Hello Friends,
Fall has surely arrived, with crisp air, even crisper apples, and pumpkins appearing all over the place. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. I hope you can get out and enjoy this special time with your family.
Families are on our minds a great deal right now. You may have seen the recent reports that the pandemic has had a devastating effect on student achievement over the past two years, with test results some of the lowest we have seen in 20 years or more. Santa Cruz County’s students, educators, parents, and caregivers experienced new and unexpected challenges from 2020-2022. School closures and shelter-in-place orders had us all adjusting to new ways of learning and socializing. As we emerge from the fog of a pandemic, the Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries sees a unique opportunity to support learning opportunities for students.
Pre-K through 12th-grade students need library materials and safe and flexible places to use them. They also need in-person experiences and hands-on learning regardless of language/culture, ability to pay, or access to the internet/computers. The goal of this campaign, which we are calling Recover and Thrive, is to raise funds to provide support for Santa Cruz Public Libraries leadership and staff to:
1. Offer meaningful learning activities during the second half of the 2022-2023 school year.
2. Expand the successful Summer Reading Program to a robust Summer Learning Program.
Reading remains at the heart of library programs. Supporting educational goals through homework help and tutoring is a core service. Social-emotional learning, STEAM activities, and creative expression are also components of programming that can open new pathways for students. The Friends intends to support SCPL in offering learning opportunities that recognize the intersection of academic, artistic, social, and emotional intelligence.
Working together, we can all make a real difference in the lives of the children in our county and reverse this trend. You will be hearing a lot more about Recover and Thrive in the months to come.
I’d also like to remind you of the important elections coming up next month. Most of you have your ballots already. Please take the time to exercise your right to vote. It’s one of the most important gifts of our democracy. This is especially important this year if you live in the city of Santa Cruz. The Friends are on record as strongly opposing the Measure O initiative. As Wallace Baine wrote recently in Lookout, “Measure O, to put it starkly, is an effort to derail the mixed-use library project and to stop the building of a new library”.
The Friends believe this would have a devastating impact on the future of the library. Santa Cruz deserves a world-class library, which the current project will give us. Measure O would result in a library that is significantly smaller and less environmentally friendly, as well as the loss of 124 affordable housing units that the city desperately needs. Please vote No on Measure O.
