E-CONNECT | OCTOBER 2023 UPDATE FROM THE ALTADENA LIBRARIES

The Altadena Libraries will be closed Friday, Oct. 6, for staff development.

Free COVID Tests at Altadena Libraries

The Altadena Libraries now offer free COVID-19 test kits, provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

• The COVID test kits are for at-home use.
• One kit per family member, each kit contains two tests.
• These are available while supplies last.
• A library card is not required.

Stop by the Information Desk at our Main Library or the Bob Lucas Memorial Library to pick yours up today!

Celebrate Clean Air Week and Walk to School Day with the Altadena Libraries!

In preparation of our community's Walk to School Day on Oct. 4, you can visit the Main Library Children's Desk or Bob Lucas Library to create your own "Walk to School" sign. We will have materials available during open hours until Oct. 3, while supplies last. 

We are hosting a Community Clean Air Challenge on Beanstack from Oct. 2-6. Complete four activities to win a packet of seeds. Sign up through Beanstack or stop by the Info Desk at either of our libraries and we can help you sign up! 

Enjoy clean air-themed storytimes throughout the week!

Students from area schools will meet at one of three community hubs — including the Main Library — to walk to school on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Contact your school for details on how to participate!

Free Flu Vaccine Clinic

Monday, Oct. 2
10am-12pm

Main Library Reading Court

Come get a free flu shot with with Huntington Health.

Flu vaccine requirements:
• No COVID-19 or flu like symptoms.
• At least 18 years old, or giving consent for your child, ages 9-17 years.
• Not allergic to eggs or the influenza vaccine.
• Not have a history of Guillain-Barre-syndrome.

In-N-Out Burger invites children ages 4 to 12 to check out and read five library books. For each five books read, you will receive a certificate for a free hamburger or cheeseburger! You can earn up to three certificates during the challenge, which runs from Oct. 7 to Nov. 18.

Sign up at the Main Library Children's Desk or at the Bob Lucas Information Desk!

Rachel Curry is a teaching artist, letterpress printer, bookbinder, zinester, and fiber artist from Los Angeles, California. As a queer feminist punk, Rachel’s practice as an artist and an educator is rooted in the belief that art is for everyone, that it is possible to build a better world through creative expression. 

Experimental Poetry Zines with the Fab Lab Artist in Residence Rachel Curry

Saturday, Oct. 7 • 1-4pm 

Main Library Community Room

registration required

Mortals with a Plan

Bob Lucas Memorial Library

2-Part Panel Discussion/Workshop 

Tuesday, Oct. 10 • 6-7:30pm AND Saturday, Oct. 14 • 10am-12pm

Have you made a plan for the inevitable? In this 2-part program, we'd like to spark the conversation about what the end-of-life can potentially look like and make some decisions for peace of mind.

The Panel Discussion features four professionals knowledgeable about the tools and resources needed to make your end-of-life plan. At the Paperwork Party, you'll have a chance to work through the Five Wishes workbook and the Advanced Health Care Directive Form in a relaxed environment so that your plan is written down.

This program is for adults only. Space is limited, and registration required.

Annular Solar Eclipse Viewing

Saturday, Oct. 14 • 8-11am

Main Library Parking Lot

Join us for our Annular Solar Eclipse program. We will view the Annular Solar Eclipse while learning more about it! Come create a sun clock craft as well.

NASA-approved solar viewing glasses provided by SEAL (Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) will be distributed. Glasses will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

Please note: Maximum viewing will be at 9:24 a.m.

Glasses provided by SEAL. This project is generously funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Second Saturday Returns with Mezcal de Alicia!

Saturday, Oct. 14 • 7-9pm

Main Library Parking Lot

Indie Author Night

Tuesday, Oct.  17 • 5-7pm

Main Library Community Room

Listen to local authors read from their best and newest works. Meet them and get copies of their book after the reading and mingle with other book lovers.

Authors to be announced.

Art Workshop: Creating Unique Stamped Jewelry

Saturday, Oct.  21 • 11am-1pm

Main Library Community Room

In this workshop, led by artist Alice Matiosian of Red Tail Jewelry, you will create your own unique jewelry. We will transform pre-cut metal shapes into one-of-a-kind wearable art by using stamps to explore textures, words, and patterns. You will have the option to choose to decorate a cuff or can learn basic assembling techniques to create a pair of earrings.

This program is for teens (13+) and adults. Space is limited and registration required.

Altadena Poets Laureate Present

Writing the Octavia Butler Poem:

Honoring an Altadena/Pasadena Daughter of the Land Workshop with Shonda Buchanan

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 • 6:00-8:00pm

Main Library Community Room

Do you want to write stories like the award-winning sci-fi author, Octavia Butler? Join us for a workshop where you can explore and emulate the work of one of Altadena's cultural sheroes.

About the Poet
Pushcart Prize nominee Shonda Buchanan is author of Black Indian, chosen by PBS NewsHour as a “Top 20 books to read to learn about institutional racism.” A professor at Loyola Marymount University, Shonda’s forthcoming books are The Lost Songs of Nina Simone and Children of the Mixed Blood Trail.

This program is made possible by the Altadena Library Foundation, the Friends of the Altadena Library, and the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Mellon Foundation. This event is supported by Poets & Writers and Women Who Submit.

Huntington Health Blood Drive at Altadena Library

Friday, Oct.  27 & Saturday, Oct. 28 • 9am-3:15pm

Bloodmobile in Main Library Parking Lot

Help us save lives... donate blood! Donors will receive a $20 gift card. Please call or text Ida at (626) 676-3035 to schedule your donation. If time permits, we welcome walk-ins. Look for bloodmobile in the back parking lot.

Please eat a meal ahead of your donation, be well hydrated and bring your physical driver’s license. We appreciate your support!

Bob Baker's Halloween Spooktacular 

Friday, Oct.  27 • 7-7:30pm

Main Library

Join us after-hours for a Bob Baker Marionette Theater performance of "Halloween Spooktacular." Halloween costumes are welcomed. Please register.

Altadena Poets Laureate Ode to the Land: Home Is Where the Art Is 

Workshop with Bonnie S. Kaplan
Saturday, Oct. 28 • 11:00am-1:00pm
Main Library Community Room

In this ”Ode to the Land” workshop, we will develop poems through a series of fun activities, including mapping our homes/travels, creating postcards to the past and future, and engaging with examples and exercises that reveal the power of the Ode — a poem of praise.

About the Poet

Bonnie S. Kaplan is a poet and educator who was raised in the San Fernando Valley and now lives in Altadena. Her work has appeared in various anthologies and journals, most recently in Bellevue Literary Review, Room Magazine, and Sinister Wisdom. Her poem, "Mastectomy, Simple," was a finalist for the 2021 Marica and Jan Vilcek Poetry Prize. Bonnie believes that the arts are essential for people of all ages and experiences. She currently teaches with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company in juvenile justice settings and Writers in the Schools, Red Hen Press, at Eliot Middle Arts Magnet, Altadena. 

This program is made possible by the Altadena Library Foundation, the Friends of the Altadena Library, and the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Mellon Foundation. This event is supported by Poets & Writers and Women Who Submit.

Ode to the Land brings seniors (55+) and high school students together for Saturday poetry workshops.

Día de los Muertos Celebration

Danza Azteca Xochipilli
Monday, October 30, 2023 • 4-5pm
Bob Lucas Memorial Library

Danza Azteca Xochipilli performs the ancient traditions of the Aztec people in their colorful program combining authentic music, story, and dance. Anecdotes and stories of the Aztec culture are told in alternating Spanish and English.

Día de los Muertos Public Ofrenda
Monday, October 30 - Saturday, November 4, 2023
We also invite you to participate in the celebration by bringing in photos of your loved ones who have passed to place on the ofrenda. To accommodate as many photos as possible, please be sure that your contribution measures no larger than 4 inches x 4 inches.You can bring your photo to the Information Desk of either Altadena Library location. 

October Events for All Ages

Chess Night, every Monday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Main Library Reading Court

October Events for Children

Drop by the Main Library Children's Area during the week of Oct. 14-21 to color a template of a nocturnal "friend" that will be added to a string that will be on display in the Children's Area the last week of the month.

Children's Seasonal Craft at Bob Lucas, Wednesday, October 4, 4-5 p.m., Bob Lucas Memorial Library, registration required.

Baby & Me Play Group! (for ages 0-18 months), Children can explore books and learning toys that promote early literacy and motor development, while caregivers can meet other local families and bond with their child. Saturday, Oct. 7, 10-11 a.m., Main Library Community Room 

Curiosity Hour (for ages 2-5), Curious little ones will explore different STEAM concepts through stories, songs, and activity stations. Friday, October 13, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Main Library Community Room

Sensory Storytime at Bob Lucas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 10:30-11:15 a.m., Bob Lucas, Registration required

Baby & Toddler Storytime, every Monday, 10:30-11:00 a.m., Main Library Front Lawn

Storytime at Bob Lucas, every Tuesday, 10:30-11:00 a.m., Bob Lucas Memorial Library

Preschool Storytime, every Thursday, 10:30-11:00 a.m., Main Library Front Lawn

Pajama Storytime, first and third Monday of the month, 6:00-6:30 p.m., Main Library Community Room

Radical Tween Art Club
Wednesday, Oct. 25
4:30-5:30pm
Main Library Community Room 

Join our Youth and Families Librarian for a monthly radical tween art club. Learn and explore projects featured in the book "Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids" by Anti-Racist Art Teachers. 

Sugar Skull Craft

Friday, Oct. 27 • 4-5:30pm

Main Library Community Room

In celebration of Día de Los Muertos, come make your own colorful sugar skull and learn about Día de Los Muertos. All supplies will be provided. Ages 5-12. Registration required.

October Events for Teens

Banned Books Week - Oct. 2-7 Check out a banned book from the Teen Space’s library display! The banned book will be a surprise - books will be covered in paper with a little card that explains why it was banned. 

Harvest & Feast, Saturday, Oct. 7 (first Saturday of the month), 9-11 a.m., Main Library Parking Lot
Come harvest our gardens and make food (& FEAST!) using our veggies with other teens after tending to the gardens.

Hydration Club, Saturday, Oct. 21, (first Saturday of the month), 9-10 a.m., Main Library Reading Court
Meditate & listen to your own music while you hydrate (water) Altadena Library’s indoor plants. 

Teen Volunteer Orientation, every Thursday, 5-6 p.m., Main Library Teen Space

Teens (ages 14-17) are invited to volunteer and can earn service hours. Learn more at https://www.altadenalibrary.org/teens.

October Events for Adults

Huntington Health Screenings, Monday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Main Library

ChapCare Heath Insurance Enrollment Workshop, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 3 to 7 p.m., Main Library

Altadena Moms Consciousness-Raising Group, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6-7:30pm, Main Library Community Room

Seasonal Adult Craft: Pumpkin Spice Candle Centerpiece, Friday, Oct. 13, 3-5 p.m., Main Library Community Room, Registration required

Adult Craft Hour: Pumpkin Centerpiece, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 4 to 5 p.m., Main Library Small Meeting Room, Registration required.

Adult Craft: Pumpkin Centerpiece, Friday, Oct. 20, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Plant Material, 3081 Lincoln Ave., Registration required.

English Conversation Club
Every Tuesday • 6:30-7:30pm
Main Library Small Meeting Room

Practice learning, listening and speaking English in a friendly setting. English learners of all skills levels are encouraged to attend!

Book Clubs

Saturday, Oct. 14, 4 to 5 p.m., on Zoom
Books: "Eartheater: A Novel" by Dolores Reyes
"Urban Jungle: The History and Future of Nature in the City" by Ben Wilson

Saturday, Oct. 28, 4 to 5 p.m., on Zoom
Book: "Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire’s Wife, and the Murder of the Century" by Roseanne Montillo

Join Our Read Local, Shop Local Program!

Read Local, Shop Local has been revamped! This updated library rewards program motivates Altadenans to visit and “check in” with a rewards card at local participating businesses to earn exclusive library district merchandise.

For full details about program benefits for both library users and local businesses, visit us at www.altadenalibrary.org/shoplocal.

Stop by this participating Read Local, Shop Local Business: Plant Material

Plant Material

3081 Lincoln Avenue

Altadena, 91001

We are a garden center that specializes in California native plants, drought tolerant, and regionally appropriate. We also carry organic seeds and seedlings. We have tools from Japan and locally made goods.

The Altadena Library's Curiosity Connection will be there on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. Hope to see you there!

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