(From the August 2020 Circle of Friends Newsletter)

During this challenging time, it’s good to connect with you and update you on the status of the Friends of the Castro Valley Library. First, the good news! We’re still here and still supporting library activities! Our wonderful library has been closed for several months, but readers can still access books by placing them on hold and picking them up using the no contact pick-up service. Many on-line programs and services are still available, and library staff members are working hard to plan for a reopening whenever it is possible. And we continue to provide financial support for these programs.

Our Friends of the Library BookStore and other activities have also been on hold since March. We do not know when we will be able to again carry out the Friends’ usual activities. Our August Book Sale is cancelled and the BookStore will not be able to open any time soon. During this time, we cannot to accept any book donations. Thank you for respecting the posted notices that no books should be left at the library for us.

Our Board of Directors continues to meet regularly via Zoom. We have discussed several options of ways we can safely continue our work during this time. We’re exploring a number of ideas and hope to be able to begin some activities within the next few months. We’ll certainly keep you all posted as soon as we have some specific plans.

In the meantime, one of the positive aspects of Shelter in Place is that we all seem to have a bit more time to read. Some of our Board members and volunteers are excited to share with you some books we’ve been enjoying during our Shelter in Place in this newsletter. I hope you find a few suggestions that tempt you. And remember, you can request books on line from the library and pick them up when they are available.

Thank you for your continued support of our activities through your membership in the Friends. Together we have made it possible for our library staff to carry out many terrific programs that benefit Castro Valley. We do not know exactly what our future will look like, but we know the Friends will still be here working together to once again provide ongoing support to the library and our community.

Stay well and keep reading!

Kay Wetherwax, President

Friends of the Castro Valley Library