We are a community-based volunteer organization dedicated to advocating for Sacramento Public Library and raising funds for enhanced services at all library branches.
We are a community-based volunteer organization dedicated to advocating for Sacramento Public Library and raising funds for enhanced services at all library branches.
Inspire the joy of reading in a child and give them a gift that will last a lifetime. It starts with one book.
What can one book do? One book can inspire a lifelong love of reading, which is foundational to a child’s personal and academic development. It is a gift that tells them, “I am a reader.”
Each year, Sacramento Public Library and the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library team up to visit classrooms and put a book in the hand of first graders in our highest-need schools in Sacramento County. For many students, this book they take home is their very first book.
It sparks the joy of reading. One book is the first step to building a home library, providing children with access to books they love, helping them become confident and enthusiastic readers and fueling their potential.
Since 2016, we have provided books to over 83,000 kids in our region. The pandemic did not stop us from continuing Book First. This school year we delivered 25,000 books for first graders to 180 schools with the highest need. Additional books were given away when students redeemed coupons in their local library.
Our goal for the 2024-25 school year is to support 14,000 students in 550 classrooms through Book First. and to reach and support 25,000 youth readers through Summer Reading.
What will my donation do? Your gift will put books into the hands of kids in our highest need schools, inspire a love of reading, and help connect children to the library at a critical time in their development. Now more than ever, access is critical as students and their families navigate the continuing effects of the pandemic and distance learning. Expanding a child’s reading experience beyond the confines of school has a positive impact in their ability to grow and develop as a young reader.
What students are saying: “I get to keep this book forever? Really?" "Wow! This is great! I don’t have many books at my house!" "I can’t wait to read to my baby brother!"
What teachers are saying: “Many of my students don’t have books at home and can’t get to the library.” “Just them getting a book has a big impact. Many of my students have very few books at home to read.” “It was a great experience for the kids. They were so excited. They couldn't wait to write their names in the books. They were so proud. They said, "It was the best day ever!""
Support a lifelong love of reading. The Book First philosophy continues the school year through the library’s extensive collection of beginning reader books and our annual Summer Reading Challenge that helps to strengthen reading skills.
Summer is a great time to let kids take the lead in their learning journey and let go of expectations around reading level. Sacramento Public Library’s annual Summer Reading challenge starts in June. Kids and family members can log books they’ve read to earn prizes and find quality programming. Summer Reading fuels the learning and imagination of our community. Overall in 2023 Sacramento's Summer Readers read 278,265 books, logging almost 2.5 million minutes of reading.
Friends of the Sacramento Public Library • 828 I Street Ste. 408, Sacramento, CA 95814 • (916) 264-2880 • membership@saclibfriends.org • Sitemap