From Friday, December 20th through Wednesday, January 1st, Sutro Library will be closed.
On Tuesday, December 24th, all State Library Reading Rooms will close at 1:00 pm and remain closed through Wednesday, December 25th in observance of Christmas Day.
On Wednesday, January 1st, all State Library Reading Rooms will be closed in observance of New Year's Day.
Author and former state legislator Stan Statham visits the State Library for a conversation about his career, his new book Reclaim California (2017) and the history of attempts to create new states within the existing boundaries of California. Statham served in the State Assembly from 1976 to 1994 and later became the President and CEO of the California Broadcasters Association, serving as the moderator for California’s gubernatorial debates in the 1990s and 2000s.
More Podcasts
Mike Marlin
Mike Marlin, Director of the State Library’s Braille and Talking Book Library, talks about an exciting new development in providing materials to visually impaired and print disabled people around the world. The Senate recently passed the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, also known as the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act. This treaty was sponsored by the World intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It will provide a copyright exception so that participating countries around the world can share their materials across borders for use by blind, visually impaired and print disabled individuals.
American Haiku Archives
This first podcast by the American Haiku Archives (AHA), presents an overview of the archive—the largest public collection of haiku-related materials outside Japan. Poets Garry Gay and Patricia Machmiller discuss the AHA’s founding in 1996, and describe some of the treasures in the AHA’s collection. They also read selections of their own haiku and announce the names of their fellow AHA board members. In appreciation of his work on behalf of the AHA, Michael Dylan Welch’s poems are read. The podcast closes with readings of two linked poems co-written by Michael and Garry. This podcast was hosted by Gene Larson and recorded on April 13, 2017 at the California State Library.
Yuki Teikei Haiku Society
In this podcast, members of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society of San Jose, California—Patricia Machmiller, Patrick Gallagher, Alison Woolpert and Carole Steele—discuss their work with the American Haiku Archives, housed at the California State Library. They read from the letters and haiku of Kiyoshi and Kiyoto Tokutomi, founders of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, and they read a selection of haiku from Cherry Blossom Light, an anthology of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, published in 2016. This podcast was recorded on April 13, 2017 at the California State Library.
The History of California’s Libraries from the 1770s Onward
State Librarian Greg Lucas reads an address given by the late Dr. Kevin Starr, author, historian and former State Librarian. Dr. Starr gave the address at the California Millennium Conference on November 11, 2000.
Part 1: The first libraries: California from the 1770s to the Gold Rush.
Part 2: The formation of the California State Library in 1850 through the development of the county library system in the early 1900s.
