The Annual Meeting of the Sonoma Valley Friends of the Library will take place on Thursday, October 14, at 3:00, via Zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the SVFOL web site a day or two before the meeting. Election of officers will take place at the meeting. Only one Board member term is open this year, the position of Secretary. 

If you are interested in the position or have a suggestion for a candidate, please notify Marge Thomas, margemthomas@gmail.com. Members of the Nominating Committee are Robin Kunde, Karen Sanders, and Marge. Nominations will also be taken from the floor during the meeting.

We hope to see you “there”.

In order to continue our beloved and long-standing tradition of quarterly Book Sales, the Sonoma Valley Friends of the Library are in need of a Book Sales chairperson or persons.  For 15+ years, Dave Dobbins and Carol Brown coordinated the many aspects of the sales including a wonderful hard-working crew of volunteers, who turned the Book Sales into a humming well-oiled machine.  The Sales have operated much like a traveling show, set up and struck down quarterly, with all the moving parts stored and ready to rise again three months later. 

Many people are eager and ready to volunteer as helpers to whomever steps up to take this unique opportunity for our library.  And, as with any successful endeavor, it requires those special one or two people to take the lead.  It's a commitment requiring both love and yes, a good amount of time.

As many of you know, we had a successful first-in-over-a-year Book Sale in May, thanks to two of our hardest-working Friends, Tony Pisacane (who does a yeoman's service for the Friends and Sonoma Schools) and Janette Tschann, both of whom stepped up with the offering of a one-time basis.  We are grateful for all they already do.  

Book Sales have been the primary avenue of revenue through which we Friends support the Sonoma Valley Library.  We hold the hope that that special someone(s) in our big-hearted community will step up and take this opportunity to keep this beloved "institution" of Friends of the Sonoma Valley Library Book Sales continuing in perpetuity.  

On behalf of the Board of the Friends of the Sonoma Valley Library, if you are interested in being that special person(s), please contact Janet Constantino at constanj8@comcast.net.  Or, you may leave a message at 707-939-9624.  

Reimagining the Sonoma County Library

In late 2019, we were well underway with a new strategic plan, a process the library undergoes every five years. Then, the pandemic hit us and we had to pivot to a new type of service.

This winter, we restarted our plan and we’re now calling it a Reimagining Plan. We know that your lives have been disrupted and your libraries have to change to serve you in this new normal. We are determined to meet this challenge.

Our Reimagining Plan will address library services, but as we gather information, we recognize that we have to think beyond the walls of our branches, and put our best efforts into planning for a future that addresses the realities of an extended fire season, annual power outages, floods, and a stubborn pandemic., with all the changes it brings.

School-age children and their families, community elders, and emerging community and business leaders have always been our core library boosters, but we have a responsibility to reach beyond these beloved supporters and learn who else needs us and why.

Our Reimagining Plan includes in-depth interviews with community service leaders, who are providing valuable insights into community needs. Along with staff feedback and your input, our final plan will be a comprehensive approach to serving our community in the uncertain times ahead.

We have three public listening sessions scheduled for our Reimagining Plan, and I’d love to see you join us at one of them. You can join us at 10 am on February 22, 10 am on February 27 or 6 pm on March 4. Please email reimagining@sonomalibrary.org and we’ll get you information on how to register for a session.