Friends' Special Book Sale

Save the Date:  Our next special sale of higher value books is scheduled for Saturday May 19^th starting at 11:00 am.   Books range from $2 to $100 and include signed and inscribed books, first editions, art books, and other books with special value.  We hope to see you there.

A Five-Star Award Winner

Take a look at the recent press the Santa Monica Public Library and the Friends received in the Santa Monica Mirror.

Bookstore has sixth anniversary

January 2012 marks the sixth anniversary of the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library Book Store.   With your help, we have raised over half a million dollars, used to support library programs such as Citywide Reads and the Image Archive Collection, and to supplement funding for books, CDs, videos, movies, furniture, Children’s and Youth Services programs, new technology, and preservation of historical documents.  We thank all our patrons and volunteers for their fabulous support!

New books and audio/video materials arrive by the dozens every day, so drop by soon. Bookstore hours are Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 11-4:30, Sunday 1:30-4:30, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Location is on the left as you enter through the north entrance of the Main Library at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard.

To learn more about the Friends and the activities we support, to become a member, or to make a donation, check out our website at www.friendsofsmpl.org.

New Library Boardmember Kathie Sheldon

The Friends wish to welcome new Library Board Member Kathleen Sheldon. Her connections with UCLA include a Ph.D. in history, and an affiliation as a independent research scholar with the Center for the Study of Women, which awarded her the Tillie Olsen grant for travel and research. Her work focuses on sub-Saharan African women’s history from early times to the present. One of her recent publications is Pounders of Grain: A History of Women, Work, and Politics in Mozambique.

Sheldon previously served on the Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women from 1992-2002. Her dedication and commitment to SMPL is strong, and she is pleased to bring a woman's perspective to what was an all-male board.  “The Library is such an essential part of the community …  to  support its continuity and growth is my goal.” She fills the vacated seat of Edward Edwards, who now serves on the Arts Commission.

November Special Sale of High Value Books

Save the Date: Please come to the Friends' Bookstore special sale of higher value books on Saturday, November 12, 2011, from 11-2pm. We will feature books from $2-$75 on art, photography, history, signed fiction, cookbooks, collectible classics, and other subjects. See you there!

We give thanks: Thanks to your patronage, the Book Store has raised over half a million dollars since it opened in early 2006!!!! And what would we do without the unending support of our wonderful volunteers and library staff! And of course, thank you to the donors for their continuous stream (sometimes a river) of used books and other materials.

October and November Specials in the Bookstore

Time for the Holidays: Do your holiday planning and shopping at the Santa Monica Public Library Friends' Bookstore! We have terrific cookbooks and crafts books, plus lots of almost new books, that would be perfect gifts for friends and family. How about almost pristine copies of your aunt’s favorite mystery writer’s books? Or a recent fiction best seller or biography for your brother? And don’t forget our collection of children’s and young adults’ books that would make great presents for a local school.

Special Reference Sets: The library has given the bookstore two important sets of books for resale:
Jane’s Fighting Ships
Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft
If you are interested in either of these multi-volume sets and wish to make an offer, please stop by the bookstore or call 310-395-1951 and leave your name and phone number.

Monthly Theme: Be sure to check out our monthly theme books, displayed in the windows and on the Perennial Place cart.

Schedule: New items arrive by the dozens almost every day, so drop by soon. Bookstore hours are Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 11-4:30, Sunday 1:30-4:30, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Location is on the left as you enter through the north entrance of the Main Library at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Friends: To learn more about the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library and the activities we support, to become a member, or to make a donation, check out our new website at www.friendsofsmpl.org.

Santa Monica Public Library, Living Library Project

On Saturday, September 10, Living Books drew a near sellout crowd at the Santa Monica Public Library’s fourth annual Living Library Project. The goal of the Living Library is to foster understanding and develop connections through dialogue. Both the books and readers reported that they were impressed with the quality of the conversations and three of our bestselling Living Books were City staff members.

The Living Books available for thirty-minute personal conversations were: an atheist, a communist, a Big Blue Bus driver, a homeless advocate, a Muslim, a police detective, a transvestite, a union representative, a teen, a bicycle advocate, and a homeschooler.

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for their generous support of the program.

Learn more about the Human Library visit humanlibrary.org.