The Library Where You Are

Sonoma County Library is always seeking ways to expand access to our services and collections. Two key components of our Reimagining Plan are to provide opportunities for all to learn, contribute, interact, and participate; and supporting community resiliency.

A key element of increasing access countywide is through our BiblioBus, a mobile library van that holds up to 600 items to browse and borrow, including DVDs, bilingual baby books, graphic novels, and copies of the library’s most requested books. Last year, the BiblioBus attended 111 events, with 11,757 people attending, and we are just getting started!

The BiblioBus is expanding its route to remote and underserved areas of our county, with stops in Bodega Bay, Cazadero, Geyserville, Monte Rio, Agua Caliente, and Larkfield-Wikiup. Patrons can browse the collection, check out new materials, sign up for a library card, access free WiFi, as well as a variety of other activities.

In addition to these new, regular stops, the BiblioBus attends community events, celebrations, and parades, and is available for private events not listed on our Community Stop schedule, such as The Living Room, an organization that promotes stability and support for Sonoma County women and children who are experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing, homelessness, and SCHIP (Sonoma County Indian Health Project).

The BiblioBus provides services in English and Spanish.

We connect with local leaders in Sonoma County to let them know about library services coming to their areas. If you would like to request the BiblioBus for an event or a regular stop, or want to know its schedule, visit sonomalibrary.org/bibliobus

Two people walking on a trail wearing backpacks, with text that reads: Visit Sonoma County Parks with your Library Card!

Use Your Library Card to “Check Out” the Great Outdoors

Do you know that in addition to checking out books and DVDs at your local library, Sonoma County Library also provides materials to help you enjoy the great outdoors?

The library is proud to participate in two initiatives that provide greater access to both regional and state parks, via our California State Parks Pass program and our Regional Parks Discovery Backpacks.

State Park passes provide free entry for up to four individuals to any participating state park and ensure that even those facing financial constraints can revel in the state’s unparalleled natural splendor.

State Park passes are available for checkout at all our branches and have a 21-day loan period, allowing entry to multiple parks during the three-week checkout period. Our Parks Pass program is extremely popular—Sonoma County Library ranks fifth in total circulation for parks passes, and fifth in holds compared to all other public libraries in California. These incredible statistics demonstrate how much Sonoma County residents love our parks and cherish our abundant natural beauty. Sonoma County Library currently has 393 State Park passes available with no waiting list, so get your parks pass today!

In addition to our State Parks Pass program, Sonoma County Library also offers entry to regional parks with our Regional Parks Discovery Backpacks.

Developed in partnership with Sonoma County Regional Parks, the backpacks include a parking pass good at all 56 regional parks, a parks map, trail itineraries, hiking tips, wildlife guides, and other information to enjoy self-guided adventures in the parks. Each pack is available for check out for 21 days and includes materials in English and Spanish.

You can learn more about these programs by visiting your local branch or sonomalibrary.org

Illustration of an otter clutching a fish and an open book with the library logo on the left page and a fork and spoon on the right page.

Lunch at the Library

Recent news reports highlight an increased demand placed on food banks due to the rising costs of groceries and termination of emergency allotments of the California food assistance program known as CalFresh. This affects families both locally and statewide.

Fortunately, Sonoma County Library is helping families struggling with food insecurity by offering free summer lunch for youth ages 0-18 at seven library locations: Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Northwest Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park-Cotati, Sebastopol, and Sonoma Valley, with funding provided by the California State Library. We received additional funds to hire teen interns to support this service, as well as funding for a mobile library van to conduct outreach at 30 more summer lunch locations countywide.

In addition to a nutritious meal, all of the library’s summer lunch events offer enrichment activities to keep children and youth engaged and to support reading and learning. By the end of June, we served 1,906 meals in our branches, conducted 22 outreach visits at external sites (633 meals), and our volunteers logged 257.5 hours! We are proud of the efforts of our staff and volunteers to provide this essential service to our communities, and we are continually seeking ways to grow and improve this program every year.

Sonoma County Library has partnered with Redwood Empire Food Bank since 2015 to offer this service, which was suspending during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thrilled to resume sit-down service again. For more information about this program, visit sonomalibrary.org or contact your local branch library.

Contact

PO Box 1402
Santa Rosa, CA 95402 -1402

707-545-0831 ext. 1530
president@scplf.com

About SCPLF

Since its initial formation in 1986, the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation has been equal parts vocal advocate, generous funder and staunch champion for the Sonoma County Library.

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