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- EIN 94-2612557
- (831) 427-7707
- 224 Church St Santa Cruz CA 95060-3810 USA
- fscpl.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Education
Mission: The friends of the santa cruz public libraries (friends) support the city-countylibrary system through advocacy, volunteer services and fundraising. Today, the goalof the friends is to create stronger neighborhoods and a culturally-enriched countythrough accessible and diverse library programs. Each year, friends provide nearly8,000 volunteer hours for the benefit of the city-county library system. The friends fund a diversity of library needs enhancing the programs found at eachbranch, increasing the number of books and materials for the entire library system,and providing emergency funding for facility needs
Programs: Library support: every year, the friends provide funding to the santa cruz public libraries for the purchase of new books and materials for their collections. Additionally, the friends award grants that sponsor instructive, innovative and informative library programs and services that are free and open to everyone across santa cruz county, such as the scotts valley branchs local artists exhibits, steam programs at several branches, system-wide summer reading programs, and the veterans resource center at the downtown santa cruz branch. These grants respond to a variety of community needs from educational programs for children, youth, and adults, to unique neighborhood projects at the branches and to museum-quality art exhibits. Grants also support facility needs at the branches, including funding for a new outdoor book drop and a water-smart garden at the aptos branch.
book distribution: friends receives thousands of donated books from individuals, bookstores and other donors for sale and distribution. Through an extensive volunteer network, the friends operate a used bookstore, lobby sales at all ten branches, and hold monthly book sale events. Its bookstore is primarily staffed by volunteers. The sales of the donated books benefit the environment by diverting them from landfills.
community outreach/ education: friends continue the tradition of active and vocal support to ensure excellence in library service for santa cruz county communities. The friends' long and successful track record includes providing over 8,000 volunteer hours annually to benefit the santa cruz public library system, managing a marketing and promotions social media campaign reaching out to several thousand individuals online, and producing a free newsletter of activities and stories found at the santa cruz public libraries, reaching over 2,000 recipients in santa cruz county.