News
Read below to learn about our current volunteer needs and fill out this application to let us know how you’d like to become involved. Support the Alameda Free Library and join us today! In-person volunteer opportunities: All in-person volunteers must follow mask mandates as dictated by the City of
Community Events
On August 17th, the Friends of the Alameda Free Library were joined by award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner, who discussed his recent book, The Socrates Express. Click on the video below to watch this fun talk!
There was a terrific piece on CBS Sunday Morning – the 21st Century Public Library – about the exciting changes in public libraries throughout the country. One person referred to the library as the community living room and another said its purpose was the engagement of the public. The mayor of Austin,
Community Events
On July 18th, the Friends were joined by award-winning sports writer Joan Ryan who discussed her recent work, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry, which weaves research in sociology, psychology, and neuroscience, with page-turning storytelling. Click on the video below to watch this great talk!
Book Sale
FAL thanks all the patrons, from the youngest up, for helping make the sale such a success. We plan to have more pop-up sales in the future.
Book Sale
“It was important for FAL to drive greater public awareness to our amazing bookshop which is conveniently located inside the Main Library, but in a tucked-away location. We’d love it if every library patron visited BFF every time they visit the library. Not only can patrons find a great
Friends
Serving on the FAL board marries her love of books with community service. Although she has lived in Alameda for three decades, she never went to the semi-annual “Used Book Sale,” thinking that she didn’t need yet another book. That will change this fall when she chairs our traditional
News
The Books for Friends grand opening and our third Pop-Up Used Book Sale were very successful this past weekend! We sold record amounts of books, introduced the community to our outstanding new used bookstore in the Alameda Free Library, and offered great reading material for all ages at bargain prices.
On June 15th, the Friends were joined by bestselling crime fiction author Vaseem Khan who discussed his Malabar House Novels, which take readers on an exhilarating journey from the last days of the Raj to the heart of modern India. Click on the video below to watch this great talk!
In the May newsletter I reported on attempts to ban or censor books in public and school libraries – a total of 729 books were banned in 2021. Most of these efforts are focused on books read by teens, so I was delighted to read about a teen-led initiative at the
On May 16th, the Friends were joined by national bestselling author Gail Tsukiyama who discussed The Color of Air, her gorgeous and evocative historical novel about a Japanese-American family set against the backdrop of Hawai’i’s sugar plantations. Click on the video below to watch this talk!
Art Docent
On May 11th, the Friends were joined by art docent Avril Angevine for a presentation on some of California’s most interesting clay crafters, from studios in Berkeley, on Catalina Island, and in Southern California — from familiar names like Arequipa, California Faience, Bauer, Metlox, and fascinating individuals like Marguerite Wildenhain,