Mission

The Friends are a non-profit public benefit organization of volunteers providing financial contributions to the City of Salinas Library System. FOSPL funds programs and purchases not within the library budget. FOSPL also works to create pubic awareness of and community support for the library and its literacy programs.

The Big Idea

Friends of the Salinas Public Library is working on reaching the parents of students at four low-income schools and providing them with internet hotspots and Chromebooks for computer literacy, and purchasing refurbished computers for parents who complete computer literacy classes. They are also hoping to provide Chromebooks and laptops to local libraries so they can be checked out when needed. Finally, they plan to make hotspots available to the general public for check-out, along with wireless printing services in the library. All of these efforts will be a game-changer for the students whose education is now happening remotely. After construction, the beautiful new El Gabilan Library opened on Feb. 22, 2020—and had to close just a few weeks later due to the pandemic. However, the new library’s makerspace and 3-D printer became useful for making PPE masks.

The Maker Space at El Gabilan Library is amazing!

- Chris Brandt