January Events at Altadena Library!

E-CONNECT | JANUARY 2026 UPDATE FROM THE ALTADENA LIBRARIES

All Altadena Library locations
(Main, Bob Lucas, and Loma Alta Park site)
will be closed on
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 for New Year's Day and Monday, Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Main Library will close for renovation at the end of January.

Help Us Paint a Community Mural
Friday, Jan. 23 - Sunday, Jan. 25
Various 2-Hour Sessions Available
Bob Lucas Library

Bring your family, friends & neighbors to paint a community mural at Bob Lucas Library!

Artist Edgar Arceneaux will lead the sessions, and all ages and all skill levels are invited. Register for a session at AltadenaLibrary.org/programs.

Friday, Jan. 23

1/23 10AM

1/23 12PM

1/23 2PM

1/23 4PM

Saturday,
Jan. 24

1/24 10AM

1/24 12PM

1/24 2PM

Sunday,
Jan. 25

1/25 10AM

1/25 12PM

1/25 2PM

Spice Club!

January: Sumac

Bob Lucas Memorial Library, 2659 Lincoln

Join our Monthly Spice Club! From January through May, visit the Bob Lucas Library to pick up a spice kit during regular business hours. Monthly kits consist of a spice sample and 2 recipe cards to try cooking with the featured spice at home. While supplies last.

January spice: Sumac

Stop by the Main Library to explore
"The Early Days of Altadena Library,"
a collection of memories, ephemera, and photos

Music & Movement
Friday, Jan. 2 • 10:30-11:30am
Main Library Community Room

Children ages 0-5 and their caregivers are invited to join us for Music & Movement! Through songs, dancing, and free exploration of musical instruments, little ones will develop early literacy skills and have the opportunity to discover rhythm and sound!

Baby & Toddler New Years Party
Saturday, Jan. 3 • 10:30am-12pm
Main Library Community Room

Ring in 2026 with your little ones! Enjoy crafts, a toddler-friendly obstacle course, goody bags and learn about our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten reading program! No registration required.

English Classes
(English as a Second Language)
Monday-Thursday every week
10:30am-12pm
Bob Lucas Memorial Library, 2659 N Lincoln

Build your English fluency to help work through everyday situations. Our casual, small group sessions are designed for beginning English learners. Classes are free and in person. To sign up, call (626) 798-0833 x 102.

Ukulele Lessons (for Ages 7-11)
Saturday, Jan. 3 • 10:30am-12pm
Main Library Community Room

Join us for a series of ukulele lessons taught by Children of One Planet! Register once for the series of 4 sessions - choose either series A or series B.

Series A

Series B

Open Mic Night
Monday, Jan. 5
6-7:30pm
Main Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa

Come share your music, story, or latest spoken word poem! We'll spend the evening cheering on our neighbors' work. All ages and genres welcome.

January Storytimes!

Preschool: Tuesdays • 3:30-4:15pm
Bob Lucas Library

Toddler: Wednesdays • 10:30-11:15am
Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park

Baby: Thursdays • 10:30-11:15am
Main Library Community Room

Wellness Workshops with Kiki Williams

Tending to Care: An Adult Somatic Workshop
Tuesday, Jan. 6
5-6:3pm
Main Library

Join fellow Altadenian Kiki Williams to move, shake, and breathe in community. In this 90-minute somatic workshop, we will come together through a series of practices to slow down, find rest from the movement of this past year, and tap into our own intrinsic capacity to care for ourselves and each other.

Threads of Connection: A Teen Wellness Workshop
Tuesday, Jan. 27
5-6:3pm
Main Library

In this workshop, we’re going to explore how breath, simple movement, and play can help us feel more connected to ourselves, our community, and our world.

Fresh Start Vision Board Making
Thursday, Jan. 8 • 11am-12pm
Bob Lucas Memorial Library

We are hosting a Vision Board making program! Create goals for the new year, find images to help you visualize, & organize it all to keep you on course for success! Supplies are limited.

Heartthrob Hangout Book Club
Thursday, Jan. 8 • 4:30-5:30pm
Main Library Small Meeting Room

Check out our newest book club and join us for a monthly discussion of a selected romance novel. This month's romance pick: "Mate" by Ali Hazelwood

Baila Baila: Spanish Music Class

Friday, Jan. 9
10:30-11:15am
Bob Lucas Library

This lively, interactive session, designed for children ages 0-3, introduces little ones to Spanish through music, arts, and games. It's a fun and exciting way to spark an early love for language.

Baila Baila is a vibrant bilingual music-and-movement program based in LA.

DIY Blind Bags for Teens

Friday, Jan. 9
4-5:30pm
Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park

We’ll have a limited supplies of small plushies/trinkets to add to your bags. Each Teen will also get a random blind box from Miniso!

Guided Meditation w/Davon of Pasadena Meditation
Fridays, Jan. 9, 16 & 23 • 5-5:45pm
Main Library Community Room

Join us for a healthy afternoon mind-snack! Attendees will be led by Davon in a welcoming and supportive space for stress relief. Establish even more community connection via mindfulness practice with your neighbors. pasadenameditation.org/

Altadena Poets Laureate: New Year, New Myths Poetry Workshop w/Elline Lipkin
Saturday, Jan. 10 • 11am-1pm
Main Library Community Room

In this workshop we will think about the myths that surround the new year: fresh starts, blank slates, new beginnings. We will experiment with a variety of prompts to write about these concepts, while holding the idea that the 'ideal' year we plan might not be the reality that we meet.

Drawing from fairy tales and myths, we will write our own versions in which the imagined meets with contemporary life, the unexpected, and the unknown.

Please bring a notebook and a pen if you can; otherwise, we will provide paper and writing utensils for you.

Supported by Friends of the Altadena Library, the Altadena Library Foundation, Octavia's Bookshelf, and Academy of American Poets.

Cardboard Construction
Zone

Saturday, Jan. 10
11am-1pm
Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park

Learn the basics of cardboard engineering and make your own cardboard creature and creations! Recreate your favorite book character, make a mini house, or marble track -- fabricate something fantastic!

Ages 5-12 invited to participate, no registration required.

Bilingual
Storytime

Saturday, Jan. 10
3-4pm
Altadena Library (Social Hall) at Loma Alta Park

Join us as we welcome Families in Schools as they share stories that span English and Spanish language and culture.

Book bags with high-quality books will be provided for children ages 4–8.

Huntington Health Health Screening at Bob
Tuesday, Jan. 13 • 10am-12pm

Bob Lucas Memorial Library

Come and receive free health counseling and screenings by a registered nurse.

No appointment/registration is necessary.
Personal health guidance
Hypertension (high blood pressure) screening
Diabetes (high blood sugar) risk assessment and screening (min. 2 hour fasting)
Medical and social services and referrals
Health promotion literature and resources

Tech Tuesday: Windows 10 End of Life & What To Do About It
Tuesday, Jan. 13 • 4-5pm
Main Library Community Room

Tuesday, Jan. 20 • 4-5pm
Bob Lucas Memorial Library

So you have an older laptop or desktop and Windows 10 is no longer getting updates. Join us to learn about alternatives and how to use them. Space is limited, and registration required (for Bob Lucas event only).

Jan. 20 - Bob Lucas Library

Brushbot Bonanza!
Tuesday, Jan. 13
6-7pm
Altadena Main Library Community Room

Kids 8-12 are invited to design and build their own mini robot using toothbrush heads, tiny motors, and some imagination! Once the bots are made, it's time to put them to the test with some fun challenges!

Community Food Distribution
Wednesday, Jan. 14 & Jan. 28 • 11am-12pm
Main Library Parking Lot

Stop by the Altadena Library to pick up a bag of fresh produce, courtesy of Hollywood Food Coalition on Dec. 10.

Supplies are limited, first come, first served! If you can, please bring your own extra bags!

The mission of Hollywood Food Coalition is to nourish the community by rescuing and distributing food, preparing nightly meals, and uniting efforts to achieve food equity.

Healing Forward: Art for Families with Pulse Arts & Manifesting M. E. Wellness

Wednesday, Jan. 14
4-5:30pm
Bob Lucas Library

This trauma informed grief and loss healing circle honors multi cultural ways of moving through grief. This interactive creative art therapy session is designed for families and individuals of all ages.

Storytime and Craft with Author and Artist Marcelo Verdad
Thursday, Jan. 15 • 4-5pm
Main Library Community Room

Join us as we welcome Pura Belpré award winning illustrator and author Marcelo Verdad as he reads his book "The Dream Catcher." He will follow his reading with a dreamcatcher craft using sustainable materials. There will be a limited supply of books available for giveaway. For Families.

Teen Volunteer Orientation
Thursday, Jan. 15, 5-5:30 p.m.,
Main Library Teen Space.
Teens (ages 13-18) are invited to volunteer and can earn service hours. Drop-ins welcome! Learn more at https://www.altadenalibrary.org/teens

Juicy Little Scraps Art Scrapbooking Program

Saturday, Jan. 17 • 12-3pm

Main Library Community Room

Juicy Little Scraps is an ongoing art scrapbooking program dedicated to youth and families who lost their photo albums and cherished memories in the Altadena Eaton Fire. Our goal is to help them rebuild their photo collections through scrapbooking, arts, and community support. Families can create new memory books with free scrapbooks, photo albums, and supplies or simply pick up preprinted photos and materials to take home. All ages.

Junk Journaling for Teens

Saturday, Jan. 17
2-3:30pm
Main Library Teen Space

Start off your New Year with a new junk journal! Come decorate a blank notebook & customize it with stickers, your own photos, and tons of collage materials. No registration required but we will have limited supplies so come by early!

Under the Stars: Voices of Resilience and Hope Under the Starlight
Tuesday, Jan. 20 • 6:30-7:30pm
Main Library Community Room

Join us at this event for the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Canyon Fire. You’ll see poets, writers, and community members reflect on memory, healing, and rebuilding.

Through storytelling, photos, video, poetry, and shared reflection, the event creates space for collective mourning, connection, and the quiet hope that glows even in the darkest seasons—symbolized by the winter starlight that has long illuminated Altadena’s foothills. The evening underscores the vital role of arts and literature in healing and cultivating belonging.

Participants:
• Nahshon Dion, Writer
• Florence Annang, Founder, THRIVE Learning Lab
• Hans Allhoff, Chair, Altadena Heritage
• Michele Zack, Historian & Writer
• Pablo Miralles, Filmmaker
• Heather Morrow, Artist
• Brandon Lamar, President, Pasadena NAACP
• Patricia Cunliffe, Filmmaker
• LZ Love, Singer & Songwriter
• Erica Slater, Altadena Community Garden
• Sunny Mills, Photographer
• Sam James, CEO & Co-Founder, Altadena Recovery Team (ART)
• Kristen Ochoa, Founder, Chaney Trail Corridor Project

To read their bios

January Adult Craft
Wednesday, Jan. 21
4-5:30pm
Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park

Join us for an afternoon craft at Loma Alta Park. This month, we'll be making a winter themed checkers board!

Passwords, and Portals, and Paperwork, Oh My

Wednesday, Jan. 21
4-5pm
Main Library Community Room

Join us for a workshop about online safety with Elisa Schwartz!

Elisa Schwartz helps seniors navigate technology, services and paperwork with confidence tthrough her business, Elisa Can Help.

K-Pop Photo Cards & Boba for Teens
Thursday, Jan. 22
4-5:30pm
Bob Lucas Library

Come decorate your own K-pop photo cards with top loaders, stickers, and pens! Supplies & boba (from DYM Books) will be provided, registration required!

Cozy Crafters Club

Friday, Jan. 23
4-6pm
Callisto Tea House, 1359 N. Altadena Dr, Pasadena

Immerse yourself in crafty arts! Bring your own project to work on or dip into our supply basket. We'll socialize, help each other out when we get stuck, and maybe, just maybe, finish that thing you've been working on.

Free Professional Headshots
Saturday, Jan. 24 • 11am-12:30pm
Main Library Community Room

Come ready in your best professional look to get a free professional headshot that will be emailed to you, which you can use on LinkedIn, resumes, and more! Photos done by Syd Studios. This event will be first come, first serve.

Altadena Poets Laureate: From Ashes to Renewal: Voices of Resilience in Altadena + Open Mic
Saturday, Jan. 24 • 2-4pm
Main Library Community Room

Featuring Sesshu Foster, Robin D. G. Kelley, Elline Lipkin, Roberta Martinez, Ruth Nolan, Andrew Wessels, Désirée Zamorano, emerging poets Emilia Cabrales and Keily Sahagun + Open Mic

Hosted by Sehba Sarwar and Lester Graves Lennon

Join us for an afternoon of poetry, reflection, and renewal as we mark one year since the Altadena fires. Together, we’ll honor the land, the people, and the spirit of rebuilding that continues to shape our community.

This event will be livestreamed at youtube.com/ AltadenaLibrary.

Supported by Friends of the Altadena Library, the Altadena Library Foundation, Octavia's Bookshelf, and Academy of American Poets.

True Crime All The Time Virtual Book Club

Saturday, Jan. 24, 4-5 p.m.

Zoom

Book: "Revisit: American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century" by Maureen Callahan

Parent & Caregiver Workshop on Internet Safety

Wednesday, Jan. 28
4-5pm
Bob Lucas Library

We invite Parents/Caregivers who would like to learn more about resources intended to assist adults & children on how to navigate the internet safely, led by Rion Nakaya, founder & editor of The Kid Should See This (TKSST.com), a Webby Award-winning collection of over 7,000 educational videos showcasing STEAM, history, & culture.

Writing Letters as a Tool for Grief
Thursday, Jan. 29 • 3:30-5:30pm
Main Library Community Room

In this workshop, you will learn about the therapeutic qualities of letter writing and how it can be a powerful tool for processing grief. From the death of a loved one to the destruction caused by the Eaton fire, loss and grief can be felt in all aspects of our lives. Through prompts, designating writing time, and optional group sharing – you will gain a new skill to support your mental wellbeing during challenging times, led by Janelle Ketcher is an artist, information science professional, and founder of Postal Service for the Dead.

Lunar New Year with Barbara Wong
Thursday, Jan. 29 • 4-5pm
Bob Lucas Library

Storyteller Barbara G. Wong spins MAGICAL tales about dragons, ducks, a magic pot and more. Learn about New Year customs & the lucky foods to eat to welcome the Year of the Horse! For ages 6+. Space is limited and registration required.

Celebrate Lunar New Year with Zodiac Animals
Friday, Jan. 30 • 4-5pm
Bob Lucas Library

Celebrate Lunar New Year with Children’s Book Author and Dance Educator Peggy Nguyễn for an interactive reading of her new book–Zodiac Animals for Movers!

Through dynamic illustrations and movement-based concepts inspired by the Vietnamese Zodiac Calendar, Ms. Peggy welcomes movers of all ages and backgrounds to engage in a community movement experience to charge into the Year of the Horse with intention and power.

The Fire Stories Project
Saturday, Jan. 31 • 1-2:30pm
Bob Lucas Library

The Fire Stories Project is a staged reading crafted from excerpts of the experiences of young people impacted by the Eaton fire, using their exact words and performed by professional actors. Suitable for all ages. Space is limited, so please register for this event.

Chess Night
Every Monday
(Except Jan. 19)
5:30-7:30pm
Main Library Reading Court

Want to find out more about our Board?
Come in person to our Regular Meeting of the Altadena Library Board of Trustees on Monday, Jan. 26 • 5pm in the
Altadena Main Library Community Room
or join us virtually at
https://www.youtube.com/AltadenaLibrary

Renovation Zines

Jan. 1-31

Main Library Children's Room

Celebrate our next chapter, learn more about the renovation, and share your favorite memories at the Main Library by creating your own ALD Main Library Zine! Come by the Children's Room for supplies all month long!

Connect with us through our App

Listen to FREE audiobooks,
discover new music,
learn new skills through Linkedin Learning,

get homework help from online tutors,
explore events and more!

Search for "Altadena Library District" in the Apple App Store or on Google Play to download! Or stop by any Info Desk for help!

Friends' Library Book Store Is Closed

The Book Store at Altadena Main Library will reopen when the Library’s renovation is complete.

“We are truly grateful for your wonderful support — it has meant so much to all of us. We look forward to welcoming you back and sharing more great books when the Book Store reopens. Thank you for being part of our library community.” — The Friends of the Altadena Library

Altadena Library Foundation strengthens the mission and resources of the libraries through fundraising and advocacy. Learn more at

www.altadenalibraryfoundation.org.

The Friends of the Altadena Library stimulate public interest, assist with funding to purchase materials, and support cultural and educational programs. Become a member at

www.altadenalibrary.org/friends.

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Main Library

600 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001

Phone: (626) 798-0833

Closes for renovation Jan. 31, 2026

Monday & Tuesday
10:00am-8:00pm

Wednesday – Friday
10:00am-6:00pm

Saturday
10:00am-4:00pm

Bob Lucas Memorial Library & Literacy Center

2659 Lincoln Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001

Phone: (626) 798-8338

Monday – Friday
10:00am-6:00pm

Altadena Library
at Loma Alta Park*
3330 N. Lincoln Avenue
Altadena, California 91001

Phone: (626) 798-0833

Monday – Friday
10:00am-6:00pm
Saturday
10:00am-4:00pm

*Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park is located in the park’s Social Hall. The Social Hall is a unit of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation System.

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