Leisure Noon Origami

Join us at noon on select Sundays for leisure origami! Each Sunday will bring a different origami project. All skill levels and ages welcome!

Early Closure: Christmas Eve

Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries will be closing early at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24. Please note: Downtown, College Terrace & Children's Library will remain closed December 24 through January 1. Our e......More

Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries will be closing early at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24. Please note: Downtown, College Terrace & Children's Library will remain closed December 24 through January 1. Our eLibrary is open 24/7!

CLOSED: Christmas

All Palo Alto City libraries will be closed Thursday, December 25 for Christmas. Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries will reopen on Friday, December 26 at 10 a.m. Please note: Downtown, College Terrace & Children's Library will remain closed December 24 through Janu......More

All Palo Alto City libraries will be closed Thursday, December 25 for Christmas. Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries will reopen on Friday, December 26 at 10 a.m. Please note: Downtown, College Terrace & Children's Library will remain closed December 24 through January 1. Our eLibrary is open 24/7!

Photography Meetup

Join us for a monthly meetup designed for intermediate and advanced photographers hosted by Matthew TW Huang. Whether you're into portrait, landscape, or any other type of photography, all are welcome! Each sessi......More

Join us for a monthly meetup designed for intermediate and advanced photographers hosted by Matthew TW Huang. Whether you're into portrait, landscape, or any other type of photography, all are welcome! Each session will feature discussions on techniques, tips for improving your craft, and other aspects of photography.  Ideas for 5-10 min topics, photo stories, or presentations can be emailed to [email protected]. There will be time for a couple of ideas to be presented at each meeting. The format will evolve based on your interests and feedback, creating a supportive and dynamic space for photographers to connect, learn, and grow.

Early Closure: New Year's Eve

Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries will be closing early at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31. Please note: Downtown, College Terrace & Children's Library will remain closed December 24 through January 1. Our e......More

Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries will be closing early at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31. Please note: Downtown, College Terrace & Children's Library will remain closed December 24 through January 1. Our eLibrary is open 24/7!

CLOSED: New Year's

All Palo Alto City libraries will be closed on Thursday, January 1 for New Year's Day. Our eLibrary is open 24/7!

Medicare Mysteries Solved!

Are you getting ready to apply for Medicare and are confused by the different plans to choose from? Join Sandra Karol, MS, RDMS, RVT, for a monthly workshop and learn more about the different plans that will work best for you and your family. Please register directly......More

Are you getting ready to apply for Medicare and are confused by the different plans to choose from? Join Sandra Karol, MS, RDMS, RVT, for a monthly workshop and learn more about the different plans that will work best for you and your family. Please register directly with Sandy at [email protected]. Attendee limit is 10 people per session.

Graphic Novel Book Club

Monthly book discussion on a graphic novel selected by the group! This program is for readers age 16 and up. 2025-2026 titles: September 11: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (1994), 224 pages......More

Monthly book discussion on a graphic novel selected by the group! This program is for readers age 16 and up. 2025-2026 titles: September 11: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (1994), 224 pages October 9: Artificial: A Love Story by Amy Kurzweil (2023), 368 pages November 13: The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2024), 160 pages December 11: The House by Paco Roca (2019), 134 pages January 8: In: A Graphic Novel by Will McPhail (2021), 272 pages February 12: Special presentations by book club members who are authors: Mimi & Soni Discover Dussehra Legends by Devika Joglekar (2019), Kye in the Valley of Gold by Kyle Hurlbut (2024), Smiling Through the Mask by Daniele Archambault (2022) March 12: Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls (2024), 400 pages April 9: Yellow Cab by Benoit Cohen (2022), 168 pages May 14: 40 Men and 12 Rifles: Indochina 1954 by Marcelino Truong (2023), 296 pages Titles can be borrowed from the Palo Alto City Library and through our Link+ system - click on the links above or search in our catalog for more information. Meetings are held in person in the Midtown Room at Mitchell Park Library and facilitated by Danièle Archambault. Danièle Archambault, Ph.D. (Linguistics), is a researcher, author, and educator who is interested in comics as a way to document a society's cultural and linguistic landscape. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, she now lives in Palo Alto, where she is an artist in residence at the Cubberley Artist Studio Program, a program of the City of Palo Alto. In the past few years, she has published several full-color comic books, graphic novels, and electronic books. Ms. Archambault is a regular guest speaker on documenting culture and dialects through comics at various educational and cultural institutions. She teaches Visual Storytelling at the Palo Alto Art Center, and at other educational venues. http://danielebd.com/

External Event: FOPAL Book Sale

Don't miss this month's Friends of the Palo Alto Library Book Sale! There will be three rooms with over 70,000 books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, etc., new & gently used, all sorted, very reasonably priced! Proceeds benefit the Palo Alto libraries.  For the safety and comfort......More

Don't miss this month's Friends of the Palo Alto Library Book Sale! There will be three rooms with over 70,000 books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, etc., new & gently used, all sorted, very reasonably priced! Proceeds benefit the Palo Alto libraries.  For the safety and comfort of all participants, masks are suggested and room occupancy will be lower than usual. Please visit fopal.org for more information. Saturday Hours: Bargain Room 9:30am – 4pm Children’s Room 10am – 4pm Main Room 11am – 4pm Sunday Hours: All Rooms 1pm – 4pm

Mindfulness Meditation

Come and improve your mental and physical health in mindfulness meditation sessions led by Phuong Pham. Each session is 45 minutes of sitting and/or walking meditation followed by 15 minutes of group sharing and Q&A. It is open to all levels of experience and no regist......More

Come and improve your mental and physical health in mindfulness meditation sessions led by Phuong Pham. Each session is 45 minutes of sitting and/or walking meditation followed by 15 minutes of group sharing and Q&A. It is open to all levels of experience and no registration is required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own yoga mats and/or meditation cushions. Chairs are available for those who do not bring them. Phuong is a Buddhist nun experienced in leading mindfulness meditation. You can learn more about Phuong here and can watch her meditation videos on the library's YouTube channel here.

Open Sewing Studio

Do you have a sewing project but need the equipment and space? Are you interested in learning about the basics of a sewing machine?  Open Sewing Studio is a space for both beginners looking to learn as well as experienced sewists looking for the time and space to work......More

Do you have a sewing project but need the equipment and space? Are you interested in learning about the basics of a sewing machine?  Open Sewing Studio is a space for both beginners looking to learn as well as experienced sewists looking for the time and space to work on their project. We will have sewing machines, table space, fabric scraps, and tools available for attendees. Bring your own projects and have fun! Note: Use of machines will be on a first-come, first-serve basis due to limited supply. Our staff is only available to support very basic projects.  Please keep in mind Open Sewing Studio is limited to 1.5 hours.  This event is for teens and adults.