The Friends of the Scotts Valley Library are actively seeking volunteers to help with various library activities.
“The Friends of the Scotts Valley Library is nonprofit fundraising group and we raise funds for improvements and programs at the library,” said Valri Peyser, a volunteer with the friends.
Scotts Valley Library Friends Co-President Sylvia Lee said that they are looking for community members who are interested in event planning or anyone with fresh ideas about new programs that the friends could be sponsoring.
“We usually do a fundraiser in the fall, we’ve done the hops and harvest festival the last two years, but we are not doing it this year because frankly, we are short on volunteers,” Lee explained.
There are several events that the friends host to support the library including book sales, an annual auction, community celebrations, and art receptions.
“All year long we sort books — the donations that come in — we sort them and pull out books and set them aside for the holiday book sale,” Peyser said. “So anyone who is interested in working with the book sale that’s an all year ongoing thing.”
Book sales and fundraising events helped pay for the back patio at the Scotts Valley Library and the summer program for kids and adults. The next book sale is scheduled for December 2015.
“The friends of the Library paid for that back patio at the library and so we are looking for some people interested in keeping that space beautiful,” Peyser explained.
This volunteer experience entails watering plants, planning and maintaining of the exterior patio and garden, and other beautification projects.
They also need help with the ongoing Art in the Library Program, which takes place at the main downtown branch as well.
“The Art in the Library program is a program where we hang only local artists’ artwork and we change the shows every three months.”
Each art show is installed in the library and features 10 to 12 artists with a single coherent theme and many different mediums, Peyser said.
Currently, the theme on display in the Scotts Valley Library is called “100 Trees.”
“We use lots and lots of volunteers from Scotts Valley High School for community service who come and help us hang the art shows because it really takes about 10 people to install each art show.”
The Library’s Art Director will be looking for volunteers to help hang the new art show at the end of July.
Additionally, the friends need help with their committees, those who are interested can email to [email protected]
“We would love to find somebody to take charge of author visits,” Lee said. “We don’t have anyone doing that now, and its something that we would really like to get underway because there are so many great local writers in our community.”
Volunteering with the friends is very flexible and anyone can participate — no previous experience is required.
For more information about volunteering with the Scotts Valley Library Friends email Sylvia Lee at [email protected].
The Friends of the Scotts Valley Library meet at the Library on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
