Sanibel Public Library Foundation

 

Sanibel Public Library Foundation

The Sanibel Public Library Foundation provides support to enhance and enrich your Library experiences. Some of the Foundation’s key areas of support include:

  • Library Author Series – Foundation monies underwrite the Series, which brings bestselling and award-winning writers to Sanibel for evenings of presentations, book signings, and receptions. Library users have the opportunity to interact with their favorites or to discover great new reads. Visiting authors have included Joyce Carol Oates, Clive Cussler, Amor Towles, Jodi Picoult, Margaret Atwood, Lee Child, Paul Theroux, Dennis Lehane and many more.
  • Youth Summer Reading Program – Reading for Others! Summertime reading helps children maintain their skills during school break and encourages a love of reading for pleasure. Staff work with children to help set summer reading goals. When a goal is reached each child earns a book to build their home library; the Foundation matches that book-for-book, so each child earns a book for the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, too.
  • Technology Initiatives – The Foundation supports the Library’s goals of providing leading edge technology and provides startup funds for pilot projects. Recent examples include Tech IT Out, a computer kiosk for checking out computers; opportunities to access technology including Virtual Reality and 3D printing demonstrations; and the new Think Tank, an interactive area for youth and adults to collaborate on projects and to support Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) initiatives in schools.

The Sanibel Public Library Foundation, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supporting the Sanibel Public Library and reading and literacy in Southwest Florida. In the past 10 years the Foundation has provided more than $1 million in grants and gifts to the Sanibel Public Library. For more information on giving please contact the Library or consider an online contribution:

Foundation Board of Directors

Patricia Schwarz, President
Linda Uhler, Vice President
Bill Fellows, Treasurer




Recent Projects

 
Books Bring Comfort – Summer Reading Program

Books Bring Comfort – Summer Reading Program

  On October 16, 2023 Retired fireman Frank Sullivan saw a news story about a local boy and Sanibel Public Library summer reading program on WINK TV. You can see the WINK News video here, Books Bring Comfort in Boy’s Health Battle...

Book Bundles & Kits at Sanibel Public Library

Book Bundles & Kits at Sanibel Public Library

Now offered in the Library - borrow a Book Club Kit. With the kit, you get 5 to 8 copies of the same book in a tote bag. Kit is loaned to one patron for a month. Book Club Kits includes book discussion questions. New - for spooky season - grab one of the scary...

September Bookmark Art Contest

September Bookmark Art Contest

Enter SPL's Bookmark Art Contest!    All artwork must be the original work of the participant and can be created digitally or by hand. Contest is for children age 18 and under. Limit one entry (electronic or paper) per participant. All entries are due by September 30....

All Together Now – Summer Reading Program 2023

All Together Now – Summer Reading Program 2023

For more than a decade, the Sanibel Public Library (SPL) has offered an exciting summer reading program for families. Despite challenges from impacts of Hurricane Ian, summer 2023’s program welcomed back locals as well as many young readers who are new to the area....

Sanibel Public Library: 60 Years of Serving the Community

Sanibel Public Library: 60 Years of Serving the Community

Since 1955 Sanibelites worked toward having a public library. Locals volunteered their time and raised funds to create a library on the island. Volunteers have been a mainstay throughout its history, and are an integral part today. The first official meeting was on...

Milestones

 

Reading for Others

Through the Reading for Others! Program, more than 9,000 books have been donated to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Lunch with the Author

Bestselling authors for Lunch with the Author events.

The Author Series

With major funding provided by the Foundation, 1,000’s of fans have enjoyed the Author Series evenings with bestselling author.

Early Literacy

The early-literacy workstations were upgraded with new interactive software to help young patrons prepare for the educational world ahead of them.

New Offerings

New offerings in downloadable books, audiobooks, magazines, movies and music.

Vox Books

VOX Books added to the Library Collection.

Cooking in the Bag

Patrons borrowed kitchen tools and coordinating cookbooks with “Cooking in the Bag” kits.

Tech it Out!

Patrons can borrow MacBook Air and Dell laptops via “Tech IT Out” kiosk.