Attention library lovers! We are thrilled to announce our new Development Director, Jessica Louise Parker, who joined us in September. With over 10 years of experience in fundraising at mission-driven organizations like Chabot Space & Science Center and The Exploratorium, Jessica brings a wealth of expertise to our team. Get to know her better by reading our Q&A:
​
Libraries are such unique spaces that serve everyone. How do you see them playing a special role in San Francisco, and what excites you most about working with Friends and SFPL?
For a progressive city in a sustained cycle of reinvention, one constant is that San Francisco’s public libraries continue to welcome everyone. They are one of the last bastions of free, publicly accessible spaces that require nothing of visitors to participate and provide a multitude of community programs, literacy and lifelong learning opportunities, and access to technology. Friends of the San Francisco Public Library supports inclusivity and bridging the technological divide in our community through boldly increasing library access and awareness throughout the city. I am proud to be a philanthropic advocate for our vital work at Friends and to help ensure that libraries remain at the heart of our city communities for generations to come.

As SFPL undergoes major projects like the Mission and Chinatown branch renovations, what is one project or goal you are most eager to dive into in your new role?
Both capital-intensive projects currently need broader community support and can transform the entire neighborhood. When we give to important institutions like the library, we telegraph to the world what we value and prioritize. As a fundraiser, I am excited to welcome new supporting members to our giving community and potentially bolster these branches into the most vibrant, captivating, and accessible learning epicenters in the Bay Area.


As a mom of two young kids, libraries are probably a big part of your family life! How does your family enjoy the Library, and do you have any favorite programs or memories you would like to share?
My oldest is eight years old and obsessed with Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey and is currently devouring Roald Dahl’s The BFG. My youngest is five years old and loves listening to the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel and George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends by James Marshall. Reading aloud to both boys as part of our nighttime routine, is my favorite part of the day: I love having these peaceful moments where our collective imaginations can quietly soar into the make-believe worlds of beloved stories and treasured characters.

2023 Brown-Handler Resident S.S. Julian's residency is over, but his journey as a cartoonist is just beginning. Today Julian announced the launch of his Kickstarter campaign to self-publish the first Issue of his cephalopod-centric solarpunk comic Octopolis. Here's what Julian had to say about his latest project:

Tired of dystopias? Then you may enjoy Octopolis, a refreshingly non-dystopian post-apocalypse. What’s different? The humans are extinct!

Of course, things can’t stay peaceful forever. There’s a new intelligent species stirring up trouble: the octopus. They’ve build a society in the coral-encrusted ruins of our sunken cities. Maybe these new stewards of the sea will do a better job than the last ones. After all, they have 9x the brain power, and none of the bones!

The Story
Octopolis follows the adventures of one particularly precocious octopus: Kurita, a young female octopus. Kurita lost two arms and ever since regenerating they seem to have minds of their own, which… they literally do!

Kurita dreams of making her fortune as a philosopher in the great metropolis of Polyps. One day, Kurita finds the answer to her wishes: an ancient shield, heavier than stone and sturdier than shell. She’ll soon find that her discovery is more important - and more dangerous - that she could possibly imagine.

Kurita will need to embrace her whole identity in order to wield this artifact and stop a power-hungry cannibal queen from repeating the mistakes of the past!

The Science
Octopolis draws on real scientific discoveries about octopus behavior and intelligence: the extraordinary behavior of the lesser Pacific striped octopus, the real-life locations Octopolis, Octlantis, and the Octopus Garden on Davidson Seamount.

Octopolis is a celebration of the ocean, and those interested in marine biology will appreciate the attention to detail. The only magic in Octopolis is the magic of the ocean! Ultimately, the action-packed underwater adventure shares a message about the importance of sustainability, biodiversity, and diversity in general!

Julian is committed to using his platform to advocate for environmental awareness. In January, he organized a speakers event with fellow Brown-Handler resident Lindsey J. Smith and brought together several notable Bay Area scientists and creators together to speak at a panel event: Building a Climate of Empathy. Authors Danna Staaf, Tiffany Yap and others spoke about how empathy is a key element in engaging with the community about climate change.

About the Author
S.S. Julian is a Bay Area cartoonist with a degree in creative writing from Stanford University.
Julian worked as a product designer for a decade, but during the pandemic decided to dedicate his energy towards educating about sustainability and biodiversity through his art.

In Octopolis, Julian seeks to depict the wonder of the ocean with the same enthusiasm as the fictional worlds of his favorite books and comics.

The Details
S.S. Julian is self-publishing Octopolis Issue #1 via Kickstarter on May 14.
The book runs 64 pages long, and is illustrated in full-color. An exclusive prologue comic will also be available. Top tier backers can commission an illustration of their own ‘Octopolitan citizen’, and may even see their octopus avatar drawn into a future issue!

Octopolis: a rare non-dystopian post-apocalypse story for scifi fantasy readers and ocean enthusiasts alike. Read the prologue and the first 12 pages of the comic now, at octopoliscomic.com

For media inquiries, contact [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
April 16, 2024   

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library (Friends), a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for and supporting a premier public library in San Francisco, is thrilled to announce Emily Garvie’s appointment as its new Executive Director.  

As a leader with a proven track record in fundraising, Garvie brings her extensive experience in non-profits to Friends at this exciting strategic moment. As the organization grows in its reach and impact, Garvie is well prepared to advance Friends’ mission as the Library’s investors, advocates, and champions.   
“The board is excited to welcome Emily Garvie as our new Executive Director,” said Rebecca Charnas Grant, Chair of the Friends Board of Directors. “Her leadership and vision will advance our robust legacy and ensure Friends continues to make a meaningful impact in our community.”   

“It is an honor to join Friends of the San Francisco Public Library at this moment and work alongside Friends’ dedicated board, staff, volunteers, and supporters, who make an exceptional difference in our community. I believe that together we can continue our strong Library partnership, grow Friends’ support for its spaces and programs, and ensure that the San Francisco Public Library remains a vibrant hub at the forefront of libraries nationally in this moment of heightened potential and need.”   

“I think it would be hard to overstate the importance of well-functioning public libraries as our society grapples with persistent inequality, growing divisions between communities, and a lack of faith in public systems,” continued Garvie. “I feel inspired and proud every time I walk into a public library in San Francisco, and I look forward to working with Friends to support and advance these jewels at the heart of our community.”  

Garvie lives in San Francisco with her family and has worked at the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation and as the Executive Director of the Performing Arts Workshop. She also volunteers on the SFUSD Public Education Enrichment Fund Community Advisory Council, and is on the board of the South of Market Childcare Center. 
Garvie’s tenure at Friends will start on May 13, 2024, and she looks forward to meeting with the partners that make up the Friends community.   

About Friends of the San Francisco Public Library:  
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library is a diverse community of individuals, families, and institutions whose mission is to strengthen, support, and advocate for a premier public library system in San Francisco. Since 1961, Friends has championed free public access to information, resources, and opportunities for all people. Friends envisions a future of our libraries as robust centers of 21st-century literacy, economic opportunity, life-long learning, discovery, and community life.  
  
Media Contact: 
Michael-Vincent D’Anella-Mercanti   
Communications & Advocacy Director   
[email protected]   ​

By 1973, City Librarian Anderson resigned. His efforts to increase outreach to underserved neighborhoods and a new Main Library to seemingly endless budget-cutting, more studies about the state of the old building, and frustrated patrons on all sides. A new Main Library seemed a longshot, with even City Librarians, Commissioners, and Mayors skeptical of the project. But Friends never gave up hope and pushed ahead with three strategies:

• ​defending the location at Civic Center
• passing a public bond measure
• raising private money to outfit the new building. 

Chapter 4: Defending the location: The fight for Marshall Square 
With a controversial appointment by Mayor Joseph L. Alioto, Kevin Starr began his tenure as City Librarian in 1973. The selection was controversial because Starr did not hold a Library Science degree at the time of his appointment, but he did consistently advocate for increased funding for a new Main Library. Starr's first request for an increased budget was immediately rejected at City Hall and then in April 1974, in a blindside, Starr and Library Commission President, Edward Callanan, were called to the Mayor's office. Mayor Alioto revealed that he was in private discussions with the city's most significant philanthropists who would help fund a performing arts center for a symphony at Civic Center instead of a library, introducing them on the spot to Samuel Stewart, Gwinn Follis, and Harold Zellerbach. (Marshall Square denotes the plaza that connects Market Street to the current City Hall.) 

It was a classic confrontation between downtown interests and wealthy supporters versus a motley crew of artists and neighborhood groups galvanized by the Friends and its advocacy arm, Keep Libraries Alive! Friends lost badly at the first Planning Commission hearing where the performing arts center plan was endorsed 7-0. As the battleground shifted to the Board of Supervisors, Starr hired attorney William Coblentz to help with a behind-the-scenes compromise. With help from Supervisor Ronald Pelosi, they crafted a deal that included the Board of Education, which at the time was engaged in their own dilemma about what to do with their property on Van Ness Avenue. In the end, the Board of Education turned their Commerce High School athletic fields over to the symphony and the Library retained Marshall Square.  


Chapter 5: Finding the public investment: Passing the bond measures 
As George Moscone entered his mayoral term in 1976, the fallout from Proposition 13 continued to choke local governments in maintaining the public infrastructure. The newly appointed City Librarian in 1997, John Frantz, encountered the same rejections in successive budget seasons. After the tragic assassination of Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, Frantz served his tenure for the duration of the Diane Feinstein’s administration, where he found an engaged and pragmatic advocate for libraries. 

Grappling with a branch-heavy system, particularly in the city's northeastern quadrant, Frantz attempted to close 14 branches in 1978. When greeted by groups of yelling library lovers in front of all of them, he closed none. He still went on in 1981 to commission Lowell Martin of Columbia University to study the economics of a branch system. The report again recommended closing branches and converting others into "supermarket libraries" with a comprehensive range of services and special-purpose branches. When Frantz took the draft report to Mayor Feinstein, he recalls: 

She was lecturing us on the importance of libraries and on the importance of having all of the branches open all of the time with real librarians. She got herself into such a froth that she increased our budget for 1982-1983 by about 30% in order to leave things alone.  

This was short-lived.  

Feinstein focused on the masterplan for the Civic Center, insistent that a Main Library serve as an anchor there. Even as the public and private sectors spared no cost to build the new Symphony Hall and the War Memorial Building, that same spirit and wealthy power structure did not yet support the public Library. Ambition was high at Friends however, where the Board had already hired Marilyn Smulyan to coordinate a Campaign for the Main and dared to offer an alternate masterplan for Civic Center. 

In April 1985, James Haas, a member of the Board of Directors, wrote to Mayor Feinstein recommending that a new library be built on the other side of Fulton Street and that the Asian Arts Museum is moved into the existing Main building. While initially unreceptive in a first meeting with Commission President Edward Callanan, John Frantz, Marjorie Stern, and Mary Louise Stong, Mayor Feinstein soon dispatched her Deputy Mayor Peter Henschel to form a task force around the idea, obtaining the willing agreement of the Asian Art Museum Board and the eventual approval of the Board of Supervisors. But which side of Marshall Square, and how would the community get around the central problem of paying for a library in either location? Several fortuitous developments started to fall into place: 

1. In November 1986, California voters revised Proposition 13 to allow local governments to issue general obligation bonds if supported by a two-thirds vote. 
2. In late 1987, Friends spawned a second entity, the San Francisco Library Foundation. Sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation, it would prove its fundraising chops alongside the major arts organizations.
3. Librarian Frantz, no longer convinced that building a new main library was a good idea, resigned, and Kenneth Dowlin replaced him. During his twelve-year tenure, Dowlin oversaw the building of the new Main and a doubling of branches. 
4. In April 1988, the California Senate placed a small bond on the ballot motivating Friends to ask the Board of Supervisors to approve a $120 million local bond for the voters. Under Mayor Art Agnos, Chief of Staff Rudy Nothenberg and Supervisor John Molinari, chair of the Finance Committee, negotiated the amount down to $109.5 million approved it for the June ballot.

Election victory! While almost no one believed the voters would approve such a whopping sum, Friends' polling showed that slightly more than two-thirds of voters favored the bond. Friends hired consultant Dick Pabich, who led the Proposition A – Yes for Libraries campaign. Pabich focused on securing the natural base of support in the liberal activist community and targeted conservative home-owning voters. Using precinct records from a recent school board election, volunteers knocked on doors engaging in one-on-one conversations and made 40,000 phone calls. On election night, the bond passed with 78% of the vote.
​
Coming next, Chapter 6: The Library Foundation and the inclusive and unifying philanthropic campaign for the Main.

Also, check out Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3. ​

Defeated in his attempt to build a new Main Library, Librarian Holman drew on the civil rights activism pulsating on the streets in the late 1960s and took the library directly to the people. Librarians went door-to-door, familiarizing residents with library services in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog, visited community centers and housing projects, and even distributed free books on the street. Effie Lee Morris sent the first bookmobile to the Bayview. Simultaneously, community rooms were added to the Chinatown Branch, and Friends raised money for collections and a bibliographic study of African-Americans in the West. The SFPL also received federal funding from the Economic Opportunity Act for its fledging Jobs and Careers program for the unemployed. 

San Francisco was an epicenter of a literary and artistic renaissance with prominent fiction writers calling San Francisco home - John Steinbeck, Dashiell Hammett, William Saroyan, and historians and essayists Wallace Stegner, Oscar Lewis, and Irving Stone. Poetry thrived throughout North Beach coffeehouses, making household names of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Ferlinghetti, and bringing to prominence racially diverse, queer, and women writers, such as Kay Boyle, Tillie Olsen, Diane DiPrima, Jade Snow Wong, and subsequently, Amy Tan, Maxine Hong Kingston, Isabel Allende, and Alice Walker.   

San Francisco needed a Library as big and vibrant as the city around it. But that did not happen. A new Librarian, John Anderson, arrived from Tuscon in 1968, where he had successfully doubled the library budget and expanded its staff seven-fold. He described the SFPL as the "worst metropolitan library in the country," judging that the Main library should get a new building. He set the tone for his tenure by declaring that the library should accept its "special relationship to the people in this changing city who do not have educational and cultural advantages." 

When Joseph Alioto began his mayoral term in 1970, things looked hopeful. Known for his obsession for redevelopment, he was politically adept and well-connected in Washington DC. He secured a $115 million HUD grant for preliminary planning of a new building in Marshal Square, which produced a report condemning the Main Library as grossly inadequate. It also advised against floating a bond measure to build a new library that might not pass with the voters. Despite the warning, Friends pursued placing a bond measure on the ballot with the blessing of Alito and the City Administrator. When the citizens' bond review committee rejected the measure, the Friends' board, with great debate, voted to postpone its efforts until 1974. ​

​Tall, lanky, and with a drawl from out of town (Galveston, Texas), William Holman assumed the City Librarian's position in 1960. Impressed by the plethora of bookstores, Holman told a reporter, "San Francisco is a bookish, unique city… and it certainly doesn't deserve a third-rate library." He found the Main Library at civic center gloomy, dirty, smelly, technologically out of date. At its lowest point in 1959, only 1,500 books had been checked out, down from 12,000.   

In his first appearance before the Library Commission, Holman requested an emergency appropriation to fix an enormous backlog in cataloging and was told to wait for the city budget cycle a year later. His first encounter with the Board of Supervisor was not encouraging. His request for funds to hire nine additional Librarians was met by a scoffing Supervisor who yelled out, "that's welfare!" Holman ultimately won a small increase, insufficient to prevent the closure of all libraries on Sundays.    
Holman walked out of City Hall to find two citizen groups rumored to be organizing for library improvements: San Francisco for a Better Library and Friends of the Library that were in the process of merging. A meeting hosted at the home of Mortimer and Janet Fleishhacker brought the groups together, along with the Blyth-Zellerbach Committee, a business coalition shaping San Francisco's redevelopment efforts, to finalize the creation of a single organization with a list of founding sponsors, including Walter Haas, Nion Tucker, Ms. Dean Whitter, and the Zellerbach, Bransten, Follis, Schwabacher, and Gerbode families.  

In 1966, Margaret Mayer, who had joined the public library cause through volunteering at Friends' book sales, was hired as the first paid Executive Director. Friends first fundraising efforts furnished a new Rare Book Room, provided uniforms for security guards, and established a scholarship fund for librarians. Margaret Mayer and Board members Mary Louise Stong and Marjorie Stern were unified in the belief that the grassroots citizenry, not just the elite, must join the library movement. They committed themselves to publicize the library's dire budgetary situation and to build a grassroots membership organization for advocacy support. Ms. Stern later reflected, "What is really needed to make our library system an excellent one is solid citizen support. We tried hard to get out in the community for support for every section of the population. We believe that every citizen has a responsibility to the library."   

The desire to fight for a reformed public library went well beyond its new leader and his alliance with the newly formed Friends. The Librarians started a revolution from within, with Librarians making smart and significant changes with flat budgets. Among the leaders was Effie Lee Morris (more info), a nationally recognized children's librarian from the New York Public Library who served as the SFPL's first-ever Children's Services Coordinator. With predominantly female leadership, the adult services department was created under Harriet Collopy, technical services and cataloging under Vivian Goodwin, branches under Mary Moses, and the Main under Avis Stopple. Collections were reorganized more strategically by interest, 100,000s of books previously held behind reference desks were shelved for accessible public browsing, and the Business and Science Department opened. 

Inadequate budgets still limited progress, but the coalition of Friends and the SFPL began to make headway with a steady and coordinated strategy. Librarian Holman figured out that he was more likely to obtain budget allocations from city hall when he sent a series of small requests instead of large annual requests. When he made a budget request, he alerted Friends, who mobilized its members to visit city hall to publicly and loudly back the requests. By 1965, this strategy paid off when the book-buying budget was raised from $381,000 to $500,000. By 1967, the overall Library budget was double was it had been in 1961. 

Historical data cited from A Free Library in the City, by Peter Booth Wiley. Photos credited to the SFPL History Center.

Greetings! We miss you, and we miss our Library. Communicating and connecting is so important right now and we hope our regular newsletters and emails have kept you informed about the status of the San Francisco Public Library and of Friends. We write today with a positive message: The Library is resilient; Friends is sustaining itself strategically; and the partnership is prepared for the future with an even stronger, more responsive Library that is prepared to meet any new challenges we might face.  

We are proud of the Library’s role as a key partner in San Francisco’s response to COVID, as well as its recent action to open air respite centers in response to the West Coast wildfires. However, we are all anxious for our libraries to reopen and provide their core operations. As the community’s advocate for Library services, we assure you that we are monitoring developments and advocating for the safe reopening and resumption of all Library services and programs when possible.

In the meantime, our SFPL is once again demonstrating its excellence in innovative response. The following is a summary of current Library services:

Materials. SFPL To Go, front-door service for real books and media, is open at the Main Library and five branches (Excelsior, Marina, Mission Bay, Merced, and Eureka Valley) with more branches scheduled to open in October. Pop Up Pick-up service using the bookmobiles will also be dispatched to ensure more neighborhoods have access to books and materials.

eResources. Thanks in large part to the Friends community and the Library Preservation Fund, SFPL already has the largest eCollection of books, media, and technology applications of any urban public library. Use of eResources had skyrocketed by 60%.

Virtual programming continues to expand in priority areas of children’s literacy, school support, job search, career development, technology, ESL, and literary and cultural events. Friends continues to fund the authors, artists, experts, and materials for these new and evolving programs.

Citywide emergency response. SPFL staff continue to play critical roles in coordinated, citywide responses to COVID and wildfires. Designated branches will open as community hubs providing schoolchildren K-5 with access to free Wi-Fi, meals, and emotional support, while schools are physically closed. The Richmond Branch will be the first to open. While hundreds of Librarians have returned, many continue working in food distribution centers and as contact tracers helping to keep infections down.

Friends is in Good Health (thanks to you) 
This year has presented us with complex decisions, as it has with community organizations holding fast to their missions. We are happy to report that Friends ended its 2019–2020 fiscal year in good health, thanks to our donors who helped us meet our fundraising goals. Sadly, we also had to implement cost-cutting measures, including closing the Fort Mason bookstore and laying off beloved staff, actions that no organization ever wants to take. We did not make these decisions lightly and share in the mourning of these losses. We are keenly aware of the challenges and economic uncertainty that lay ahead; and we are going to need your strong, ongoing financial support. Our responsibility is to advocate for you and to stay financially healthy as the caretaker for our beloved SFPL. Thank you so much for your support. We are profoundly grateful.

And what of the future of the SFPL… 

Campaign for the Future of the Library
As many of you know, we entered 2020 unveiling our $10 Million Campaign for the Future of the San Francisco Public Library. The Campaign called for an infusion of support through 2023 to fund furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) for the renovations of the Mission, Chinatown, and Oceanview branches; ensure the renewal of the Library Preservation Fund (voter-mandated library funds); and, double the direct support for the SFPL to over $2 million annually. We are still pursuing this campaign, albeit slightly modified. Our adapted plan retains our ambitious commitment to double the direct annual support, ensures the renewal of the Library Preservation Fund in 2022, and funds the FF&E for the Mission Branch renovation (which remains on schedule). Current challenges have forced a reassessment of the timeframe for the remaining two branch projects. We will keep you informed and invite you to take part as plans unfold. Meanwhile, we can look forward with anticipation to our next Library Laureates gala at the Main. 

The Book Program
While we weather this trying period, we look forward to planning a new future for our book program as well. At this time, we can only operate online. We have increased stock in our online stores and have begun to sell new books by authors featured in SFPL programs (Fresh Prints of the SFPL). Our book donation services have reopened on a limited basis, by appointment only. When we can sell books face-to-face again, we will look to you for inspiring ideas: A new bookstore? A retooled Big Book Sale? New book-loving events? In the next few weeks, members of our Board and staff will try to reach out and talk to as many of you as possible to see how you are feeling and to chat about our great Library. If you have comments, suggestions, or questions, please feel free to send them to us at [email protected]. Please stay safe and thank you so much.

Work it!  San Francisco Public Library is doubling down on programs to aid patrons who have lost work. With the unemployment rate at 12.5 percent in San Francisco, the public library is stepping up to help patrons find pathways to economic recovery with the launching of Work It, an ongoing series of virtual programs focused on job searching, career development, personal finance, and small business resources. 

Highlights of programming include: a financial planning series; a virtual speaker series on health insurance, taxes, and investing; Jobs and Careers programs on Resume Writing Essentials, How to Get a California State Job, and Hope Levy’s Age as an Asset program, exploring ways for older adults to use their life experiences to land the perfect job. In partnership with California Employment Development, the Library will offer CalJOBS for Beginners in Spanish and Cantonese. 
​
SFPL’s robust Jobs and Careers portal also offers a multitude of options for job seekers, such as live resume, interview, and career coaching with JobNow and EDD. Check out the Library’s Business and Personal Finance Resources, including COVID local resources and  Smart Money Coaching for expanded one-on-one counseling on budgeting basics. Job seekers are also encouraged to check out the Library’s free technology workshop series, Tech Time. For more information, email the Business, Science, and Technology Center at [email protected] or visit sfpl.org. ​

 
Dear Community, 
 
We are touched and heartened by the outpouring of sentiment and affection for the beloved Fort Mason bookstore. Thank you for being our fans and supporters for so many years. It was a good run, and we share your sadness that it had to end.  
 
We want you to know that it was a difficult decision to shutter our iconic bookstore. We want to share with you the considerations behind the closure and what the future holds.   
 
The Board and staff of Friends have been considering changes to the structure of the book program for some time, in order to more effectively serve our mission for the San Francisco Public Library, which is to raise funds to augment Library programs, and ensuring access to books and resources to diverse communities across the city.  
 
We hope the Book Program will fulfill this mission in three ways:  
1. raising additional funds through earned revenue by selling donated books; 
2. donating books to low-income communities through organizations and schools;  
3. providing access to inexpensive books through our stores, events, and pop-ups in the community.    
 
Closure and relocation of the Fort Mason bookstore were under discussion before the COVID-19 pandemic. The unexpected rampage of the pandemic and mandated health orders resulted in expediting decisions to avoid significant damage to the survival of Friends.  
 
Here is what you should know: 
 
Financial survival in a global pandemic. The shelter-in-place order in March shut down the possibility of conducting retail sales, forcing the furlough of some employees and ultimately the elimination of positions. These are terrible decisions that no one ever wants to have to make.  Only now are we beginning to inch back into online sales with stringent limitations on the volunteers and staff, with safety protocols in compliance with the San Francisco Health Officer.  
Expensive leases. Friends was burdened by increasingly expensive leases in San Francisco, including our administrative offices at 710 Van Ness Avenue, that had begun to affect how well we could carry out our mission to the Library.  
The Fort Mason Center lease. In particular, the Fort Mason lease and the way it was structured precluded any opportunity to keep the lease through the pandemic and reopen after it ended. 
 

• Unfortunately, we were not able to obtain rent relief during the pandemic and know that times are hard for Fort Mason too. Additionally, since the door to our store does not open directly onto the parking lot, we are not allowed to have customers enter without being screened and admitted by Fort Mason management.  
• Our lease at Fort Mason was not going to work for much longer. The best we could negotiate two years ago was a five-year lease that doubles our rent by the third year and triples it by the fifth. We have maintained our concern about this lease agreement for some time.  
• We love the look and feel of the old-timey store, but the Fort Mason lease required us to commit to an interior renovation costing a minimum of $50,000 and closure for several months to contribute to Fort Mason’s vision of upscaling its campus. The status of other tenants and planned seismic retrofitting of the Pavilion also contribute to our concerns. 
• Fort Mason is beautiful and nostalgically San Francisco but is also isolated and inaccessible to many. We are committed to looking for another place to regrow a cozy, friendly store that could be more easily accessible to people and have a more diverse following. We take pride in the fact that our bookstore at the Main Library and $1 Step Sales are the only bookstore in the Tenderloin.  

 
For the remainder of the epidemic, we will focus on online sales, and then slowly add back face-to-face sales and literary events. In addition, we will have the flexibility of inventing something new, whether it is a brick and mortar location, or pop-up style traveling stores.  
 
Although these changes have been hard, we are hopeful about the future of a new book program. Making these tough decisions unleashes the creativity and flexibility we need for the future.  
 
The one thing we do know is that we need and want you. We ask you for your ideas and for your support as we rebuild. We have no doubt that we will emerge even stronger and look forward to continuing to work with you to spread our vision for the Library and for community literacy across the city. 
 
Thank you, 
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library