As this is the last newsletter for 2021, I want to look back on the past year and give a sneak peek at 2022. Without the ability to hold in-person events, we organized very successful Friends @ Home art docent and author talks. Over the past 18 months, 5,180 people registered for the events with 3,500 actually attending. For a very small organization, this is a remarkable number and attests to top notch productions by dedicated, creative volunteers. In May 2020, we had no experience producing online events but the Friends @ Home team jumped in with both feet and learned all about Zooming. For the near future we will continue with virtual Friends @ Home programs.
Our last large used book sale was October 2019 and it was very successful. We were planning the Spring 2020 sale when all in-person events were cancelled. We shifted to selling a limited number of used books online, which served as a stepping stone for our 2022 plans. We are now in early planning stages for our large used book sale at the O’Club in the Fall of 2022 (and have a need for a manager for that event.) In January 2022, library visitors will find a used bookstore across from Dewey’s Café. We are all very excited about a year-round physical bookstore. This will allow us to reduce our substantial inventory and accept limited donations.
The success of these programs and events is a tribute to the commitment of FAL Board members and volunteers and to the support of our outstanding Library Director, Jane Chisaki. Someone sent me a quote (attributed to Socrates) that captures the spirit of our organization: “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” We continue to look for the new in 2022 and I hope to see all our supporters as we hold in-person events.