Staff
Three distinct pillars support the Coronado Public Library. The first is their dedicated staff. The second is the Library Board of Trustees, which is appointed by the City of Coronado. Finally, there is the Friends of the Coronado Public Library.
Friends of the Coronado Public Library was founded in 1970 as a public-benefit nonprofit organization. Their primary mission is to support the Coronado Public Library. A membership organization, the FOL is governed by a Board of Trustees that meets monthly at the Coronado Public Library.
Inside the Friends of the Library
“I have been with the Friends for a decade now,” says Marsi Steirer. “I joined the board in 2015, and I served as vice president. Then I was president for five years. You’re only supposed to be president for three years, but it was five years because it was during COVID.”
Marsi continues, “There’s a bookshop committee, and we are the lead on the upcoming book fair. We process donations and help volunteers run the Second Hand Prose bookstore.
“It’s the volunteers who support the library and provide financial assistance for their programs. These include children, toddlers, teens, and adults. It’s typically between $60,000 and $65,000 per year that we provide the library for the programming they conduct.
“Years ago, during COVID, we actually funded the renovation of the teen area in the library. Then there are the programs that are ongoing at the library, whether it’s a musical program or whatever they have going on this month. That’s funded by the Friends. All the proceeds from the sale of books and items that are donated to us help fund the library.”
What Marsi appreciates seeing the most is the community. “When I’m out there in the morning, I see mothers and children who are going to the Library for the programs for toddlers and preschoolers. Our ongoing achievement is having the library as a piece of our community for all ages.”
Friends of the Library Events
A recent event organized by FOL was “A Night at the Library with the Friends.” In attendance was Salon on First owner, Marilyn Klisser, who described her experience. “I donated a $200 gift basket to the Friends of the Library and attended the Moroccan night, their recent Night at the Library. I want to try to support [the library] as much as possible because I think it’s a beautiful place, and a very cool place for an event. They had appetizers and drinks in the main entrance, then a sit-down dinner in the Winn Room. They had storytelling in the area with the books. We were moving all around the library, and it was really cool.”
Spring Annual Book Fair – Saturday, April 12, 10 AM – 4 PM
The next event is the annual spring book fair. It promises to be a place where you can find your next great read in addition to unique gifts and collectables. Come to the fair and make yourself cozy! People are encouraged to bring a blanket and a friend and spend the day.
Books will be set up outside of the library. Marsi shares, “We will have a wide variety – adult, children’s, and teen. We have a lot of jigsaw puzzles that community members donated to us, probably 50 or 60 boxes at least, priced to sell. There are a lot of gift items. We have mystery books and books that are considered in our collectibles category, coffee table books.
“Then, we also have a book shop inside the library; the Second Hand Prose bookshop is going to be open for children. We are having a face painter and balloon artist for free for the day. We will be having some fun as well as the shopping is going on.”
FOL Scholarships – 2025 Application Submissions Due April 21
Another intensive project the Friends of the Library is responsible for is the scholarship for CHS seniors. There are three scholarships, and they will be selecting four recipients. Marsi gives some insight into the history of these scholarships.
The Wilf & Ruth Seaman Scholarship – $2,000
“The Wilf and Ruth Seaman scholarship was initiated before my time. The Friends had been awarding the scholarship for Wilf. Then, when Ruth passed away, we added her name to the scholarship.”
The Susan Stark Scholarship – $2,000
“Susan was a Coronado High School graduate, and she worked in Second Hand Prose bookstore from 2008 until she passed away in 2015. Her parents suggested that we take some of the contents of her home, artwork, and different kinds of things. She picked up some interesting pieces during her travels. We sold them by the library, raised money for a scholarship, and then her parents gave us additional funds.”
The Jim and Bette Sherman Fine Arts Scholarship – $2,000 (CoSA) & $2,000 (CHS)
“Bette Sherman approached us several years ago, and she wanted to establish the Bette Sherman Fine Art scholarship. That was something we worked on with her. There is a CoSA scholarship and a general high school scholarship. Bette also founded the art classes that are held on a monthly basis at the library for children.”
Scholarship applications are still open. Marsi shares that every year, around 15-20 students apply.
Volunteers Welcome
There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Most pressing is volunteering at Second Hand Prose bookstore. “The bookstore is open seven days a week, and there are two shifts a day, Friday through Saturday, and then one on Sunday. We always can use people to help. We have a group of people who might want a shift on the first and second Monday afternoons. Then, when they travel, we have a group of substitute volunteers. With the summer coming up, it would be good to have more people volunteer and train in order to have a robust roster. People are always volunteering, but then some move on to other things.”
Between kids out of school utilizing the library and an increased visitor count on the island in general, the Friends see their most productive months during the summer. “We know from the sales figures that June, July, August, and even into September are the busiest months, both from the lobby and at Second Hand Prose.”
Second Hand Prose
When you go into the bookstore, the first couple of shelves are rotated regularly. Featured items are changed based on the time of the year. For example, in November and December, cookbooks are featured as well as holiday-related books. May is usually military. Sports and garden books are highlighted in the summertime.
There are also some staples you can always expect to find in the shop. The larger paperback books are sold for $4 or $5. Whether you leave it at your house, on an airplane, or in a hotel, it’s a pretty good deal for a relatively new book. They’re always trying to change what’s available and featured for sale. Marsi says that one volunteer that is very clever and has a retail background, and she makes the items very beautiful.
Marsi concludes the interview in gratitude. “We are successful because of the number of dedicated volunteers we have. They’re a great group of people. Through the library, they determine events and different programs. Whether it’s someone that’s coming to give a lecture, an author on a book, or a musical program, we encourage people to participate and attend!”
Second Hand Prose Bookshop is located near the parking lot entrance on D Avenue behind 640 Orange Ave.
