ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

Message from the President

Supporting Our Libraries

The San José Public Library Foundation was established in 1987 by a group of dedicated community volunteers who understood that a great Library System needed more than public funding.

The Foundation continues its commitment to raise private funds to complement the City's annual allocation to the San José Public Library system. Since 2003, the San Jose Public Library Foundation has raised over $3,105,000.  In addition, the Foundation has received another $1,300,000 for programming and over $345,000 in in-kind gifts.

The Foundation has two major funding initiatives:

• "Branching Out: From Dream to Reality" is the Foundation's multi-million dollar fundraising campaign in support of the system's Bond Project Branch Libraries. Through your generosity, you can help bring expanded collections, technology, and furnishings to the six new branch libraries being built and the 14 branch libraries being renovated and expanded.
• Silicon Valley Reads, a program that promotes community-wide reading of the same book through a series of discussions and events centered around the book’s theme is co-sponsored with the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Santa Clara County Library.

Literacy Programs

The Foundation also supports programs that promote literacy for people of all ages. Area corporations and individual philanthropists have been generous in their support of the following programs:

• Books for Little Hands

Books for Little Hands helps early educators meet the emerging literacy needs of their children ages 0 to 5. Currently, 6,400 children and their parents and over 300 early educators benefit from the program. Through Books for Little Hands, childcare sites can exchange pre-selected bags of quality picture books and curriculum support theme kits monthly.

• Partners in Reading

Studies indicate that at least 20% of American adults read at or below a fifth grade level. In San José, that means over 100,000 adults may not be able to read the instructions on a medicine bottle, fill out a job application, or use an ATM.
Partners in Reading enables English-speaking adults to improve their basic literacy skills so they can achieve their goals and function more effectively at home, in the community, at work and as lifelong learners.