The Contra Costa County Library system is piloting a new program designed to give patrons access to the Concord Library on Sundays, when the branch is normally closed.
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Patrons who sign up for the Self-Service Sundays program in advance can enter the Concord Library from 12 to 4 p.m. Sundays starting Dec. 1. No staff will be on-site, but two security guards will be present to ensure that only patrons who have signed up for the service enter the library.
Patrons can browse the collection and check out books, return items, pick up holds, connect to Wi-Fi and use the space for studying or reading. To sign up for the service, patrons must have a library card in good standing and a valid form of identification and must attend an in-person orientation and sign a user agreement.
Approved patrons will scan their library cards at the door and use a unique PIN code to enter. More information is available online at ccclib.org/self-service-sundays.
Rolling Reader birthday: The Contra Costa library system’s early literacy outreach van, the Rolling Reader, will celebrate its first birthday in December.
The van and outreach team had a very busy first year connecting with 12,950 people, handing out 7,068 books and driving 6,273 miles. The Rolling Reader visits underserved communities across the county where library staff present storytimes, hand out free books and crafts and provide activities focused on early literacy, small motor skills and STEM.
O’Reilly for libraries: This digital service gives users on-demand access to a vast collection of titles from O’Reilly (including eBooks in early release) and nearly 200 other publishers.
Find videos, eBooks, resource centers, learning paths, case studies and playlists. Subject areas include information technology and software, business, digital media, professional and personal development and desktop and web applications.
Alexander Street Performing Arts Collection: Enjoy this collection of music, dance and theater content spanning hundreds of genres and a wide range of subject types.
It includes instructional videos, performances and more from leading providers such as the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Qwest TV, Smithsonian, L.A. Theatre Works and Broadway On-Demand.
Visit ccclib.org to sign up for a library card and get connected to books and resources. For questions about Contra Costa library services and programming or account information, contact the library system via email at ask@library.cccounty.us, online chat at tinyurl.com/cccl-chat or text questions to 925-290-7627.
Brooke Converse is the Contra Costa County Library system’s public information officer and can be reached at brooke.converse@library.cccounty.us.
Library calendar
Tarot Social Meetup: 6 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Martinez Library. Join host Carolina Amor in creating a tarot and astrology community at the Martinez Library. Attendees will talk about tarot cards, cover different tarot spreads, do practice readings and discuss answers to questions. Registration is required.
Jingle Book Rock: 12 p.m. Dec. 4 in the De Anza Gardens at 205 Pueblo Ave. in Bay Point. Join the county library system and Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, at a holiday book give-away celebration. The event will include free books for kids and teens, games, crafts and library card signups. No registration is required. All ages and abilities are welcome. The books are provided by the Book Rich Environment, a program of the National Book Foundation.
Trails and Tales: 10 a.m. Dec. 10 at the Bay Point Regional Shoreline. Enjoy a nature walk with a naturalist followed by storytime with a librarian. This program is part of a special partnership between the library system and the East Bay Regional Park District. The meeting spot is Bay Point Regional Shoreline, at the end of McAvoy Road in Bay Point.
Painting in a Winter Wonderland: 4:30 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Hercules Library. Paint scenes from a winter wonderland at an afternoon painting workshop for kids with local artist and educator Tatiana Ortiz. This program is for children and teens ages 6 to 18 years old. Registration is required.