Our History

The Friends of the Library began in early 1958 when the new Los Altos Library was in dire need of books to fill its shelves. Many people responded but not all of the books were sturdy enough or of sufficient general interest for library circulation. When the county started stocking the library at a more satisfactory level, we offered to hold a sale of the books that were not suitable for library use. There was some initial concern that people would be upset to learn that books they had donated to the library were being sold, and would stop donating. That was not the case, however. Instead, people began donating books in increasing numbers, knowing they were supporting the library.

The first book sale was held at Rancho Shopping Center and grossed a whopping $146 for the library. As the donations and sales grew, so did our storage and manpower needs, and sales were held once a year. For several years, the books were stored in the garages of some of the members or at the headquarters of the County Library. Family members were recruited to help with the sorting and selling of the books. The sales themselves were held at many locations around town, including parking lots, orchards , vacant buildings, etc. We eventually found a relatively permanent home at Hillview Community Center for the book sales, as well as the sorting and storage of books between sales.

In May 2008 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our first book sale, and also celebrated having raised a total of over $2,000,000 for the library since the inception of the Friends.