Due to holidays and budget cuts, the library will not be open on the following days in the month of January:

 

Filing taxes isn't fun for anyone, but the Oakland Public Library, in partnership with the American Association for Retired Persons, hopes to help ease the process. Trained volunteers will offer free help finishing and filing all those forms from February 1 through April 15, 2009.
 
Tax help will be available during scheduled hours at the Main Library and at the César E. Chávez, Dimond, Eastmont and Temescal branches. Chávez branch will provide help in English and Spanish. Participants need to bring copies of last year's federal and state tax returns and all materials pertaining to their 2008 tax forms, including details pertaining to stimulus checks, for themselves and their spouse (if filing jointly). Seniors, ages 60 plus, will be given preference at walk-in sites only.
 
For schedule information, please call (510) 238-3134, or click here.

 

In December, Temescal Branch celebrated its 90th anniversary with a party and several exhibits commemorating the branch's history and architecture. The exhibits, featuring photos of the landmark Carnegie-funded building and a timeline covering the decades from 1918, will remain up through January 7, so  there's still time to see them if you haven't already.
 
Since early December, Temescal Branch has also presented a visual display on the Colombo Club, the Italian American social club that was founded in the neighborhood in 1920. As a follow-up, a short video about the Colombo Club will be screened at Temescal Branch on Saturday January 17, 2009, at 3 pm. The film, Italian Americans in Temescal: The Story of the Colombo Club, showcases the club's senior members as they recall their memories of the early days in Oakland. The evening will also feature a local historian, who will discuss the impact of Italian immigrants on Oakland around the time these Italian social clubs were first forming. As an added incentive, refreshments will be served!

Temescal Branch is located at 5205 Telegraph Ave. Call 597-5049 for information.

Families are invited to the Asian Branch to learn about the traditions behind the Lunar New Year celebration. On Saturday, January 17, 2009, at 2:30 pm, historian Ernest Chann will tell the story of how a traditional family celebration has changed over the years to include parades and diverse cultural influences. This celebration is sponsored by Friends of Asian Library. Asian Branch Library is located at 388 9th Street, Suite 190 (in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza). Call  238-3400 for information.

The Oakland History Room welcomes the public to an illustrated lecture presented by Evangeline Canonizado Buell, Evelyn Luluquisen, and Eleanor Luis, authors of Filipinos in the East Bay. Please join us in a celebration of the East Bay's rich and diverse history on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., in the West Auditorium at the Main Library, 125 14th St.

 

Filipinos in the East Bay is a recent addition to the "Images of America" series, published by Arcadia Press. As members of the Filipino American National Historical Society of the East Bay, the authors have recorded a community history of Filipinos who have made the East Bay their home. Buell, Luluquisen, and Luis were joined by families, community leaders, and organizations who volunteered their time to scour archives and personal collections for photos long forgotten. Through the gathering and synthesizing of individual photographs, the story of a shared journey is told.

For more information, please contact the Oakland History Room at 510-238-3222. 

If you're a resident of East Oakland and have a tale to share, then the Oakland Public Library and its partner, ACORN Woodland Elementary School, want to hear and record it! California of the Past: East Oakland Stories is the title of a grant-funded project at the Eastmont Branch Library, which is kicking off on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

 

With a new Digital Story Station funded by a grant from the California State Library, it's easy to produce a short 3-5 minute video that could include photos, letters and music, as well as your voice and image. You'll receive a free DVD copy and your story will become part of the California of the Past online collection. It will also be shared with the community as part of a digital archive that will be made available at the new East Oakland Community Library at 81st Avenue - slated to open in late 2009.

If interested, please call (510) 238-7075 to learn more and sign up!

California of the Past is funded by a California State Library grant supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services and Technology Act, with services provided by MEDIA ARTS Center, San Diego.