Library
Thursday, December 4, 3:30 - 5:00 PM
4th through 8th graders, meet at the Bay Farm Island Library on the first Thursday of every month to create works of art!
Participants in our December meeting will create art with Shrinky Dinks.
Space is limited and registration is required.
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@Main Library, Stafford Meeting Room
Sunday, December 14th, 2PM
Join us for a sensory-friendly, family focused movie matinee!
December selection: How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Rated PG for some crude humor
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LIBRARY PROGRAMS FOR TEENS & ADULTS |
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@Main Library, Family Study Room
Saturday, December 13, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
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.
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MONTHLY EVENTS :: TEENS ONLY |
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 Teens in the 7th-12th grades are invited to write book reviews for the library. Please visit the Teen Book Reviews Page for more information.
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Reviewed by: Rachel
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
All Better Now is a near-future story about Crown Royale, a virus with a 4% mortality rate that leaves survivors eternally happy. The book follows three very different teens living through the pandemic and shows how it changes the world. I really enjoyed the premise, the writing, and the characters. Shusterman addresses human greed, corporate interests, and the lengths people go to prove themselves right. I highly recommend this book for its plot, quick pace, and relatable pandemic experience. Fans of science fiction and realistic fiction will enjoy its adventure and romance.
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Reviewed by: Kiana
Fearful by Lauren Roberts
Fearful by Lauren Roberts is a novella focused on Kitt Azer’s personal growth during the Powerless trilogy. It narrows in on Kitt’s life and his perspective. I really enjoyed how it provided more clarity to Kitt’s character. The intimacy of the writing showed emotional depth and vulnerability. My one critique is that the pacing felt uneven, but the emotional weight resonated with me. I would recommend this book for fans of the main trilogy, as it dives deeper into Kitt’s life and carries heavier undertones, making it four stars for me.
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 Tuesday, December 02, 04:30 - 05:30 PM
Are you a teen in 7th-12th grade? Do you want to share your interests and help with library projects? If yes, then why not join the Teen Advisory Group (TAG)? You can gain valuable experience and earn volunteer hours as a member.
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MONTHLY EVENTS :: TEENS & ADULTS
@Main Library, Children's Programming RM
Every Wednesday, 12:15 - 12:45 PM
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.
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@Main Library, Family Study Room
Tuesday, December 02, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Tuesday, December 16, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Please join us at the Main Branch in the Family Study Room for a fiber arts craft circle. All kinds of fiber artists welcome. Please bring your own materials and expertise.
Limited instruction available. It will be an afternoon of community building and crafting. See you there!
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@Main Library, Director's Conference Room
Saturday, December 06, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Learn the basics of 3D modeling and printing in this hands-on workshop.
Ages 7 and up.
Limit 10 learners. Registration only at this time.
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@Main Library, Family Study Room
Join us in the Family Study Room on the second Friday of every month at 3pm to practice your French conversation skills.
This is a monthly series designed to increase your confidence in speaking French conversationally in your communities.
All dialects welcome. À bientôt!
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@ Bay Farm Island Library
Third Tuesday of the month, 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Join us at the Bay Farm Island Library for a small-group instruction on computers, tablets, smartphones and more!
Registration required.
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 @Main Library, Family Study Room
Friday, December 26, 2025 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Join us for the last installment of our workforce development community of practice. New job, new you. Your next chapter starts right here in Alameda. Let us support you in taking that first step toward your future. You bring the hustle; we’ll bring the tools. From resumes to interviews, networking to job boards, we’ve got what you need to get hired. Because every great journey starts with a roadmap—come get yours. Any and all career stages welcome.
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@Main Library, Stafford Meeting Room
Wednesday, December 03, 4:00 - 4:40 PM
Teens, join our Teen Book Club!
Each month, members get to pick the book we read from our Young Adult (YA) collection. While supplies last, free copies are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. To join, please register.
Next up: When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven
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A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book. Bay Farm Branch. Third Wednesday of the month at 1:00PM. This month's theme: End of Year Favorites. Please email the facilitator, Lynda, at llyndaw@gmail.com for more information.
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Main Library Mystery Book Club & Bay Farm Mystery Book Club Sunday, Dec. 07, 2:00 - 3:30 PM. Main Library, Stafford Room. Join the Alameda Free Library’s Bay Farm Island Mystery Book Club for fun and engaging literary discussions! In December we join with the Main Library Mystery Book Club for an end of the year winter celebration. Join us in the Stafford Room of the Main Library to vote on favorite and least favorite reads of 2025, receive the list of 2026 selections, and play a few festive games.
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A Novel Idea. Main Library, Family Study Room. Last Sunday of the month at 3:00 - 4:00PM. There is no selection for our December meeting. Instead, we will do a book potluck--bring a book you want to talk about and share with the rest of the book club! We will also do a retrospective discussion of 2025 and look over the selections for the new year. December's meeting will only be for one hour.
2026 selections coming soon!
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No feeling is Final. West End Library. Third Thursday of the month at 3:30PM. Taken from Austrian poet Rainier Maria Rilke's The Book of Hours, "No feeling is final" is the name given to our poetry reading group and community of practice. We encourage adults 18 and up to come build community through poetry in this monthly part-book club, part-workshop gathering. All levels of experience reading and writing poetry are welcomed!
“Go to limits of your longing: let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” - RMR
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Enjoy over 5,000 popular eMagazine titles for all ages. Libby titles are compatible with most devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and Kindles. Use the Libby app to start reading magazines with no wait and no limits.
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Recommended by: Mia
I just finished The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and it's so tense and vivid! Maintaining a sense of dread and suspense without your reader losing interest isn’t easy and Moreno-Garcia achieved it three times over! I was so captivated and invested in the two (and eventually three) storylines and, though I figured out what was going on fairly early on--in no way diminished my enjoyment. In fact, it felt very on brand for the genre; as the reader you want to scream at the characters to "beware! don’t trust that person!" but instead you’re trapped on your side of the book.
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Recommended by: Micaela
While it's a much older title, I'm currently halfway through John Irving's The World According to Garp. I really enjoyed the film adaptation, and the book just provides so much more depth to the characters. As Irving states in his new forward, it is a feminist manifesto but also a queer one—that examines the lives of people who are "sexually suspect" and live outside of what society has deemed acceptable gender / romantic / sexual behavior from men and women.
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Recommended by: Ken
Just read Alix E Harrow's Starling House. A modern myth. A beauty and the beast that takes place in the heartland of America in the 2000s.
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Recommended by: Oliver
I just finished listening to Disability Intimacy, a collection of essays edited by Alice Wong, on a recent long drive. Alice was a titan within the disability justice movement in the Bay Area, and her passing on November 14th has left the community reeling. Her principled, embodied politics and knack for cultivating organizers wherever she found herself in the world are reflected throughout the essay collection, from her introduction to the myriad perspectives contained within it.
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Recommended by: Jena
I am reading a Silvia Moreno-Garcia book, Mexican Gothic! I am just far enough in to have lots of questions about who the characters are and what they are up to, and I am already hooked. There is mystery and intrigue centering around an old money family full of strict familial taboos. I can't wait to see where the story goes.
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Recommended by: Alice
I just finished reading Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It's a humorous post-apocalyptic story featuring a robot valet, focusing on what happens when class stratification and dependence on technology go too far. I really enjoyed it as a refreshing way to process some of the big issues we currently face as a society.
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Recommended by: Hannah
I recently tore through C.G. Drews' newest book, Hazelthorn. The writing was haunting and lyrical, and it was like I could feel dirt underneath my fingernails and sap in my mouth while reading. It discusses a lot of deep and sensitive topics, but they were laid out in a way that reading this book felt both horrifying and cathartic. It also contains some really beautiful illustrations of some of the poisonous plants from the garden!
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This was a long list!
Thank you for supporting your library with your readership and attendance to events. Please let us know how we are doing.
We listen!!
Looking for more recommendations?
Check out these book lists created by AFL librarians.
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