PRESS RELEASE

June 19, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Cosette Ratliff, Supervising Librarian, 510-747-7716

Alameda Free Library

Event Alert

Event descriptions:

Summer Reading Challenge for all ages runs June 1 and runs through July 31. Everyone can play, read and win. Enroll in our online tracker from our home page www.alamedafree.org  or ask a staff member to sign you up. There are so many events planned for everyone, please check the library’s online calendar (www.alamedaca.gov/library), or in person at any library, for more information.

Teen Room Takeover: Can you move a cookie using only your face? Think you can use a noodle to transport other pasta across the room? The Teen Advisory Board invites you to take over the Teen Room at the Main Library and play Minute to Win It! You’ll get sixty seconds on the clock to complete funny challenges using household objects. Join the Teen Advisory Board on Thursday, July 6 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm in the Teen Room at the Main Library for this event. After the challenges are done and the winners are victorious, we’ll go outside for some dessert. The library will provide all the supplies, challenges, and prizes for this event. Bring your sense of humor and skills! This event is for teens, ages 13 to 18, only. Please RSVP to Teen Librarian Hallie at hfields@alamedaca.gov or by calling the Reference Desk at 510-747-7713. This fun event is planned by teens for teens! Contact Hallie to find out more about how you can plan events and be part of the Teen Advisory Board.

Teen Book Club: Do you look forward to summer break because you finally have time to read? Join the Teen Book Club to fuel your reading. The Teen Book Club at the Alameda Free Library will be reading advance reader’s copies this summer. Book club members have the chance to read advance copies of books before they’re published. We’ll discuss favorite books, swap ARCs, and make bookish friends! All teens, ages 13 to 18, are invited to join the book group. Teens are invited to the next meeting on Wednesday, July 12 from 4 to 5 pm. The meeting will be at the Main Library on 1550 Oak Street in the Stafford Room.  Participants at the meeting will choose a free advance reading copy. The free copies are provided courtesy of the Friends of the Alameda Free Library. The Teen Advisory Board will meet directly after the Teen Book Club meeting and book club members are invited to join TAB. Contact Hallie Fields at hfields@alamedca.gov to RSVP for book club or for any questions about Teen Book Club or the Teen Advisory Board.

Sun Science with Dr. Amy Furniss: Take a short course on solar activity and the coming solar eclipse on August 8^th from 6:30-7:30 pm. Dr. Amy Furniss, Assistant Professor at CSU East Bay will be our guide. More information about Dr. Furniss may be found at https://www.astrofurniss.com. Free solar viewing glasses will be available at this event.

Alameda Free Library to View the Eclipse: Alameda Free Library has been chosen as one of 1,500 public libraries across the nation to participate as a center for eclipse education and viewing for the “Great American Eclipse” on August 21, 2017. The Library has been awarded 1,000 solar viewing glasses and other resources centered on eclipse education by the Space Science Institute (SSI), NASA@My Library and the Moore Foundation. On August 21, 2017, beginning around 9:00 am PST, a spectacular total eclipse of the Sun will be visible across the width of the continental U.S. for the first time since 1918. Every state will have at least 60% of the Sun covered by the Moon, and lucky people on a narrow path from Oregon to South Carolina will see the stunning beauty of totality. Coverage in the Alameda area is expected to be at about 76%. Alameda Free Library will provide programming leading up to the eclipse as well as viewing on the morning of the eclipse. If it is a cloudy/foggy morning, viewing will be held in the Stafford Community Rooms via live feed projected onto our large screen. Viewing glasses will be available for free to the public beginning on August 1. Community members are encouraged to pick up a pair and watch the eclipse from wherever they happen to be, and to join in the eclipse programming provided by the library. The community is reminded to never look at the sun with unprotected eyes as the sun’s rays (both visible and invisible) can cause serious damage to the sensitive eye tissue.