Look, if your goal for 2024 is to read more? Both the Library and the Foundation are almost perfectly positioned to help you.
Find something you want to read
It’s always easier to read a book that you’re interested in than one you think you should read. (Related: There is no shame in not finishing a book you’ve started. Life is too short to read a book you’re not enjoying.) Visit the library and if you’re not sure where to start, talk to a librarian! They’re there to help you.
If you already have a genre and/or author you like, but you’re not sure where to go next, try BookMatch. This is a service where you can fill out an online form and a librarian will email you back a set of recommendations for your next read.
Join a book club
If you need a little more structure to read, consider joining one of the library’s many book clubs. There’s:
- the graphic novel club,
- the romance un-book club (where there’s not an assigned book that everyone reads, instead everyone brings a recommendation),
- the book club at Central Park Library, and
- the ESL Book Club.
There might be more, too. The library loves a book club and is constantly tinkering to figure out which ones work the best for their patrons.
Bring your little ones to storytimes
The Library has a wealth of storytimes at all three library branches. You can find storytimes for babies (ages 0-2) or toddlers (ages 3-5). There are storytimes with stay-and-play sessions afterwards. While most storytimes are in English, you can find Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish storytimes coming up in the next month or so.
Watch the calendar to find the storytimes that are best for your family.
We sell books!
The Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends has books for sale every day. If you are looking to explore for inexpensive books to keep at home, look no further than the Friends of the Library bookstore at Central Park Library or the Book Nook at Northside Library. This is a great place to start if you want to build a home library.
Shop our monthly book sale
Our big monthly book sale happens the third weekend of every month, except December. This is where you can find the most books available at any one given time.
How does the sale work? Books are sold on a per-item basis on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Once it’s noon on Saturday in the Margie Edinger room, though, it becomes a bag sale: everything you can fit into a regular paper grocery bag for $5.
These sales are great if you’re an educator refreshing your classroom library or looking to expand your personal library.
Make the most of our monthly book sales
If you are really looking to maximize the quality and number of books you get at our monthly book sales, here are some tips:
- Get there early. We don’t restock through the day so you’ll have the widest selection the earlier you arrive.
- Know that on Friday afternoon, only the Margie Edinger room will be full of books. On Saturday, we have books for sale both on the front patio and in the Margie Edinger Room.
- Bring your own bags. We’ll have paper grocery bags available if you need them for the bag sale, but it’s always easiest if you have your own.
- Become a Friends Member. You get a special members-only shopping hour on Saturday morning from 9:00am – 10:00am.
- If you can leave the stroller and/or roller suitcases at home, please do. We plan so the aisles between tables can easily accommodate a wheelchair, but they can get crowded.
- Become a volunteer to help set up the sale on Friday morning or to work at the sale on either Friday or Saturday (we are our own best customers).
- Do two passes through the room to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
- Sign up for our email list to learn about upcoming book sales.
Note: if you’re a bulk book buyer (eg for a used bookstore) please reach out to our operations manager.
In summary
- Figure out what you like to read by visiting the library
- Find structure in your reading with book clubs or storytimes
- Buy books for your personal library at the Friends of the Library bookstore or the book nook
- Buy even more books at our monthly book sales.
We’ll help you accomplish your resolution to read more!