Activities for All Ages in January and February 2022
Join us for free activities at home, online, and in person. For updates as they happen, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and sign up for our newsletter.
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FOR KIDS & FAMILY
Fun Activity Kits for Kids
All locations every other Monday
Drop by any library location to pick up a free surprise activity kit to keep. This month, new kits will come out on Jan. 3, Jan. 17, and Jan. 31; and Feb. 14 and Feb. 28.
In-Person Storytimes
Drop in at the Downtown Library: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.; and Thursdays and Saturdays, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.
Sign up for community centers : Fridays, 10:30 a.m.
Young children and family: join us to learn and have fun together with stories, songs, and more! Drop in at the Downtown Library or sign up in advance for storytimes at Sheldon Community Center and Echo Hollow Pool near our neighborhood branches. Find more information and sign up. (Starting Feb. 1, all storytimes will be drop in.)
Special at Storytimes: DanceAbility
Have fun with movement led by DanceAbility. They create an inclusive atmosphere where everybody can dance, move, and explore. This session will give young children of all abilities a chance to play with their grown-ups and each other. Sign-ups begin a week in advance for each session:
Friday, Jan. 14, 10:00 a.m. at Sheldon Community Center
Friday, Jan. 21, 10:30 a.m. at Echo Hollow Pool
Friday, Jan. 28, 10:30 a.m. at Sheldon Community Center
Friday, Feb. 4, 10:30 a.m. at Echo Hollow Pool
Online Storytimes
New storytime each Wednesday on YouTube Live and Facebook Live
Stories, songs, rhymes, puppets, and more! Online Storytime helps little ones develop the language skills they’ll need when they’re learning to read. Plus it’s a lovely way to play together. No account or login is needed.
Book Buddies Group - ages 7-9
Online: Friday, February 11, 3:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m., Zoom
Sign-ups start Jan. 15. Preregistration required to receive event link. Choose a time and sign up online:
3:30 p.m. session: https://bit.ly/BookBuddiesFeb2022_330pm
4:30 p.m. session: https://bit.ly/BookBuddiesFeb2022_430pm
For ages 7-9 in the Eugene area. Get together online for fun conversation and activity. This month, we're reading "Captain Pug: The Dog Who Sailed the Seas" by Laura James. Sign up and we’ll give you a free copy of the book to keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
Stuck in the Middle Book Group - ages 11-14
Online: Tuesday, February 15, 4:00 p.m., Zoom
Sign-ups start Jan. 15. Preregistration required to receive event link. Sign up online: https://bit.ly/MiddleBookGroupFeb2022
For ages 11-14 in the Eugene area. Get together to share opinions and ideas about books. This month, we're reading "Snapdragon" by Kat Leyh. Sign up and we’ll give you a free copy of the book to keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
Tween Scene Book Group - ages 9-12
Online: Thursday, February 17, 4:00 p.m., Zoom
Sign-ups start Jan. 15. Preregistration required to receive event link. Sign up online: https://bit.ly/TweenBookGroupFeb2022
For ages 9-12 in the Eugene area. Get together for fun conversation and activity. This month, we're reading "Becoming Muhammad Ali" by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander. Sign up and we’ll give you a free copy of the book to keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
OBOB Book Group - grades 3-5
Online: Tuesday, February 22, 4:00 p.m., Zoom
Sign-ups start Jan. 15. Preregistration required to receive event link. Sign up online: https://bit.ly/OBOB_Feb2022
For grades 3-5 in the Eugene, Oregon area. Get together for fun quizzes and conversation about two of this year's Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) titles. This month, we're reading "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm and "Some Places More Than Others" by Renée Watson. Sign up and we’ll give you free copies of the books to keep. Or enjoy the books free with your library card in print or online:
The Fourteenth Goldfish
Some Places More Than Others
Watch online anytime:
Recorded online storytimes on our Facebook or YouTube.
Teddy Bear Picnic Online: sing and dance along with live music by Mike and Carleen McCornack and the Garden Variety Band. Recorded live in July 2021.
Kids Show: Red Yarn's Backyard: sing, dance, and learn with fave family performer Red Yarn and his colorful crew of puppet critter. Recorded live in June 2021.
Bilingual Storytime Online: with special guest Naibe Reynoso, author of the children's book "How to Fold a Taco/Como Doblar un Taco." Recorded live in April 2021.
Bilingual Storytime Online: join Toña Aguilar online for fun stories, songs, and rhymes in Spanish and English. Two storytimes: September 2020 and April 2021.
Día recommended children's books: our librarians suggest titles, recorded live in English in April 2021.
Pigeon Party: a storytime with special performances celebrating the character Pigeon from Mo Willem's beloved books, recorded live in March 2021.
Oregon's Dino-Story: learn about dinosaurs in Oregon's past with paleontologists from UO's Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shared in March 2021.
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FOR TEENS
Animanga Club
Downtown Library: Tuesday, January 25, 4:00 p.m.
Ages 13- 19: drop in to watch “Jujutsu Kaisen,” eat Japanese snacks, and win some manga and swag.
Teens: Make String Art
Downtown Library: Wednesday, February 2, 4:00 p.m.
Ages 13 - 19: drop in to make string art. All supplies provided.
Stuck in the Middle Book Group - ages 11-14
Online: Tuesday, February 15, 4:00 p.m., Zoom
Sign-ups start Jan. 15. Preregistration required to receive event link. Sign up online: https://bit.ly/MiddleBookGroupFeb2022
For ages 11-14 in the Eugene area. Get together to share opinions and ideas about books. This month, we're reading "Snapdragon" by Kat Leyh. Sign up and we’ll give you a free copy of the book to keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
Teen Book Group - ages 13-19
Downtown Library: Wednesday, February 16, 4:00 p.m.
Sign-ups start Jan. 15. Sign up online: https://bit.ly/TeenBookGroupFeb2022
Ages 13-19: get together in person at the Downtown Library to share opinions and ideas about books. This month, we're reading "The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta. Sign up and we’ll give you a free copy of the book to keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
Watch online anytime:
William Ritter: Live Interview Enjoy a talk with the author of the popular and beloved "Jackaby" and "Oddmire" series, recorded summer 2020.
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FOR ADULTS
Ken Babbs: Author Talk
Downtown Library and online live: Saturday, January 15, 2:00 p.m.
Join Ken Babbs for a talk about his latest work, "Cronies, A Burlesque: Adventures with Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, the Merry Pranksters, and the Grateful Dead." Drop in to hear the talk in person at the Downtown Library or watch online on YouTube Live.
Ken Babbs was a co-founder of the Merry Pranksters and continues to be a 1960’s cultural icon. His literary memoir has just been published by Eugene's own Tsunami Press. Its 70 stories express Babbs' spirit of adventure through anecdotes featuring the Grateful Dead, Ken Kesey, Wendell Berry, Allen Ginsberg, and a host of others: the cronies. He calls these tales "burlesques” because at age 85, with many years spent "in the wide friendly center of an evolving, at times psychedelic culture, memory no longer can, or even should include an exact retelling, but only a tasty sprinkling of the truth, mixed with an endless enigma, all topped with the best of humor and heart." Books will be available for purchase at the in-person event, courtesy of Tsunami Books.
Windfall Reading Series: Kimberly Johnson and Keli Osborn
Online: Tuesday, January 18, 6:00 p.m., YouTube Live
Join Lane Literary Guild and Eugene Public Library for a livestream Windfall Reading, a monthly gathering highlighting local and regional writers. This month, writers Kimberly Johnson and Keli Osborn read and take questions. More information and watch: bit.ly/WindfallJan2022
Book Groups: “Braiding Sweetgrass"
Online: Wednesday, January 19, 6:00 p.m.
Downtown Library: Saturday, January 22, 2:00 p.m.
Sign-ups start Dec. 15:
Online book group (for adults in the Eugene area)
In-person book group
Get together in person at the Downtown Library to chat about "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Sign up for the book group and we'll give you a free copy of the book to read and keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
Note: "Braiding Sweetgrass" is the University of Oregon Common Reading selection this year. Everyone's invited to watch the livestream of the author's campus talk on Monday, January 24 at 12:00 p.m. "Purchase" a free ticket: https://ticket.uoregon.edu/uo/rwk-stream
Postponed - Record Listening Party: "Donuts"
Unfortunately, this in-person event has had to be postponed. Keep an eye out for a new date!
Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement
Online: Thursday, February 3, 6:00 p.m.
Join Galen Abdur-Razzaq for a combined concert and history lesson. Watch online on YouTube Live: https://bit.ly/EugJazzCivilRights
Learn about jazz music from the turn of the century to today, including stories of great artists and their music, their influence on the evolution of jazz, and their struggles. Abdur-Razzaq explores jazz as a treasured part of our American heritage, including its role in the Civil Rights Movement when concerts helped finance major activities such as Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington.
Galen Abdur-Razzaq is a master flutist with decades of experience on stage, in studio, and in the classroom. A riveting speaker with encyclopedic knowledge of the history of jazz and the Civil Rights Movement, he has performed and taught around the nation and the world. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and holds a Master's Degree in Performing Arts and Education from Rutgers University.
Political Cartoonist Jesse Springer
Online: Saturday, February 5, 2:00 p.m.
Join political cartoonist Jesse Springer for a livestream illustrated talk about his new greatest-hits book “Only in Oregon.” Enjoy highlights of his 26 years of insightful, whimsical, and hilarious takes on Oregon's unique cultural and political scene. Watch at https://bit.ly/EugSpringerTalk
Says Springer, “Oregon is weird and traditional, liberal and conservative, urban and rural -- a truly strange and special place.” His cartoons explore state topics and controversies from “the kicker” to PERS, timber wars to climate change, vote by mail to Death with Dignity, and the Bundy Boys to the Proud Boys.
Jesse Springer has been drawing and distributing Oregon-themed political cartoons to newspapers around the state since 1995. In 2007, he won the Grand Prize in the “Science Idol” contest sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists. In addition to cartooning, he runs Springer Design & Illustration in Eugene.
Book Groups: “The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die"
Online: Saturday, February 12, 2:00 p.m.
Sign-ups start Jan. 15 for adults in the Eugene area: https://eugene.libcal.com/event/8766157
Get together to chat about "The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die" by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. This novel, originally published in 1993 and recently translated from the Bangla by Arunava Sinha, is a laugh-out-loud, tug-at-your-heartstrings tale of love, family, and freedom centered around three generations of Bengali women.
Sign up for this book group and we'll provide a free copy of the book for you to read and keep. Or enjoy the book free with your library card in print or online: find it here.
Job Search Help
Ongoing: by appointment at the Downtown Library: call 541-686-7985 to schedule
Make a one-on-one appointment to meet in person at the Downtown Library with an advisor from Lane County Workforce Services. These friendly experts help job seekers make career plans, become more employable, improve job search skills, and find work. Topics include online applications, resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills, community resources, networking, training scholarships. This service is free and available in English and Spanish. Lane Workforce Partnership/WorkSource Lane is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. This program is co-sponsored by Lane County Human Services, Lane Workforce Partnership, and Eugene Public Library. Call 541-686-7985 to schedule an appointment.
Exhibit: Paintings by Jonathan Short
Downtown Library 2nd floor, November through February
Jonathan Short's colorful paintings are inspired by nature. Short is originally from the East Coast, where he studied art since childhood. Influenced by many trips on the train to the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York City, he then studied at The Art Students League N.YC. and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He says, "The air of Oregon has inspired me to pursue painting. It's like a religious experience."
Watch online anytime:
Windfall Reading Series: monthly readings by NW writers coordinated by Lane Literary Guild. Watch past Windfall Readings on YouTube.
Shifting the Narrative: A Conversation on Race and Identity in Children’s Books panel on YouTube Live, recorded in October 2021.
"1000 Hopes" Project and Oregon BIPOC Experiences panel on YouTube Live, recorded in June 2021.
What to Read Next: book recommendations for all ages on a variety of themes by Eugene Public Library. Watch "What to Read Next" on YouTube.
History of Comics Censorship: Banned Books Week talk: on YouTube Live, recorded in October 2020.
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ONGOING: LIBRARY FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION
Friends of Eugene Public Library: Book Store and Online Book Sales
The Friends' Second Hand Prose book store offers amazing deals on gently-used books in the Entry Garden of the Downtown Library. You can also shop online for store pick-up or at the Friends' Amazon store. See store hours and shopping information.
Imagination Library Luncheon
Watch anytime on YouTube
Enjoy the recording of the 2021 Imagination Library of Eugene event featuring "Stone Soup" cartoonist Jan Eliot, children’s author/illustrator Sandy Silverthorne, Dr. Audrey Lucero, joke-telling kids, and more.
Imagination Library Film: Live Online
Watch anytime: Facebook Live
Stream the new, uplifting documentary, "The Library That Dolly Built," free: https://www.facebook.com/dollysimaginationlibrary/videos/369048854395459. No Facebook account or login is needed. Visit Eugene Imagination Library to learn about our local program, including how to sign up your child (ages 0 through 4) and how to donate to support the program.
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ONLINE & ONGOING
All free! Some online actitivies require a library card. If you don’t have one, call us to sign up: 541-682-5450.
Personalized reading recommendations
Get expert suggestions to match your tastes and interests. Fill out our online form for adults or kids and teens, email us, live chat with us, or call us at 541-682-5450.
Book lists, reviews, and more
Booklist Online
Books & Authors
NoveList Plus
Eugene Public Library Escape Rooms
Solve puzzles and clues to escape! Work on these fun challenges alone or as a team.
- Ghost Ship Escape Room (ages 10 and up)
- Undersea Atlantis Escape Room (ages 10 and up)
- The Labyrinth: Greek Mythology Escape Room (ages 10 and up)
- Spy School: Secret Agent Training Escape Room - Part 1 (ages 13 and up)
- Spy School: Secret Agent Training Escape Room - Part 2 (ages 13 and up)
- Murder in the Library (ages 13 and up)
- Murder at the Ski Resort (ages 13 and up)
Art Exhibit: Acrylic Paintings by Amy Hartsfield
Enjoy a video art exhibit featuring paintings of trees and other "nature-scapes" by self-taught Eugene artist Amy Hartsfield.
Women Make Waves: Listening Experience
Take a listening adventure with a wide variety of performers and types of music. Start now.
Ancestry.com
Explore your family tree, history, and more. Library card required. Start now.
LinkedIn Learning
Formerly known as Lynda.com, these professional courses provide training in software development, web development, design, photography, and business. Library card required. Start now.
Mango Languages
Interactive lessons to learn dozens of languages, including English as a second language. Library card required. Start now.