RBMS 2015 Blog

Image credit: One of Shannon’s favorite drinks, in her favorite bar. Where is it? It’s on the map!

Bookstore and Bar Pairings: A Map

If there is one thing RBMS members and friends like nearly as much as books and other cultural heritage materials, it is a nice drink, shared over conversations with colleagues old and new. Whether your preference is a refreshing beer, a rich wine, or a craft cocktail, Oakland and Berkeley have you covered.

What, then, could be a better break during the RBMS Conference than pairing local Oakland and Berkeley bookstores with adjacent bars, where you can explore these twin devotions with pleasure and ease? May we present…

Oakland (and Berkeley) Bookstore and Bar Pairings Map

The RBMS 2015 Local Arrangements Committee has put together this map for just this purpose. (Well, you can blame me, but I had many wonderful suggestions from my colleagues, Randal Brandt and Teresa Mora. And we will continue to add more pairings.) There are plenty of great bars and excellent bookstores not on this list, in part because we want to focus on locations that are easy to access and centrally located. I think the collective noun for these riches is “an embarrassment.”

If you’d like to know which is my favorite pairing, feel free to find me during the Conference. Or, ask any of the Local Arrangements team members or other East Bay locals which they like the best.

We look forward to welcoming you to our beloved East Bay.

– Shannon K. Supple, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley