What we’re about
The City of Menlo Park's libraries offer a variety of programs, including art events, author talks, info sessions, craft sessions, music events, and more. To make the most of our programming efforts and this meetup page, we’d love for you to get involved. If you come to a program, say hi and let us know you saw it on meetup. If you have an idea for something you’d like to see at the library, send us a message. The library is a great space for community meetups and we’d love to play a role in making those connections!
See more events at our calendar, and check our hours and holiday closures.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Music with The ComplementsBelle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, Menlo Park, CA
Join us for live music at the library!
The Complements—AKA Greg & Aleesha—are an award-winning acoustic singer-songwriter duo with soulful vocal harmonies and music that has been described as "the sonic representation of a smile."
Greg is an L.A. native and is a classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist. Aleesha grew up in Europe and Asia and has a musical theater background. Together they aim to spread a positive message through their music.
This free event received funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
Saturday, January 11, 2025 | 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Belle Haven Library, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park, CAMore free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X - Global Language Storytime: PortugueseMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Join us for a special storytime featuring books, rhymes and fun in Portuguese!
Our Global Language Storytime features a different language each month. This time, children aged 1-8 with their grown-ups are invited to join us for a fun-filled Portuguese-language storytime.
Enjoy nursery rhymes, movement and stories with Laura Cláes from A Casa Feita de Palavras. Non-Portuguese speakers will benefit from exposure to the language through literature and nursery rhymes, as well as experiencing the rich culture and traditions.
Laura Cláes is a Psychologist and Brazilian immigrant who shares the importance of Portuguese as a heritage language with families who have the same interest and are looking for spaces where the language can be encouraged and the culture known through books.
Menlo Park’s Global Language Storytime series features a different language each month, exposing children and families to a wealth of languages and cultures during fun, interactive activities for audiences of all language backgrounds.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 | 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CAMore free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X - Book Discussion: Hard Times, by Charles DickensLink visible for attendees
Join our Fiction Book Group online to discuss Hard Times, the classic satire by Charles Dickens.
Thomas Gradgrind destroys the spiritual and emotional lives of his children by denying the importance of human feelings, saying, “facts alone are wanted in life.” Gradgrind's students are sternly ordered to stifle their imaginations and pay attention only to cold, hard reality.
Explaining the themes in Hard Times, Charles Dickens said, “my satire is against those who see figures and averages, and nothing else."
Menlo Park’s Fiction Book Group meets virtually on the second Tuesday of each month.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 | 06:30 PM - 07:45 PM
Zoom webinarMore free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X - Mystery Readers Group: New Year, New BloodLink visible for attendees
Out with the old and in with the new (year, that is!)
Kick off 2025 by joining us in reading mysteries that take place during that intriguing time of transition between one year’s end and another’s beginning. This month, we’ll explore stories set against the backdrop of New Year’s celebrations around the world, each with their own unique blend of suspense and resolution.
A few page-turners to consider:
Peking Duck and Cover, by Vivien Chien: This latest installment in the Noodle Shop Mysteries series finds amateur sleuth Lana Lee and friends investigating the murder of a lion dancer who is killed backstage during their community’s Chinese New Year celebration.
The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley: In this locked-room murder mystery, a group of friends gathers at a remote Scottish lodge to ring in the New Year, but the festivities take a dark turn when one of them is found murdered on New Year's Day.
Bad Tidings, by Nick Oldham: Multiple victims have disappeared on Christmas Eve, only to turn up gruesomely murdered on New Year’s Day. Superintendent Henry Christie’s hunt for the killer leads him to the next likely target and into the crossfire of two rival Lancashire crime families.
The Nine Tailors : Changes Rung on An Old Theme in Two Short Touches and Two Full Peals, by Dorothy L. Sayers: In this classic tale of suspense, the famous Lord Peter Wimsey is called upon to solve the murder of an unknown man in East Anglia on the eve of the New Year.
Murder on Bamboo Lane, by Naomi Hirahara: Rookie LAPD bicycle cop Ellie Rush is patrolling porta-potties at the Chinese New Year's festival when a young woman's body is found in a nearby alley. Initially overjoyed to be assigned to assist with the investigation, Ellie’s excitement fades when she starts to uncover personal connections to the murder.
--and that’s just a starting point! Join us to exchange book recommendations, discover new favorites, and kick off the New Year with fellow mystery lovers.
Menlo Park’s Mystery Readers Group is a different kind of book group: rather than reading the same book, we all share our reading of different books surrounding a particular theme: the New Year, for instance.
January-March 2025, we are experimenting with TWO time slots! Join us online for this month's theme either on the the 3rd Wednesday (Jan. 15) at 3:00 p.m., or on the 3rd Tuesday (Jan. 21) at 6:30 p.m.
More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X
