Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries

Hello Friends,

It’s Memorial Day weekend as I sit down to write this letter, and for many of us, the unofficial start to Summer. More importantly, of course, it’s the day when we take some time to remember those Americans who served, fought, and died for this country, and for those freedoms that mean so much to us. Thank you to all of those who served, and their families, for the sacrifices they have made.  

One of the most important freedoms that they fought for is the freedom of speech; our right to say what we believe, and to have access to what others have to say about their beliefs. We seem to be in one of those periods in our history when some of us, on both sides of the political fence, want to ban various forms of speech, and our libraries are right in the middle of that discussion. Libraries are the one place in our culture where, for no charge, we can go and learn about ourselves, our neighbors, and all the widely varied beliefs that some of us hold. It’s important that the widest possible range of those beliefs can be represented in, and available from the library, not just the ones that we happen to believe in. Please support your libraries in remaining spaces that are open to all viewpoints.

Exploring the Alison Endert Memorial Childrens Room at the Branciforte Branch

I was reminded of this a week ago at the reopening of the Branciforte Branch of the Library. It was a truly amazing event. We started with the largest donor’s event that I have been part of, which was partly the result of the community campaign to name the Children’s Room in memory of Allison Endert, a wonderful young woman who was deeply involved in serving our schools, the neighborhood, and the community. It was very moving to hear friends and family talk about her dedication to Santa Cruz. The following day we had almost 1000 people attend the opening of the branch. Thanks to all who attended, spoke, and volunteered at these events. I hope you all can get out to see this welcoming new facility soon.  

Visit New Leaf June 7 to 20 and select FSCPL with your Envirotokens

When you do go, be sure to check out the New Leaf Community Market teen room. New Leaf has been a long-time supporter of the Friends and the Libraries. We appreciate their support very much. One of the ways they support the Friends and other community groups is through their Envirotokens program, in which shoppers get a token for every reusable bag they bring to shop with. They can then choose which group gets their tokens, which translates into a gift from New Leaf at the end of the program. Shoppers can vote at New Leaf, from June 7th to June 20th, for the charitable organizations that they would like to see supported at each store. So please, head out to your local New Leaf and support the Friends, and our good friends at New Leaf. 

Michele Mosher and Nancy Gerdt representing Felton Library Friends

Finally, congratulations to our Felton chapter, the Felton Library Friends, for having been nominated as one of the Volunteer Centers Be the Difference organizations for 2023. As the nomination read “Felton Library Friends is a dedicated group of volunteers who support the Felton Branch Library and Discovery Park. They have raised over $500k for the 9,000 sq. ft. branch and collaborate with Santa Cruz County Parks for the beautification and promotion of the Discovery Park. With monthly volunteer days and community-led learning programs, they make a positive impact on the Felton and San Lorenzo Valley communities.” They are a terrific group, and we are very proud of them. 

Bruce Cotter

Executive Director

603-337-5656

bruce@fscpl.org

Branch News

Take a look at the continued progress on the new Aptos Branch Library. A Grand Opening celebration is planned for Fall 2023. Keep tabs on the project and learn more about the work of the Friends of the Aptos Library at friendsofaptoslibrary.org.