It is Fall again, Friends! School is back in session and soon Standard Time will resume. Summer was a busy time for the Friends with our August Book Sale and record high sales on eBay. Our volunteers happily gave their time to these endeavors. How fortunate we are to have this great cadre of volunteers!
Our Annual Meeting for all members of the Friends will be held in the Chabot Room on Tuesday, November
18 at 6:00 pm. At this meeting, we will be voting on two-year terms for the following officers: President, Operational Treasurer and Director at Large. The Wishlist from the Library will be shared and approved. It includes children’s and teens programming, adult programming, Castro Valley Reads, Storywalk and much more. Our priority is to support the myriad of activities here at our library. It is thanks to your memberships and donations to our BookStore that we can do this! Our library is alive with excited children and involved adults. Thank you!
In the past months, our Board has reviewed our Bylaws and after much discussion has endorsed a revised set to better reflect our values and goals. These Bylaws will be up for approval by the Members of Friends at our Annual Meeting. We have revised our Statement of Purpose:
To promote literacy, serve our community, and support the Castro Valley Library, by
providing funds for library programs, organizing fund raising and community activities,
advocating at the local, state and national level for public support of libraries, and
developing an active and well-informed membership.
In alignment with our revised Statement of Purpose, we have continued to fund $10 an hour stipend for college interns here at our library and invested in a national advocacy organization, Reading Is Fundamental. This coming year, we will offer a scholarship to a Castro Valley High School student interested in pursuing a library/information science career as well as a Chabot College student who continues to a four-year college with the aim of becoming a librarian. We will also support a scholarship through the California Library Association. These plans address our advocacy and support of libraries. We encourage you to attend our Annual Meeting.
Our final Book Sale of the year is the first weekend in December, the 5th, 6th and 7th. As always, Friday night is for members only. New 2026 memberships will be sold over this weekend and will be available in our Bookstore beginning November 18. Your 2025 membership card has a $2 coupon for use at this sale. There will also be a $2 coupon in the December 3 Castro Valley Forum.
My term as President of the Friends will be over after the election. It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve as President these past years. I’m so grateful for the support of the volunteers and officers who have devoted so much time and effort to our organization. I’ll still be working in the bookstore on Saturdays and supporting our organization in any way I can. Thank you all!