News
As this is the last newsletter for 2021, I want to look back on the past year and give a sneak peek at 2022. Without the ability to hold in-person events, we organized very successful Friends @ Home art docent and author talks. Over the past 18 months, 5,180 people
Community Events
On November 8, 2018, the people of Paradise, California awoke to a mottled gray sky and gusty winds. Soon the Camp Fire was upon them, gobbling up an acre a second. Less than two hours after the fire ignited, the town was engulfed in flames, the residents trapped in their
News
Mark your calendars! November 1st, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. FAL Evening at Books Inc. Join us for our second annual fundraiser at Books Inc.! FAL will receive a percentage of the proceeds of all books sold during this 4-hour event, including books on order that you prepay
Book Donations
We will soon be able to accept a limited number of donations of the bags and boxes many of you have accumulated in your garages and basements over the past year and a half. Again, we'll update you in the near future as we firm up our plans.
News
The most frequent questions Board members receive are “When is the next book sale?”, “When will you accept book donations?”, and “When can I go to a Live @ the Library concert?” The pandemic put a halt to these well-loved programs. As socializing has become safer, we have begun to reimagine
News
Our September 13th art docent event featuring Judy Chicago and presented by Joyce Thorn was very fun and informative. After the event Ms. Thorn provided some links to additional information about the artist, including a recording of Judy Chicago speaking with Claudia Schmuckli, Curator-in-Charge of Contemporary Art and Programming at
FAL Happenings
If you have noticed that the city's Little Libraries look much improved and the contents regularly restocked, you are correct. Thanks to the efforts of FAL volunteer Stephen Johnson, all of the city's Little Libraries have been repaired and refurbished to make them water tight and
News
The LA Times recounts the vision of Katia Padilla who grew up in Mexico and loved to read, but books were too expensive. She dreamed, “I had a library all for myself.” She now lives in Chula Vista and has placed two little free libraries in front of her house.
News
Bransten Lecture for the Fine Arts Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD9G9uo8KDM Blog on FAMSF website: https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/Wangechi-Mutu_Q-and-A Video: Wangechi Mutu: I Am Speaking, Are You Listening?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4j0u9x1j2o&t=3s
News
Matching gifts are used by many Bay Area companies to promote philanthropic giving from their employees. Gifts from employees' spouses and retirees may also qualify for a match. Your company may also offer a volunteer grant program in which companies provide monetary donations to organizations where employees volunteer regularly.
News
An unexpected award arrived in the mail for FAL recently. Each year Girls Inc. of the Island City selects Alameda organizations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to support the empowerment of girls and to inspire them to be strong, smart, and bold. This year the Friends of
Community Events
On July 20th, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library was joined by Alia Volz, a San Francisco native and author of the memoir Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020), winner of the Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction from the California