Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries

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Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries

Everyone Can Be A Friend! Supporting the Santa Cruz Public Libraries through fundraising and advocacy since 1979.

Invest in 21st Century Libraries for Santa Cruz County: Contribute today at fscpl.org/donate

06/11/2026

📚 Book sale this weekend at the Aptos Library! Here's your opportunity to find your next great read and support the Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries. See you there!

Aptos Library Friends Pop-Up Book Sale
🗓️ Saturday, June 13 | 10AM – 12 Noon
📍 Aptos Library, Dorosin Conference Room. 7695 Soquel Drive, Aptos

Santa Cruz Public Libraries

06/08/2026

Plant a Seed, Read: 2026 Summer Reading Program Is Here

Summer is the perfect time to slow down, pick up a good book, and let your imagination grow — and Santa Cruz Public Libraries is making it easy to do exactly that. The 2026 Summer Reading Program is officially underway, and whether you’re 6 or 60, there’s a place for you in it.

This year’s theme is Plant a Seed, Read, inspired by the farm-to-table movement. Just as a farm grows food that nourishes our bodies, a library grows ideas that nourish our minds. Both food and stories connect us to our families, cultures, economy, and the natural world — and this summer, we're celebrating that connection through reading, events, and community.

The program runs from June 1 through July 31 for logging reading minutes, with the last day to sign out and redeem prizes on August 9. Sign up at any of the ten branch locations. As you hit reading milestones along the way, you’ll earn prizes — including Renee’s Garden seed packets, a custom Summer Reading 2026 vinyl sticker, and chances to win Santa Cruz Shakespeare tickets, a Museum of Art and History Fan membership, or a Monterey Bay Aquarium family membership.

For kids and families, the summer lineup includes performances by magicians, puppeteers, and musicians, along with arts and crafts programming tied to the Plant a Seed theme. Children also receive books as incentive prizes to help build their home libraries.

Adults have just as much to look forward to. Drop into a gardening workshop or catch an author talk. Get creative with nature journaling, mosaics, sketching, painting, or botanical bundle dyeing. Satisfy your curiosity with science talks on astronomy, bees, mountain lions, bobcats, bats, and everyday chemistry. Learn about the farmworker experience through programming with the Center for Farmworker Families, or imagine a more sustainable future at a special series of Solarpunk workshops hosted with the Liminal Space Collective Interdependence Project. There’s even a music performance celebrating rhythms from around the world.

All events are free, and all are happening at branches across the library system throughout the summer.

To sign up and browse the full event calendar, visit the Santa Cruz Public Libraries website or stop by your nearest branch.

Santa Cruz Public Libraries

06/06/2026

Come celebrate the beautiful work of the SLV Quilters — talented artists from across the San Lorenzo Valley (including Scotts Valley and Bonny Doon) — at the Boulder Creek Library!

📅 OPENING RECEPTION: Today, Saturday June 6 · 2:00–4:00 pm
🎉 Light refreshments will be served!
🗓️ Exhibit runs through August 31
📍 13390 W Park Ave, Boulder Creek, CA 95006

Quilts will be on display throughout the conference room and main library area — it's a full gallery experience, and admission is completely FREE.

This is a wonderful chance to view the work of talented quilt artists, meet the makers, and — if you haven't visited yet — discover what a gem the Boulder Creek Library truly is.

🪡 See you there! 🪡

Santa Cruz Public Libraries

06/04/2026

This summer, Scotts Valley Library is inviting you to slow down, step outside, and experience a story in a whole new way. From June 4 through August 31, the library’s beloved Storystroll on the Patio returns — and this season’s featured book is the charming Sally Goes to the Beach by Stephen Huneck.

If you haven’t encountered Sally before, you’re in for a treat. Huneck’s woodcut-style illustrations are bold, expressive, and full of personality, and his storytelling captures the pure, unfiltered joy of seeing the world through a dog’s eyes. Sally Goes to the Beach follows an exuberant black Lab as she discovers the wonder of the ocean for the very first time — the smells, the waves, the sand, and all the new friends along the way.

The Storystroll format lets you take it all in at your own pace, wandering the patio while the story unfolds around you. It’s perfect for families, little ones, and anyone who appreciates a good tale on a sunny afternoon.

Stop by Scotts Valley Library anytime between June 4 and August 31 to enjoy the stroll. No registration required.

06/02/2026

"Through fundraising, I realized how many people really just love the library. You realize that everybody has a library story." - Sarah Clark, Branciforte Library Friends volunteer.

05/31/2026

📚🎤 Annual Book Sale & Open Mic — Saturday, June 6 at Garfield Park Library!

Join us under the canopy for a full day of books and local voices. Our annual Book Sale runs 11 am – 3 pm, with something for readers of all ages.

At 1:30 pm, Westside Author Clifford Mae Henderson will read from her work — including Bait and Witch and her forthcoming novel Perfect Little Worlds. Don't miss it!

The Open Mic starts at 2 pm — writers from Writers Over 55 and previous Westside Authors will read, and the public is welcome to sign up. You get 5 minutes, so bring a poem, a page, or whatever you've been working on. ✍️

Free and open to all ages. See you there! ❤️📖

Hosted by the Garfield Park Library Friends

05/27/2026

Plastics are everywhere - but how much do we really know about them? 🌊Join us at Branciforte Branch Library on June 4th from 3–5 PM for What's All This Plastic?!?, a free talk with Rebecca Braslau, Professor of Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz.

Learn about the plastics in your everyday life and what they mean for our health, our oceans, and our future. 🐢🦈

Free and open to all. See you there!
📍 Branciforte Branch Library
📅 June 4th | 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Presented by Santa Cruz Public Libraries and the Branciforte Library Friends

05/18/2026

Spring is the Time to Make New Friends at the Library! Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries Announce a spring Call for Volunteers. Learn more and sign up at https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/call-for-volunteers/

Right now the Friends are highlighting volunteer opportunities on their Branch Committees. There are 10 branches of the Santa Cruz Public Library System, and each one reflects the character and sense of place within the county. Branch Friends volunteers give special support and attention to their local library.

Michele Mosher volunteers with the Felton Friends, because “Libraries are such an important center for communities as a free, inclusive third space!”

Friends support their branch and the whole library system with activities such as fundraising events, supporting library literacy and other key programs for life-long learning, enhancing library collections and equipment, and participating in community outreach and advocacy to expand the public’s understanding of what our libraries do.

The Friends strive to represent diverse community perspectives, with volunteers from all stages of life and career. Alexis Monoogian explains why she is motivated to support the Boulder Creek Friends. “I’m a homeschooling parent who relies on the library system extensively for my children.”

The Friends welcome community members to lend their time and talent to a neighborhood library, with a wealth of satisfaction and community connections among the benefits. Whether passionate about fundraising, advocacy, literacy, community events, or simply wanting to be part of something meaningful, the Friends welcome you to lend your voice and be part of a collective effort. Branch Committee and Board of Directors roles begin in June. Share your interest here by the May 20 deadline.

Learn more. https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/call-for-volunteers/

05/14/2026

Diane Levin Art Reception | Saturday, May 16 from 2:30pm - 4:30pm at the Betty Leonard Community Room in the Aptos Library.

Join local artist Diane Levin to celebrate her art installation at the Aptos Branch Library. Enjoy refreshments and view the exhibits.

Address

PO Box 8472
Santa Cruz, CA
95061

Website

https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/

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