Join us on Tuesday, March 18 from 6:30-8:00 for a family workshop focusing on practical strategies for preventing family conflict. As kids grow up, parents audition for the role of (unpaid) consultant. Building trust when there’s a conflict helps you get the job. This workshop shows you how. Bring kids as young as 10, provided they genuinely want to come. You can tell them this is a chance to find out how they can get more of what they want, more of the time, in a way that works for everybody.

 The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The library is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue and is wheelchair accessible. The library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660 or email castrovalley@aclibrary.org.

You’ve heard of a book club. How about a movie club with the San Francisco Chronicle’s long-time film critic Mick LaSalle! Join us on March 16 at 2:30 pm for a discussion of the film A Most Violent Year.

First, watch the film, A Most Violent Year (2014; Rated R) starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain and David Oyelowo. (DVDs are available through the Library’s collection and Link Plus. The film is also available to rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV, if you already happen to subscribe to those services.)

Next, consider questions developed by Mick. Questions will be emailed to registrants.

Then, come hear Mick’s take on the film and discuss it with fellow community members on March 16.

Registration is required. For information about this and other events, visit www.aclibrary.org or call 510/667-7900.

The Castro Valley Library, a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660.

The Library welcomes Dr. Pablo Gonzalez from the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley who will help us understand the lived experiences of Mexican and Mexican-American families in California. This special presentation takes place on Saturday, March 8 at 2 pm. Dr. Gonzalez’s lecture will also help us understand the history of some topics in the featured book for Castro Valley Reads 2025 The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. Registration is required. For information about this and other events, visit www.aclibrary.org or call 510-667-7900.

Numerous programs may help reduce your health care and prescription drug costs if you meet the eligibility requirements.

At this FREE presentation, we will learn about:

• The Medicare program and its costs
• Medi-Cal and the Medicare Savings Programs
• The Low-Income Subsidy (Extra Help) for prescription drugs
• Eligibility requirements, the application processes, and the benefits

The program is FREE and no reservations are required. The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue and is wheel chair accessible. For more information, call the Library at 510-667-7900.

The California Highway Patrol and the Castro Valley Library present Start Smart: Teen Driver Program. CHP officers will discuss traffic collision avoidance techniques, collision causing factors, driver/parent responsibilities, and seatbelt usage. Additionally, testimonies will be provided by officers who have investigated fatal collisions involving teens, and by family members who have lost love ones in traffic collisions. The Start Smart program is a driver safety education class which targets new and future licensed teenage drivers between the age of 15 - 19 and their parents/guardians. A parent/guardian is required to attend the class with their teen. Registration is required for this FREE program. To register, call the Library Information Desk at 510-667-7900 or register online at www.aclibrary.org

Stay safe…and save money! Registration has begun for the library’s popular senior driving program! Conducted by the California Highway Patrol, this seminar will include: Compensating for Age-Related Changes, Tune-Up Your Driving Skills, Rules of the Road, Safe Driving Tips; and more! Participants will receive a certificate for completing this FREE course which may lead to an insurance discount. You must be 65 or older to qualify. Registration is required for this FREE program. To register, call the Library Information Desk at 510-667-7900.

Join the Castro Valley Library to celebrate the show “Reading Rainbow” with a viewing of the documentary Butterfly in the Sky on Sunday, February 9 at 2:30 pm. A free book giveaway in honor of Black History Month will follow.

Lavar Burton and the whole team at “Reading Rainbow” inspired a generation of kids to fall in love with books. This heartwarming documentary takes you behind the scenes and celebrates their work.

While the original show was for children, this documentary will be best enjoyed by adults who were fans of the show as children or as parents and teachers.

To register for this and other library programs, visit our website at www.aclibrary.org.

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660.

Castro Valley Reads is an annual literary event that asks our residents to read and discuss the same book. It builds community by encouraging a thoughtful exchange of ideas and celebrates the joy of reading together. Castro Valley Reads is facilitated by the Castro Valley Library and generously funded by the Friends of the Castro Valley Library. 

Registration for the 8th annual Castro Valley Reads begins today, and our special kick-off event takes place on Sunday, February 2 at 2 pm.

For 2025 we will be celebrating Mexican-American history and culture with a work of contemporary fiction called The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea.

The plot is simple enough. In his final days, beloved and ailing patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, affectionately called Big Angel, has summoned his entire clan for one last legendary birthday party. But as the party approaches, his mother, nearly one hundred, dies, transforming the weekend into a farewell doubleheader. 

The magic of this book comes in the telling. Imagine a tornado picking up speed as it whirls through and around each character dislodging and blending their memories, foibles, regrets, desires, and grief through rapid fire dialogues and interior monologues. As we learn tales that have passed into family lore, we are treated to a depiction of the de La Cruz family that is at turns tragic, bawdy, funny, joyful, and, ultimately, about love and grace. 

“We need stories to understand ourselves, and we especially need to read stories about people who are different from ourselves. We need to open ourselves up to those stories and find ways of thinking of ‘others’ as having commonalities with ‘us,’” said Dawn Balestreri, Manager of the Castro Valley Library. “That’s the opportunity we’ve tried to provide with Castro Valley Reads for the past 8 years.”

Our Kick-Off Event is Sunday, February 2 from 2 pm to 3 pm (no registration required). You’ll learn more about the book and be able to pick up a free copy, while supplies last. You’ll also hear the beautiful music of Cascada de Flores. Please register for a discussion group online before you arrive.

Discussion group registration begins today. You can register for a Library-facilitated group or you can form your own group with three or more people. To learn more about discussion groups and to register, visit aclibrary.org/castro-valley-reads.

Through the beginning of April, in addition to discussion groups, we have a great line up of programs related to the themes of the book. And on Friday, April 11, featured author Luis Alberto Urrea will be joining us in person at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre for the Finale event.

The Castro Valley Library, a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660.

Broken Pencils: A Visit and Conversation with Author J.R. Rice

at Castro Valley Library

Saturday, February 1, 2025

12:30 pm to 2:00 pm

Join us as local, award winning author J.R. Rice comes to the Castro Valley Library to discuss his book Broken Pencils.  The author will do a reading from his book as well a poetry performance and an author Q & A.

Broken Pencils tells the story of Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents' troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend's death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. On his eighteenth birthday, coinciding with his Senior prom, Jonah, along with his girlfriend Taniesha, his best friend Trevon, and a group of peers, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence in drugs and alcohol in the vibrant city of San Francisco. As tensions escalate and emotions run high, Jonah finds himself thrust into a gripping twelve-hour journey through the dark underbelly of San Francisco's nightlife, forever altering his perception of the world. Will Jonah uncover the purpose he so desperately seeks, or will he discover that life, like broken pencils, may have no point?

J.R. Rice is a Black man, writer, teacher, and spoken word artist, born and raised in Oakland, California. He has a B.A in Creative Writing and an English Education teaching credential from California State University of Long Beach. While studying abroad in Greece, he was mentored by the author, George Crane. His novel, Broken Pencils earned the 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Award, 2024 Pencraft Summer Best Book Award winner for Young Adult Coming of Age Fiction, and the 2024 Hawthorne Prize Finalist for Best Fiction. To learn more about J.R. Rice, please visit his website at www.jrrice.com. 

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system and is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley. The Library is wheel chair accessible.  An ASL interpreter will be provided with ten days’ notice.  For more information, call the Library at    510-667-7900, or see Events at www.aclibrary.org/branches/csv.

Bringing Nature Home - Tuesday January 28, 5:30-8pm at Castro Valley Library’s Chabot/Canyon Room, 3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley
Watch Doug Tallamy’s talk, “Nature’s Best Hope” followed by a discussion about what we would like to do to welcome birds, butterflies and bees in our area, and how we can move forward to carry out our ideas. Free native wildflower seeds, and cuttings will be available. Light refreshments will be provided.

BRINGING NATURE HOME @ the Castro Valley Library
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
5:30 to 8 pm
* Free native wildflower seeds
* Native plant cutting and seed swap
* Free drawing to win a free native garden design consultation
* Light snacks and drinks provided

Join us to watch Doug Tallamy's talk, "Nature's Best Hope," followed by a discussion about what we would like to do to make the places we live, work and play welcome areas for birds, butterflies and bees; greener, healthier, and more beautiful cities for people; and how we can move forward to carry out our ideas.

If you have them, bring labelled native plants, seeds, or cuttings to share. Also, bring envelopes to take seed swap seeds home in, and plastic bags with wet paper towels in them to protect cuttings you have picked up.

This FREE meeting will be moderated by Kathy Kramer, founder of the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour.

Questions? Email Sandra Nevala-Lee at greenthumbworks@hey.com or Kathy Kramer at Kathy@kathykramerconsulting.net.

Reservations are NOT required for this FREE event.

Do you need help with your medical costs? Medi-Cal is a government program that pays for health and medical care for adults aged 65+ or disabled individuals who have low income and limited resources. If eligible, Medi-Cal can help pay for ambulance services, dental care, doctor visits, hospice care, hospital and nursing home care, medical equipment and more.

Would you like to receive care and stay in your own home? The HCBS Waiver program recognizes that many individuals at risk of being placed in medical facilities can be better cared for in their homes and communities, preserving their independence and ties to family and friends.

At this FREE program, we’ll learn about:

• Medi-Cal eligibility for specific programs serving individuals
65 and older, and for individuals with disabilities
• Home and Community Based Services benefits covered by Medi-Cal
• Medi-Cal Recovery rules and exemptions

The program is FREE and no reservations are required. The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue and is wheel chair accessible.

Visit the Castro Valley Library for an afternoon of play and problem-solving at the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival. At the festival, children and families will have the opportunity to explore a variety of fun, hands-on math puzzles and games. Activities are designed for children (and adults) of all ages and backgrounds, so everyone is welcome. Drop in and drop out whenever you’d like. Whether you stay for one puzzle or join us for the entire festival, we’re looking forward to seeing you for a day of joyful math!

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The library is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue and is wheelchair accessible. The library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660 or email castrovalley@aclibrary.org.

AARP Tax Assistance at the Castro Valley Library

Wednesdays & Thursdays, February 05 - April 10, 2025

AARP Tax-Aide returns to the Castro Valley Library for appointment-only, on-site tax preparation on Wednesdays and Thursdays starting February 5, 2025 through April 10, 2025. No walk-ins are permitted. The Library will start taking appointments on Monday, January 13, 2025, by phone or in person. AARP will only be preparing taxes for tax years 2023 and 2024. Other exclusions apply.

Please contact the library to learn about exclusions to tax preparation for the tax year 2024.

Appointments are limited.

The Castro Valley Library is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic High School student volunteers, just a few hours a week, for its after-school Homework Assistance Center. Are you looking for community service hours or need some job experience for your resume? Sign up for hours and help students tackle their homework, gain valuable experience, and have fun.
Contact the Castro Valley Library at 510-667-7900 for more information.

The California Highway Patrol and the Castro Valley Library present Start Smart: Teen Driver Program. CHP officers will discuss traffic collision avoidance techniques, collision causing factors, driver/parent responsibilities, and seatbelt usage. Additionally, testimonies will be provided by officers who have investigated fatal collisions involving teens, and by family members who have lost love ones in traffic collisions.

The Start Smart program is a driver safety education class which targets new and future licensed teenage drivers between the age of 15 - 19 and their parents/guardians. 

A parent/guardian is required to attend the class with their teen.

Registration is required for this FREE program. To register, call the Library Information Desk at 510-667-7900 or register online at www.aclibrary.org

Join us on Sunday, December 1 at 2 pm for a presentation from sleep health professional and RN Robyn Woidtke about the fundamentals of sleep. She’ll discuss:

• Why we sleep and why it is important.

• The consequences of poor sleep and sleep deprivation.

• The major sleep disorders.

• What we need to sleep well.

• And more!

About the presenter: Robyn Woidtke, MSN-Ed, RN, RPSGT, CCSH, FAAST, began working in the emerging field of sleep medicine in 1985. She worked a variety of roles within the sleep clinic, including conducting overnight sleep studies. She also was part of a team that conducted SIDS research at Stanford. Within the medical device industry, she managed clinical research projects and worked with marketing teams to develop educational programs and literature. She has authored numerous publications, book chapters, and research-focused abstracts and lectures on a variety of sleep-related topics.

Registration is required. For information about this and other events, visit www.aclibrary.org or call 510/667-7900.

Attracting the Right Developers: Alan Chamaro, Executive Vice President of Lowe’s Enterprises

A native of Castro Valley, Mr. Chamaro will explain why developments happen in some communities and not others, how a community can build a market, and the comps needed for developers to think about Castro Valley. At Lowe’s, he oversees their activities in Northern California and Denver. He is a past member of the Policy Advisory Board for UC Berkeley's Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics and a member of the Urban Land Institute. He holds an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and a BS in civil engineering from UC, Davis. He is a licensed professional engineer.

Eager to dive into the world of Robotics? Stop by the Castro Valley Library for a firsthand look at the fascinating process of building a Robot. Join all enthusiasts to join the First Tech Challenge (FTC) team SciRavens showcasing their Robot and different parts needed to build one. See you all at Castro Valley Library, Saturday, November 16 from 2 to 4pm. All are welcome. For more information, please visit: http://www.sciravens.org or email contact@sciravens.org

The Castro Valley Library is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic High School student volunteers, just a few hours a week, for its after-school Homework Assistance Center. Are you looking for community service hours or need some job experience for your resume? Sign up for hours and help students tackle their homework, gain valuable experience, and have fun. Contact the Castro Valley Library at 510-667-7900 for more information.

The Castro Valley Library and Rubicon Programs will hold a Job Fair at the library on Thursday, October 3rd from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Come learn about and meet with many different employers and local community resources. The following organizations and MORE will be present:

CRIL

Castro Valley Adult & Career Education Center

Hayward Adult School

Employment Development Dept (EDD)

Alameda County Social Services

Pacific Home Care Services

US Navy

El Timpano

ComForCare Home Care

Chabot College

Nightingale Home Care

Eden I&R Inc.

LAS HICAP

Castro Valley School District

Ruby’s Place

Chabot College

Davis Street Community Center

Join the fun, and put your wits to the test as you're invited to compete for "know-it-all" bragging rights and prizes as the Castro Valley Library hosts its inaugural Trivia Night.  Participants can play individually, be matched up with others to create a team, or bring a team of family and friends. The maximum number of participants for each team is 6 people. 

Trivia begins promptly at 6:00 PM, so plan on arriving a few minutes before to get situated with your team. Trivia Night is free and open to teens, adults, and families with children ages 13+. Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

Registration is required for this FREE program. To register, call the Library Information Desk at 510-667-7900 or register online at www.aclibrary.org

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system and is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley. The Library is wheel chair accessible.  An ASL interpreter will be provided with ten days’ notice.  For more information, call the Library at    510-667-7900, or see Events at www.aclibrary.org/branches/csv.

Join the fun, and put your wits to the test as you're invited to compete for "know-it-all" bragging rights and prizes as the Castro Valley Library hosts its inaugural Trivia Night.  Participants can play individually, be matched up with others to create a team, or bring a team of family and friends. The maximum number of participants for each team is 6 people. 

Trivia begins promptly at 6:00 PM, so plan on arriving a few minutes before to get situated with your team. Trivia Night is free and open to teens, adults, and families with children ages 13+. Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

Registration is required for this FREE program. To register, call the Library Information Desk at 510-667-7900 or register online at www.aclibrary.org

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system and is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley. The Library is wheel chair accessible.  An ASL interpreter will be provided with ten days’ notice.  For more information, call the Library at    510-667-7900, or see Events at www.aclibrary.org/branches/csv.

Join Castro Valley artist Peggy Maurer for this relaxing and unique art form! Each participant will receive a supply package with everything needed to create a one-of-a-kind 5" x 7" bird collage using a wide variety of dried plant materials.

This program is FREE, limited to 20 adult or teen (age 14+) participants and reservations are required.

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue and is wheel chair accessible. For more information, call the Library at 510-667-7900, or see Events at www.aclibrary.org/branches/csv.

Please join us at the Castro Valley Library at 11:00 a.m. on September 28 for author Rie Neal when she'll share her Astrid the Astronaut books with young readers. Free books while supplies last. Morse Code bracelet craft for everyone. All ages welcome. Ideal for youth up to age 10.

The Castro Valley Library is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic High School student volunteers, just a few hours a week, for its after-school Homework Assistance Center. Are you looking for community service hours or need some job experience for your resume? Sign up for hours and help students tackle their homework, gain valuable experience, and have fun.

Contact the Castro Valley Library at 510-667-7900 for more information.

An ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter or closed captioning can be provided for this program if requested at least seven business days in advance. For assistance, please contact your library or accessibility@aclibrary.org.

The Castro Valley Library, a branch of the Alameda County Library system. The Library will provide an ASL interpreter for any event with at least seven working days’ notice. Please call 510-667-7900 or TTY 888-663-0660.

There are more than 3,000 colleges and universities to choose from, and all of them have a website that promises experiences very much like the next school. How do you know which schools are “best” for you?

College Lists! is a workshop for current high school seniors where participants get a 1:1 meeting with an experienced college consultant who will help you create a list of target colleges–ones that “match” their academic and personal interests and which are likely to be affordable.

To register contact the Castro Valley Library at 510-667-7900 

The Castro Valley Library is a branch of the Alameda County Library system and is located at 3600 Norbridge Avenue, Castro Valley. The Library is wheel chair accessible.  An ASL interpreter will be provided with ten days’ notice.  For more information, call the Library at    510-667-7900, or see Events at www.aclibrary.org/branches/csv.