News

It’s Summer 2025 and we are all getting ready for trips, vacation, camping as well as the infamous “staycation”.

Whatever your plans, you are going to need to make sure you have enough reading material to get you through the lazy afternoons at the beach, whiling away the hours on planes, trains and automobiles or at home in the back yard.

If you missed the April Book Sale or discovered that you didn’t bring home enough books to get you through, our LOBBY SALE is right for you!!

As you enter the Napa Library you will find our books for sale on the left hand wall. The library has given us the entire wall of shelves so we have a much more expanded selection. In it you will find Staff Picks/Recommendations; fiction; history and biography; current events; mysteries; romance; cookbooks; and of course a selection of children’s books. We also offer CDs and DVDs and occasionally jigsaw puzzles and games. All of these offerings are donations from your Napa neighbors.

The Lobby Sale is open anytime the library is open for business. Most of the books are priced by type. Right now most of them are $2.  Check the price list posted near the payment station. Some, including children’s books are marked with a price.

“How do I pay? you ask. The books are offered on the honor system which means we trust you to pay for your books at the cash box located in the corner of the sale shelves. We accept cash or checks in the locked cash box. Are you one of those folks who doesn’t like to carry cash anymore? You are in luck! Posted by the cash box are QR codes for Venmo or PayPal.

The lobby sales have become an important source of funds used to support many library programs. Check out the post below which gives you insight into the programs we have recently entirely or partially funded.  You will learn that your book donations and purchases come full circle through the sales to much needed library programs.  Doesn’t get much more local than that!

CLICK ON THIS FLYER TO SHARE IT WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! SEE YOU THERE!!

Because of you, the Friends of the Napa Library (FOL) succeeded remarkably in the 2024 Napa Valley CanDo Give!Guide, surpassing our fundraising and donor participation goals. Initially aiming to raise $10,000 with support from 120 donors, the campaign far exceeded expectations, bringing in nearly $20,000 from 144 generous contributors – approximately double the amount raised in 2023.

This year’s campaign welcomed over 50 new donors showcasing growing community support for FOL’s mission. Highlights of the campaign included numerous contributors who donated in honor of family members and volunteers and a random drawing for a six- bottle wine collection generously donated by the Donald Patz Wine Group. Patti Hawker of Napa was the lucky recipient of this coveted wine, adding extra excitement to our fundraising efforts. Perhaps more importantly, over 90 donors (not already FOL Members) will receive a one-year membership, recognizing their especially generous gift. They further strengthen the Library’s support network.

The success of our participation in the CanDo Give!Guide underscores the Napa community’s dedication to enhancing our Library’s resources and programs. Thanks to your contributions, the FOL will be able to sustain its donations to the Library’s programs, and strengthen outreach by donating books anywhere to reach readers looking to learn – lending libraries, schools, laundromats, senior housing, local hospitals, family centers, the local jail, just to name a few. Most importantly, at our sales and other give-a-way events, we provide thousands of free books to children so they can celebrate the joy of reading and cherish the feeling of owning a book.

Looking ahead, the Friends of the Napa Library are looking to set an ambitious goal for the 2025 holiday season: raising $25,000 and engaging 175 donors. With the enthusiasm and generosity demonstrated this year, we are confident the community will rise to the occasion again.

Thank you to all donors, new and returning, for your support. Together, we continue to champion the future of the Napa Library, empowering literacy and enriching minds.

A: Well, the Friends of the Napa Library’s (FOL) answer is “By being thoughtful stewards of the local and extended community’s donations.” In more detail, here’s how…

On a regular basis we make donations of magazines and books available to local teachers for their classroom’s libraries; we replace children’s books in laundromats and doctor/dentist offices; and we support the Napa Library’s annual Summer Reading Program directed to children and their families. We work to provide support to the Library through the stocking earbuds and thumb drives for the Library’s computer users. FOL also has a wonderful connection with the County through the Library’s Literacy program’s regular access to books and materials for the Jail, as well as via the annual invitation to participate in September’s Fall Festival coordinated by local Master Gardeners. This is just a sampling. There are many additional continuing activities!

Most folks in our community know of our periodic multi-day book sales held at the Napa Library. These book sales are a major source of funding for the Library’s programs and services. We are, however, always looking for new and exciting opportunities to reach further into our community of readers. Let me share just a few of the more recent exciting projects that demonstrate how we have grown in our reach into the community and the thanks we receive for our efforts:

• We have developed a substantial relationship with the Patient Enrichment Department staff at Napa State Hospital (NSH). The Dept’s representative regularly comes to FOL’s Library facility to collect appropriate magazines and books for various venues on the NSH campus.
• In addition, we recently received a very kind “thank you” from “Operation With Love From Home” with regard to the magazines and books we donate to the group to disperse to our military service people stationed around the world.
• The “COUNTY International School – Ghana” also shared a note of appreciation for the significant donation of books for their School located in Accra, Ghana, Africa, complete with a photo of the children in the Ghana School class. Incidentally, the U.S. has a contingent of military personnel stationed in Ghana. Now, that’s outreach!

As to FOL’s commitment to stewardship, all requests for in-kind printed materials are thoughtfully and carefully considered for relevance re: promoting early reading opportunities leading to a commitment to lifelong learning for all ages. Napa County residents are especially important to us, but if we can help out elsewhere without compromising our local financial and volunteer resources designed to support the Napa County Library, all the better. We couldn’t do any of it without our exceedingly generous community.

Sandy Fagan, President Friends of the Napa Library

January 2025