FOAL FALL 2026 Newsletter

Fall 2026

Friends of the Atascadero Library Newsletter

The mission of the Friends of the Atascadero Library is to advocate for and support County library services by stimulating increased awareness and appreciation of the resources and services of the library; focusing public attention on the Library and; supporting the freedom to read as expressed in the

American Library Association Bill of Rights.

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PRESIDENTS' CORNER

Jim Patterson & Sharon Turner, FOAL Co-Presidents

Article submitted by Jim Patterson

The Friends of the Atascadero Library (FOAL) ended summer on a busy note then jumped right into fall. As school was ramping up and at the request of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the FOAL Board agreed to provide school supplies to fill 150 backpacks for Native American Children in San Luis Obispo County. Several members of the FOAL Board gathered at the TANF office on Morro Road to help stuff the backpacks.

In another first, as members of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, FOAL with the help of the Atascadero Library staff, hosted the August monthly Chamber Mixer at the library. The event was catered by AJ’s Place Restaurant (7600 El Camino Real, #5) and dessert was provided by Alisha of The Lonely Oak Bakery. Marin's Vineyard Wine Tasting (5983 Entrada) poured wine. Please support these Atascadero businesses! Several other local businesses set up displays inside the library while library staff gave tours of the library and kicked off September’s National Library Card month. Do you have your library card? The event was attended by an estimated 150 people throughout the course of the evening. We were surprised by the number of local residents who had never been to our library. The ones I spoke with were quite impressed with all the library has to offer. We plan to host the Chamber Mixer again next year so stay tuned.

FOAL is pleased to have recently funded the purchase of new furniture to replace some of the old worn-out furniture. The new furniture not only improves the appearance of certain areas within the library but also creates some new individual study areas.

On October 2^nd the FOAL Board gathered with the North County Library Staff for a breakfast potluck. While Board members are often in the library, we don’t usually have an opportunity to interact with staff on an informal basis. Since the Atascadero Library is a Regional Library, librarians from Cambria and San Miguel were there in addition to the Atascadero staff. While sharing a delicious breakfast, we were able to chat and get to know each other better. We each shared the title of the book we are currently reading. The tenure of the librarians present that morning ranged from 1 month to 10 years while some of the Friends have been members for 20+ years. After enjoying breakfast, Tina Baugh, our Regional Librarian, took the FOAL Board members on a tour through the library to show us the new furniture we recently purchased, The Children’s and Teen Areas, the Memory Lab, and the new study room designated for The Learning Connection (TLC), a literacy program for children, adults and families.

Sharon Turner

Co-President

Jim Patterson

Co-President

TRICK or TREAT DOWNTOWN ATASCADERO

Once again FOAL will be at this fun free family event on October 31st. Visit us in front of Bramble Pie on Entrada for a free book and goodies!

BRANCH NEWS

Submitted by Tina Baugh, North County Regional Librarian

Libby and Kanopy will require a PIN/password beginning October 14. This is the same password patrons use to sign into their online accounts at SLOLibrary.org.

The Library Branch Out van will now be at Templeton Park/farmers market every Saturday, 9:00 - 12:30 North County residents may now borrow books, get/renew library cards, and pick up holds at the van. Learn more about this service HERE.

September was Library Card Sign Up month. Numerous businesses in Atascadero offered a "freebie" or discount if you showed your library card. Over 80 folks took advantage of this program. Congratulations to Joan Bloomfield, former Atascadero Children's Librarian, for winning the grand prize.

Several new Library of Things items will appear in the catalog soon:

Djembi Drum
DVD Players
Lincoln Logs
Steamer for clothing and upholstery
15 piece children's musical instrument set
Boomboxes

Upcoming events at the Atascadero Library:

Oct. 21 - Spooky cartooning workshop with cartoonist Kane Lynch 3:30pm–5:00pm

Oct. 23 - Community Offrenda workshop from 2:00pm–3:00pm for Tween, Teen, Adults. Join artist and musician María Belén Luzuriaga Abad for a unique altar-making event where we explore the rich history of altar creation and its significance in various cultures.

Interested in receiving any one of a number of different library newsletters? Then sign up for one or more of the monthly Library News email and/or newsletters.

WHAT'S NEW AT ALICE'S BOOK STORE?

Submitted by Sharon Turner

Hello! It has been a while since we last talked… Are you decorating for Halloween? Looking for the ultimate costume or just enjoying the fall weather? Or maybe like me waging an ongoing fight with the gophers, UGH!

Our volunteer corps is strong and growing stronger with the 3 new people that have recently joined us. We are always happy welcome new & smiling volunteers at Alice's Bookstore. Remember volunteers ‘earn’ one free item each shift worked! Stop by and ask for a Volunteer Packet anytime the store is open.

Have you noticed our Fiction shelves are overflowing? We have extended our range of publication dates so more recently out of print titles/authors are now available. Look for all of these fiction treasures on the left side of the store. Check out the back wall for most of our non-fiction treasures. Also look for our "3 x 3 Feature Cube" located between the DVD & CD racks in front of the big window. We also have a new section for Games & Graphic novels/comics. Look for them just past the jigsaw puzzles!

Are you a holiday shopper? If so get an early start shopping in our treasure trove of items which include: Book Bag Specials (10 items & a bag for $12), FOAL Pen/Stylus in several colors or a Gift Certificate for your special people. There are endless ideas and opportunities for everyone.

Take care, be well, have fun,

Sharon

Meet Library Associate Briar E.

Submitted by Leigh Livick

Briar was hired as a Library Associate at the Atascadero Library almost two years ago. Atascadero is the first library they have worked at! A native of Los Osos, Briar now calls the north County "home" even though they rarely ventured over to this side of the the County when growing up.

With a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven in Connecticut, Briar is happily ensconced at the library and doesn't plan to work in the field of criminal justice. They think of the library as a "team sport" saying that "we're all in this together, both staff and patrons, to make sure that everyone can have access to and enjoy books and everything else we have to offer"!

Briar is also a creative soul who enjoys sewing, crocheting, and costuming in addition to reading, of course. They are always interested in learning something new.

Say hello to Briar next time you are in the library and ask for a reading recommendation, especially if you are a fan of science fiction or fantasy. You will most likely be steered towards the Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb, a sixteen book fantasy series that starts with Assassin's Apprentice. Briar was fortunate to attend a panel featuring Robin Hobb earlier this year at Wondercon!