Friday, January 12 (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Location: Boulder Creek
Room: Boulder Creek Community Room

A time for free play for children with a participating adult. Arrival and departure times are flexible. This is a drop-in early learning program, where there will be toys for developing and strengthening gross motor skills, as well as providing time for young children to learn socialization skills,  and for all participants to form friendships.

Friday, January 12 (10:30 AM - 12:00 PM)
Location: La Selva Beach

Come learn and play with us.  Every Friday morning (except the 1st Friday of the month) starting at 10:30a. 

Questions??  Please call the La Selva Beach Library   831.427.7710

La Selva Beach Library, 316 Estrella Ave.  

Friday, January 12 (11:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
Location: Live Oak

We are knitting at Live Oak Library on Fridays. All you need to do is bring some yarn and knitting needles. This is an drop in event. Come for part of the time or stay for the whole event. Crochet or crossstitch and other crafts are welcome. 

For more information contact the librarian Julie Soto sotoj@santacruzpl.org or 831-427-7700 ext 7649

Friday, January 12 (11:00 AM - 11:30 AM)
Location: Scotts Valley

***Today's Storytime will be held in the KidSpot***

Come join Librarian Emily for stories, songs, and lots of fun for preschoolers and their caregivers in our beautiful, newly-renovated Scotts Valley Library Branch every Friday at 11am.

Friday, January 12 (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Location: Downtown
Room: Life Literacies Center

An Encompass Outreach worker will be available on a drop-in basis, 1:00 - 3:00 PM, in the Life Literacies Center at the Downtown Library for anyone with questions regarding connecting to social services, county mental health, addiction recovery options, housing applications, the Homeward Bound bus ticket program, obtaining a PO Box, clearing camping tickets, obtaining a fee-free DMV CA Identification application and more.

Friday, January 12 (2:00 PM - 3:15 PM)
Location: Live Oak

The Live Oak Book Group meets on the second Friday of the month. Each month we vote on a book the month prior to the meeting. This month's selection is The Known World by Edward P. Jones. All the book kit copies have gone to group members, but check with the library front desk. You can access the audio and eBooks on Hoopla

For more information email Julie Soto (sotoj@santacruzpl.org) or text Jim Lewis (‭831 588-0666). 

Friday, January 12 (2:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
Location: La Selva Beach
Room: La Selva Beach Branch Library

Fun for the whole family!  Do-it-yourself crafts every Friday from 2:00 to 4:00p.  Drop-in, no registration required.

Friday, January 12 (3:00 PM - 4:30 PM)
Location: Live Oak

Every week we will have a new project idea for you to build or explore. Projects will include Science, Arts & Crafts, Model building, and Exploration of the environment around us.

Please allow at least 30 minutes to complete a project.

Children under 7 yrs old will need an adult present to help them. Expect to get messy!

Saturday, January 13 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM)
Location: Capitola
Room: Ow Family Community Room

Join our Capitola Branch Library Friends Chapter! We are building a group of library supporters focused on advocacy, fundraising, volunteering and ensuring the best new branch possible! We are a chapter of the Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Sign up to receive our newsletters here.

Saturday, January 13 (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
Location: Boulder Creek
Room: Boulder Creek Community Room

Come learn some basics with Beverly Thompson. You will learn basic crochet stitches, we will show how to hold the hook, common crochet terms, and we will practice chain stitching to gain skill in maintaining stitch size and tension.  We will begin (and possibly finish) a cotton dishcloth.
Tools provided:
Crochet hook, size G
Skein of cotton yarn
Mini balls of acrylic yarn to practice chain stitching

Saturday, January 13 (10:30 AM - 11:00 AM)
Location: Branciforte
Room: Branciforte Branch Library, 230 Gault St, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Bilingual stories and songs, in Spanish and English, for young children and their families.

Cuentos y canciones bilingües, en español e inglés, para niños pequeños y sus familias.

Saturday, January 13 (12:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
Location: Felton
Room: Felton Community Room

Adults need playtime, too! Come play some new or old favorite tabletop games. Bring your favorite board game or play some of the library's games. No prior gaming experience is necessary. This program is for adults 18+. 

We will meet every second and fourth Saturdays of the month in the Community Room at Felton Branch Library. 

Saturday, January 13 (12:00 PM - 1:00 PM)
Location: Branciforte
Room: Community Room

Branciforte's Conversation Club is a welcoming place for language learners of English to practice their conversation skills in English with a group leader.

Saturday, January 13 (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Location: Capitola
Room: Ow Family Community Room

Join the circle and write a poem in a creative and supportive  environment. No experience necessary. Open to all ages and levels of poets.

Facilitated by poet-teacher Magdalena Montagne. Pre-registration required.

Questions: Call Magdalena at 831-252-5776 or email her at magdamontagne@gmail.com.

Saturday, January 13 (1:30 PM - 3:30 PM)
Location: Felton
Room: Felton Community Room

Enjoy beautiful projected photos of a diversity of subjects, including underwater images from around the world, eclipses, and western landscapes. Learn about California’s endangered kelp forest ecosystem and efforts to save it.

Presenter Bio:

Felton resident Marc Shargel has been a professional nature photographer for 35 years. He is author of four books on the marine life of the California coast, a noted marine conservationist and frequent speaker throughout the state.

Marc’s photographs will be mounted in the Felton Library from January to March 2024.

This program is part of our ongoing Community-led Learning series.

Saturday, January 13 (2:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
Location: Branciforte

Are you stuck with a technology question?

Our tech savvy staff at the Branciforte Library would like to help you troubleshoot your issue with a 30 minute (or less) appointment. Fixing broken hardware or software is not within our scope. Possible topics may include: creating an email account, creating documents, attaching files, using premium subscription library resources, downloading and streaming content like movies, books, and audiobooks, and more. Please bring any devices you use, and have your necessary passwords and library card with you. 

Make an appointment: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/appointments/branciforte

Advance appointments are prioritized. Visit the library's information desk or call telephone information (831-427-7713) for help making an appointment. Arriving later than 5 minutes after scheduled time may result in appointment cancellation. Walk-ins are welcome, when openings are available.

Visit the library's Digital Learning webpage for more opportunites: https://www.santacruzpl.org/digitallearning

We look forward to helping you!

Saturday, January 13 (2:00 PM - 3:30 PM)
Location: Downtown
Room: Downtown Community Room

Professional chess instruction with Chess Master Gjon Feinstein.  All levels welcome. For ages 6 - 18. If you have never played chess before, please contact Gjon before your first session: coach@santacruzchess.com     831-425-7835

Sunday, January 14 (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM)
Room: Ow Family Community Room

Trained therapy dogs will be available at the Library to be attentive, nuetral reading partners for children reading aloud. Child must be 6-17 years old, and already reading to some degree. Our volunteer handlers are there to provide support but are not trained reading instructors. 

Appointments are required, please contact 831-427-7713 to make yours now. 
If you have questions, e-mail rammerr@santacruzpl.org

Sunday, January 14 (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Location: Downtown

Are you stuck with a technology question?

Our tech savvy staff at the Downtown Library would like to help you troubleshoot your issue with a 30 minute (or less) appointment. Fixing broken hardware or software is not within our scope. Possible topics may include: creating an email account, creating documents, attaching files, using premium subscription library resources, downloading and streaming content like movies, books, and audiobooks, and more. Please bring any devices you use, and have your necessary passwords and library card with you. 

Make an appointment: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/appointments/downtown

Advance appointments are prioritized. Visit the library's information desk or call telephone information (831-427-7713) for help making an appointment. Arriving later than 5 minutes after scheduled time may result in appointment cancellation. Walk-ins are welcome, when openings are available.

Visit the library's Digital Learning webpage for more opportunites: https://www.santacruzpl.org/digitallearning

We look forward to helping you!

Sunday, January 14 (3:00 PM - 5:30 PM)
Location: Capitola
Room: Ow Family Community Room

In celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we will screen and discuss the film King in the Wilderness. This documentary follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the last few years of his life, from the vital role he played in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to his assassination in 1968. Light refreshments will be provided and registration is recommended, but not required. Register below.

2018; 115 min; Rated TV-14

King in the Wilderness chronicles the final chapters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, revealing a conflicted leader who faced an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. While the Black Power movement saw his nonviolence as weakness, and President Lyndon B. Johnson saw his anti-Vietnam War speeches as irresponsible, Dr. King’s unyielding belief in peaceful protest became a testing point for a nation on the brink of chaos.

The documentary debuted at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and is directed by Peter Kunhardt. Drawing on conversations with those who knew Dr. King well, including many fellow members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King in the Wilderness reveals stirring new perspectives on Dr. King’s character, his radical doctrine of nonviolence and his internal philosophical struggles prior to his assassination in 1968. The documentary also features archival footage, behind-the-scenes video of Dr. King’s private moments, intimate archival photographs and phone conversations recorded by President Johnson, who was both ally and adversary in King’s fight for civil rights.

Watch the Trailer

To further engage with the film and its lessons, visit the Kunhardt Foundation website. You will find interviews, lessons, and discussion questions.