Friends of the Fortuna Library

The Fortuna Memorial Library joined the Humboldt County Library System in 1915. The current 16,000 sq. ft. building was constructed through the efforts of community volunteers who gathered at the Monday Club and began the major fundraising project that provided the building the Fortuna Memorial Library has called home since 1961. This active and successful group of volunteers formed the nonprofit Friends of the Fortuna Library in 1961 to support that library. Our library, like many libraries, only functions because of the partnerships between different government and nonprofit agencies. In our city, the partnership consists of the City of Fortuna, Humboldt County Library, and the non-profit Friends of the Fortuna Library. The city provides the building and maintenance. The county staffs and funds library operations. The Friends of the Fortuna Library provides funding for programs like storytime, literacy programs, building time; books and magazines for the library’s collection; and incidentals like furniture and office supplies. The Friends of the Fortuna Library has received funding from foundations connected to Rose Perenin, Irving, Kiwanis, Sunrise Rotary, McLean, Canevari, Abraham, O’Dell, and from individual donors through gifts from Individual Retirement and other investment accounts, and through its book sales.

The large book sale and dinner on the second Saturday in March is the biggest fundraiser for the Friends, but some used books are available within the library on a separate shelf year-round. With tables in the Veterans Hall for each genre, the book sale is a reader’s paradise. More than 20 volunteers work together to move books, set up, work the sale, and move books again over 48 hours. Managing those donations requires hundreds of volunteer hours throughout the year. Additionally, the dinner is delicious and brings in enough to support storytime for the year! “Thank you Milton and Sally Conley for your work on this dinner!”

When the library reopened from Covid, supervising librarian Violet McCrigler hosted creative outdoor programs like StoryWalks and outdoor storytime. In StoryWalks, family and childrens’ groups were encouraged to take short walks enjoying the outdoors and a good story at the same time, in both English and Spanish.

Customers pour in at the 10:00 am start of the annual Book Sale the second Saturday in March. Submitted by Friends of the Fortuna Library.

Ongoing programs include:

• Weekly preschool storytime (Fridays at 10:30) • Bricks & Blocks Builders Club (2nd Wednesday of the month, 2:30 - 4:30, ages 5+) • Library services in Spanish • Monthly Saturday STEAM Storytimes (incorporating an art or science activity.) Visit humlib.org to see the library calendar. • Monthly outreach storytimes at First 5 Playgroups. • Summer reading program for kids, teens, and adults

The Friends of the Fortuna Library welcomes new members! Pamphlet to join is at the library or online at frlfortuna.org. Our monthly meetings are the last Tuesday of the month at the Monday Club at 4pm. Hope to see you soon at your library!