Fingers crossed for our grand opening of the Books for Friends store this month! We think we will meet this date now that COVID cases are low in our community and we have worked out the kinks in opening a new operation. The book sale team has put in many long hours planning, moving books, setting up shelving and, in general, working out all the details for the opening. A big thank you to the many volunteers who are part of the team. You can find details about the opening here.
We were excited to reopen Dewey’s Friends Cafe on Valentine’s Day. There is a limited menu and all food must be eaten on the adjacent patio. Please stop by if you are in the area to say hi and welcome the cafe volunteers back. The cafe team has also devoted many hours to ensuring a successful reopening and we are very grateful to them for their great work.
I ran across a very useful guide, “Secrets of the Library,” by Alexa Diaz. She lists six secrets although only five apply to Alameda:
- Get a Library Card
- Explore the Stacks
- Trust the Experts (librarians are a tremendous resource to assist its use)
- Say the Magic Words ‘I’d like a Hold, please’
- Think Outside the Books (the library is much more than just books)
While the article includes Conquer Your Fear of Fines, we are delighted that our library no longer issues late fees. The library may appear overwhelming, but these suggestions will help you to navigate this tremendous community resource.
Finally, I want to extend a very warm welcome to two new FAL Board Members – Cindy Silva and Susan Schonberg. Both are very excited to join the board and have already made significant contributions to the book sale team. We have more information about them here. I also want to thank Jo Winzenread who has left the board after many dedicated years to FAL. She will be missed. Jo says it is OK to call, we have her number!