January Events at the Thousand Oaks Library
January 06, 2026
The following is a list of programs happening at the Thousand Oaks Library during the month of January at Grant R. Brimhall Library (GRB) and Newbury Park Library (NPL).
CONTACT: Charlotte Burrows, Public Services Division Manager,
cburrows@tolibrary.org; 805-381-7338
Alexandra South, Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs,
asouth@toaks.gov; 805-449-2120
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., January 6, 2026 — The following is a list of programs happening at the Thousand Oaks Library during the month of January at Grant R. Brimhall Library (GRB) and Newbury Park Library (NPL). All Library programs are free and open to the public; some require registration, and all are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice. For the latest information on Library events, please visit libcal.tolibrary.org/calendar.
ALL AGES
Tuesday, January 6 • 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm • GRB Teen Space
Love strategy board games but have a difficult time finding a consistent group to play with? Us too! Ages 14+ are invited to join us monthly to play games like Forbidden Island, Dungeon Mayhem, and Wingspan, or bring your own games to share with others!
Friday, January 9 • 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm • GRB Community Room
Relax, crochet, and socialize at our crochet club! Beginners and experts alike are welcome to bring your own supplies and hang out with fellow crocheters as we sip tea and work on our projects. For ages 11+.
Monday, January 26 • 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm • GRB Teen Space
Stop by and choose a design/experience using one or all of our ‘maker’ machines: Button maker, VR headset, 3D printer, and Cricut machine. For ages 11+.
Tuesday, February 10 • 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm • Grant R. Brimhall Library
Praised for their authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ), Kendall Isadore, violin, Élise Sharp, cello, and Dawn Johnson, viola, are a dynamic trio known for creating captivating musical experiences that inspire audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine. Their versatile repertoire spans from the Baroque era and Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100, taking listeners on an exhilarating journey through time and genres. Seating will be open and available on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a FREE event being held at the Grant R. Brimhall Library.
KIDS
Mondays • 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Tuesdays • 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Wednesdays & Thursdays • 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm • GRB Community Room
Struggling with challenging school assignments? Our volunteers are here to help! For students in kindergarten through 8th grade. September 2025 – May 2026, closed on all CVUSD holidays & breaks. No session January 1 and 19.
Tuesdays, January 6, 13, 20, & 27 • 11:00 am – 12:00 pm • GRB Community Room
This free support group is for moms and their newborns to get together, express their joys and concerns, and meet other new moms in the community. Other caregivers, including fathers and grandparents, are welcome to attend the program on the last Tuesday of the month.
Wednesday, January 7 • 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm • GRB Community Room
Join us to learn the basics of using 3D pens and create a small craft. For grades 2-5.
Tuesdays, Starting January 13 • 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm • GRB Children’s Program Room
Readers of all levels and abilities are invited to come and read to a certified therapy dog! Participants will sign up for a brief 10-minute session with a dog and their owner.
Thursday, January 15 • 10:15 am – 10:45 am & 11:15 am – 11:45 am • GRB Community Room
A fun-filled, interactive concert where Mr. Michael creates a joyful atmosphere for kids and parents alike. For families. Registration required.
Wednesdays, January 21 & 28 • 3:10 pm – 3:40 pm or 3:45 pm – 4:15 pm • GRB Community Room
Tuesday, January 27 • 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm • NPL Meeting Room
A weekly program for students grades 1-4 to practice and gain confidence in their reading with the support of a volunteer. Registration required.
Future Einsteins: Density and Buoyancy
Friday, January 23 • 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm • GRB Community Room
Join us to shape clay into boats, test them in water, and discover the secrets of density and buoyancy! Led by a Teen Volunteer. For ages 5-10. Registration required.
Friday, January 30 • 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Join us to make sliding racers and learn about the slippery world of friction! Led by a Teen Volunteer. For ages 5-10. Registration required.
STORYTIMES & PLAYTIMES
For babies (0-12 months) • Tuesday, January 20 • 10:15 am – 10:50 am
For toddlers (12-36 months) • Wednesday, January 21 • 10:15 am – 10:50 am
For preschoolers (ages 3-5 years) • Thursday, January 22 • 10:15 am – 10:50 am
Join us for 30 minutes of unstructured playtime in the GRB Community Room.
Monday, January 26 • 6:15 pm – 7:00 pm • GRB Community Room
A bilingual (English/Spanish) storytime & craft for ages 3-5 years. Walk-ins welcome!
Tuesday, January 27 • 10:15 am – 10:35 am • GRB Community Room
A lapsit storytime for babies 0-12 months. Walk-ins welcome!
Wednesday, January 28 • 10:15 am – 10:35 am • GRB Community Room
A storytime for ages 12-36 months. Walk-ins welcome!
Thursday, January 29 • 10:15 am – 11:00 am • GRB Community Room
This is a storytime & craft for ages 3-5 years. Walk-ins welcome!
TWEENS & TEENS
New Year Reading Kits
Start the year with a Reading Kit to help you journal and track your reading for the year. Includes reading trackers, stickers, bookmarks, and inspiration to start your reading habit! Sign up at the Library Reference Desk to get your reading kit. For grades 6-12. *While supplies last.
SAT Prep Workshops by BrainFuse
January 7, 14, 21, & 28 • 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Online
Ready to boost your SAT score? The SAT Prep series breaks the test into clear, manageable steps and shows you the strategies top scorers use. Brian Stewart, author of Barron’s SAT/ACT prep books, will walk you through real shortcuts, smart ways to save time, and how to avoid the traps that slow students down. Join one session or the whole series, and walk into test day with confidence.
Tuesday, January 13 • GRB Children’s Program Room
Rocks (Grades 4-5): 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Boulders (Grades 6-8): 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Join us monthly to discuss books with strong female characters. Registration required.
Books for Buttons, Boba, or Burgers
Visit the Library and pick up a “Books for Buttons, Boba, or Burgers” form. Finish reading a book with more than 200 pages, submit to get a pin button, and enter for a chance for a boba or burger gift card. Read more books for more chances to win. For ages 11-18.
Want to get involved and earn service hours? The Library is looking for awesome volunteers to help with our Thousand Oaks Teen Advisory League (TOTAL), one-time special events, and Homework Help for K–8. Visit the Library’s website to sign up and volunteer. For teens ages 14+!
ADULTS
ESL (English as a Second Language) Conversation Group
Thursday, January 8 • 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm • GRB Technology Training Room
Practice speaking English in an informal and friendly group setting, open to all non-native speakers. Registration recommended, walk-ins welcome.
Monday, January 12 • 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm • GRB Community Room
Enjoy free movie matinées at the Library! Check our online schedule to see what’s playing and make your next afternoon a movie day.
Monday, January 12 • 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm • GRB Technology Training Room
Join us as we chat about our favorite romance novels, where a Happily Ever After (HEA)—or a Happily For Now (HFN)—is always guaranteed. This month’s book is The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen. Walk-ins welcome.
The Creative and Compassionate Art of Seeing Others Deeply with David Brooks
Tuesday, January 13 • 11:00 am – 12:00 pm • Online
Join us for an online discussion with prominent cultural writer and bestselling author David Brooks on his book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply, in which he helps us pose essential questions: If you want to know a person, what kind of attention should you cast on them? What kind of conversations should you have? What parts of a person’s story should you pay attention to?
Wednesday, January 14 • 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm • GRB Technology Training Room
Advanced & intermediate learners are invited to join our informal Spanish conversation group to practice and improve with fellow language lovers, guided by a native speaker! Registration recommended. Walk-ins welcome.
Wednesday, January 14 • 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Wednesday, January 28 • 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm • GRB Community Room
Come listen to local poets and share your own work every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, in collaboration with The Ventura County Poetry Project.
Thursday, January 15 • 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm • GRB Technology Training Room
Wednesday, January 28 • 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Learn relevant, professional skills through LinkedIn Learning; free with a Thousand Oaks Library card. Registration required.
Friday, January 16 • 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Adults are invited to join us at the Library to socialize and make a different craft each month! This month we will be making a Travel Tic-Tac-Toe Kit. Materials provided. Registration required.
Composting 101: Turn Green Waste into Gold
Saturday, January 17 • 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Learn how to recycle your waste and help your garden grow with this class on making compost. Registration recommended. Walk-ins welcome.
Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with Journalist Julia Hotz
Tuesday, January 20 • 11:00 am – 12:00 pm • Online
Be sure to jump-start your new year with us as we chat virtually with journalist and author Julia Hotz about her book The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging.
Secrets and Second Chances with Liz Moore
Wednesday, January 28 • 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm • Online
We are thrilled to welcome Liz Moore to discuss her latest work, The God of the Woods, an instant New York Times bestseller and one of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love” highlights.
Monday, January 31 • 11:00 am – 12:00 pm • NPL Meeting Room
Ask a Doula provides an open and welcoming space where families can ask questions about pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, newborn care, and infant sleep. Led by Sharon Cody, PhD, a former scientist-turned-certified doula, the session combines evidence-based information with practical, real-life support. For expectant parents, new parents, and caregivers of young children. Babies and little ones are welcome!
International Women’s History Month Story Slam
Saturday, March 21 • 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm • GRB Meeting Room
Writers eighteen and older are invited to participate in our International Women’s Month Story Slam. Stories may be fiction or nonfiction, but must highlight the voices and experiences of women or be primarily about female characters or influences. Stories must be submitted by Sunday, March 8th, at the Information Desk at either the Grant R. Brimhall or Newbury Park Libraries, or emailed to info@tolibrary.org with the subject heading “Story Slam.” Stories must be between 1000-1200 words. The reading of the top 8 stories will be held in the Grant R. Brimhall Library Community Room on Saturday, March 21st at 3:00 pm. All readers will be notified on Friday, March 13th.
ON THE REGULAR
Fridays • 10:00 am – 5:30 pm • GRB Teen Space
Access all ages gaming with the Library’s Xbox Game Pass! Hang out and relax with games like No Man’s Sky, Powerwash Simulator, Forza, Sea of Stars, and over 250 more options!
Grant R. Brimhall Library
Stop by the Information Desk to borrow board games to play while inside the Library! Games available include Wingspan, Parks, Forbidden Island, and more.
Grant R. Brimhall Library
The Thousand Oaks Library offers Dungeons & Dragons Kits, each packed with guides, handbooks, a game master screen, dice sets, and more for D&D 5th Edition. Find them alongside the Book Club in a Box collection. Perfect for your next adventure!
Newbury Park Library
Level up your visit with the Nintendo Switch Lite, available to borrow with your library card at the Newbury Park Library Information Desk. Loaded with fun digital games, the Switch Lite is perfect for in-library play. Come check it out and enjoy some gaming time!
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