Newsletters

holiday 2024

12/20/2024

Libraries Are a Beacon of Hope

“The America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

We are living in uncertain times with many unknowns. Across the country, access to books, libraries, and trustworthy information are under threat. In our small slice of the world, Access Books strives to create welcoming spaces with an abundance of interesting books. We want to give students whatever it is they are seeking: adventure, fantasy, intellectual stimulation, or, simply, calm. To this end, we filled the shelves of elementary and middle school libraries throughout the fall. We also connected students with their favorite authors and distributed books for home libraries.

This semester, nearly 1,000 volunteers distributed approximately 77,000 books for school, classroom, and home libraries.

Among our other activities:
8 school libraries were refurbished. Books published in the 1950s were weeded and replaced with current, interesting titles.
7,700 students received bundles of 6-8 books to add to their growing home library for winter break. Nearly 40,000 books are now in home libraries.
6,000 books were provided for a new middle school library in Compton.
2,400 students met an author and received a book.
500 books were distributed to book clubs.
Dozens of parents participated in literacy workshops and received take-home libraries.
4 podcasts were produced through our partnership with Kitty Felde.
2,300 books were distributed internationally to orphans in Mexico and girls in Afghanistan.

And our work is never done! Access Books currently has 19 volunteer opportunities on our calendar for winter and spring 2025. Sign up for one (or two or three) today!

Volunteer

We are also looking for board members. If you place a high value on children's literacy and libraries, considering helping Access Books realize its mission by joining our Board. Email [email protected] if interested.

Access Books is committed, more than ever, to providing children a refuge filled with books and acceptance. We want to thank our many volunteers, great staff, and dedicated donors. During these challenging times, books, reading, and libraries are more important and vital than ever. We believe that all children ― regardless of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status ― have the right to an educational environment that fosters a love of reading. Study after study has shown that students who read more do better, not just academically, but in life. Every child deserves to discover the joy and benefits of reading for pleasure.

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Copyright © 2024 Access Books, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you've volunteered with us in the past or have donated to support our cause.

Our mailing address is:

Access Books

PO Box 64951

Los Angeles, CA 90064

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OCtober 2024

12/20/2024

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New Volunteer Opportunities

Access Books is busier than ever, which means we could use a few extra hands. Consider joining us at Enterprise Middle School next Saturday (10/12) for mural painting. We've also added several new dates in Compton for library organizing. Please check our schedule and sign-up.

Volunteer

In early December, we are serving a child care center. We are looking for a volunteer group to spend the morning shelving books at the center and creating book bundles for home libraries. If you'd like to help, contact [email protected].

The holidays are just around the corner and we have books to give away. Take-home book bundles encourage students to keep reading during the holidays. Bundled books also get shared within families and communities. Help us give the gift of a great book! If you are interested in creating book bundles at your home or school and delivering to a school site, please contact [email protected].

Donate

Copyright © 2024 Access Books, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you've volunteered with us in the past or have donated to support our cause.

Our mailing address is:

Access Books

PO Box 64951

Los Angeles, CA 90064

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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September 2024

9/24/2024

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Let's Vote For Books!

Libraries Foster Citizenship

The school library is foundational to a democratic society. Here, our youngest citizens are exposed to ideas from different points of view. Libraries provide the physical and emotional space for students to explore personal interests and encounter new perspectives. There's no propaganda, disinformation, or clickbait to distract them. This is how well-informed citizens are made!

It is our mission to fill bookshelves – to keep the information in school libraries current, engaging, and abundant. To this end, we provided nearly 300,000 books for school, classroom and home libraries during the 2023-2024 school year and we're gearing up to do it again. We've got a warehouse full of books and an army of volunteers ready to fill the dusty bookcases of underserved school libraries.

A Teacher Librarian Reflects...

"Before the library refurbishment, there was no culture of reading at our school. Providing books that students want to read got them into the space and allowed me to create programs that interest them. Before, there was nothing of interest.

"The volunteers added genres to my collection. Students were drawn to the books that interested them. Before, I might have 50 students come in a day – mostly to hang out. Now, over 200 students come in and they check out books. I already see them wanting to read more. Teachers are reporting students are reading for pleasure in advisory block period, which is almost an hour! This is all new.”

Our goal is to fill every underserved community with great school libraries so the culture of reading travels from elementary to middle to high school. One teacher librarian at a middle school remarked, “I know which students come from a school you have served. They love the library and see it as a good place to be and that the library belongs to all of us.” For Access Books, this is fundamental for democracy.

Our fall service schedule is live. Please sign up and keep checking as we are adding service dates to assist schools in culling their collections. Also, if you are interested in sponsoring a school or bundling for holiday book giveaways, please email: [email protected].