BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//sebbo.net//ical-generator//EN NAME:Berkeley Public Library X-WR-CALNAME:Berkeley Public Library BEGIN:VEVENT UID:f6d9bd1e-071b-45f0-8c5f-a47012ebf2d3 SEQUENCE:0 DTSTAMP:20260910T083625Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T170000 SUMMARY:Dorothy Lazard Author Talk @North copy LOCATION:North Branch\nNorth Branch X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=North Branch;X-APPLE-RADIU S=10;X-TITLE=North Branch:geo:37.8854536,-122.2753925 GEO:37.8854536;-122.2753925 DESCRIPTION:Discuss the new book demystifying the inner workings of the mo dern American library & addressing threats they face from political groups seeking to suppress people's freedom to read what they choose..\nhttps:// berkeleypubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/17390612 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

You are invited to join us for an author talk with local author\, public historian\, truth teller\, and reti red librarian Dorothy Lazard! \;Books will be available to pu rchase on-site through Pegasus Books.

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In her new book Behind The Desk At The Main: A Librarian's Memoir\, celebrated Oakland librarian and public historian Dorothy Lazard offers a n insider's look at the modern American library. Through personal stories and decades of experience\, Lazard demystifies the work of librarians and reveals how libraries serve as vital hubs- and defenders- for knowledge\, connection\, and civic life. \;

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Over the course of Lazard's 20 year tenure at Oakland Public Library's flagship branch- known as "the Ma in"- she built a career helping residents connect with the city's past and present\, eventually becoming the keeper of Oakland's local history archi ves while serving people from every walk of life and gaining a unique vant age point on the concerns and heath of her city. \;

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The book a lso highlights the growing challenges libraries face today. As one of the last truly democratic and free municipal services\, the public library has become a battleground in cultural and political debates. Efforts to restr ict access to books- particularly works by and about people of color and t he LGBTQ+ community- have placed librarians on the frontlines of the fight for intellectual freedom. \;

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As economic crises\, political p olarization\, and social divides place strain on public institutions\, Laz ard argues that libraries remain among the most powerful symbols of democr atic ideals- spaces dedicated to curiosity\, imagination\, memory\, and sh ared civic life. Both a celebration of librarianship and a call to defend public institutions\, Behind The Desk At The Main offers readers an intimate portrait of the people who keep libraries running- and how the se cherished institutions become the lifeblood of the communities they ser ve.

\nhttps://berkeleypubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/17390612 URL;VALUE=URI:https://berkeleypubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/17390612 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/berkeleypubliclibrary/Doro thy_Lazard_North_1_.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR