Saturday, December 11
10 am - 4 pm
Main Room opens at 11 am
 
Sunday, December 12
1 pm - 4 pm

Children's Books in K6
Bargain Books in K7
We seem to have more books than ever.  Room K6 has children's books, including picture books, school age fiction, award winners and books for parents and teachers, many for under $1.  Room K7 is the bargain room, where children's books are just 25 cents each, paperbacks are 50 cents, and hardcovers are $1.00.  Prices drop by half in the bargain room at 12:30 pm on Saturday and to just $5 for each grocery bag you fill (we supply the bags) at 2 pm.  These discounts also apply on Sunday.  Both rooms are in the K wing (see map).

Main Book Room Sale
In our main room, prices are also way below what used book stores charge.  Paperbacks are 50 cents and up, and hardcovers are $1.00 and up.  This room opens at 11 am on Saturday (one hour after the other rooms), but you can reserve your place in the line that forms by picking up one or two tickets as early as 8 am.  No ticket is needed to get in.

Featured items for December

4000 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto
Near the northwest end of the Cubberley Community Center

Room locations

All proceeds go to help Palo Alto libraries.

The elves who operate our Children's and Bargain Rooms (K6 and K7) have decided to open from now on at 10 am on Saturday (it used to be 9 am).  Given how hard all the elves work, we couldn't say no.  Both rooms are open until 4 pm on Saturday and then again from 1 to 4 pm on Sunday.

Be sure to look at all the tables of wonderful Hanukkah and Christmas gift books in the Main Booksale and Children's Rooms.  You can also purchase $5 gift certificates from any cashier to put in holiday cards or Christmas stockings for your book-loving friends and family.

In short, the City Manager will propose to the City Council on Monday, December 13, that the College Terrace and Downtown branches be closed no later than June 2007.  Meanwhile, he proposes to begin to plan and find funding for a "full-service" library somewhere in Palo Alto.  If that library were located at Mitchell Park, the Main Library would be closed as well, leaving no library facilities for adults in North Palo Alto whatsoever.  If instead the Main Library were the site for the "full-service" library, then the Mitchell Park branch would lose significant staff and other resources.  The result will be a two or three library system very different from the present set of five libraries spread across the town.

Branch closure has resurfaced this year because city finances are under pressure.  However, the Downtown and College Terrace branches actually cost very little to operate and are used a lot.  While the city has still not detailed the operating costs of the individual branches, only about 7% of the library's staff (and no higher-paid degreed librarians) work at these branches, which at the same time generated 10% of circulations and 16% of visits in the 2003-2004 fiscal year.  Closing branches that cost less than the usage they generate is not an efficient way to save money.  Furthermore, once these branches are shut down, it is extremely unlikely they would ever be opened again.

Other California cities affected by budget shortfalls have opted instead to reduce library hours or to cut extra services, or even to use volunteers to fill in.  With the exception of Salinas (which may have to shut down its entire library system), Palo Alto will apparently be the only city in California to have branch closures.  That will be quite a comedown for our city's prized college-town reputation.

Palo Alto also emphasizes walkable neighborhoods, which impart a small-town flavor while reducing car traffic and encouraging healthy biking and walking.  Our present library branch structure supports this concept, making it possible to visit and use a library without a trip across town.  Indeed, technology and interlibrary loans increasingly bring more resources to these branches, such that many residents find no need to visit a large, central facility at all.

The City's own Library Advisory Commission, which is separate from the City Manager, has opted to oppose the branch closure proposal, as has our own organization's board of directors.  Indeed, we are actively working with community groups and numerous residents to save the threatened libraries.

With the exception of the Terman Park branch, which was reclaimed by the school district, Palo Altans have successfully defeated all past attempts to close branches, dating back to the 1960s.  You can help keep the College Terrace and Downtown libraries open by e-mailing the City Council with your support for the branches.  Your e-mail will go to all nine City Council members, so it's an easy way to convey your opinion to them.  You can also attend the City Council meeting on Monday at 7 pm at City Hall (250 Hamilton Avenue).

For some background about the branch controversy, see these recent items from the December 8, 2004 Palo Alto Weekly:

· Cover story: Out on a Limb?
· Branch Comparison Chart [note: the College Terrace branch's hours were slightly longer when the data was collected]
· Previous Attempts to Close the Branches
· Editorial: End the Deadlock in Library Debate
· Guest Opinion: Another Approach to Library Organization
· Letter to the Editor: Why Branches Make Sense [fourth letter down]

It has been a glorious year for us as well.  November's sale earned $19,151 overall, which is an incredible achievement for us.  Our sales over the last five months have averaged $15,400 each.  We wish to thank all of our wonderful customers, donors, volunteers, members, and supporters who together make our book sales possible.