About

Winters Friends of the Library is 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization made up of volunteers who care about the library. We serve our community by providing innovative cultural programs, creating opportunities for lifelong learning, and raising funds to strengthen library services.

OUR IMPACT

Every year, Winters Friends of the Library:

• Raises more than $25,000 for the Winters Community Library
• Delivers 75 “Books for Babies” boxes to new parents 
• Gives out 800 free children’s books on Youth Day
• Provides free Summer Concerts at the Gazebo
• Sponsors the Winters Shakespeare Workshop
• Puts on the Family Holiday Festival
• Provides the only bookstore in town
• Supports the Library Learning Garden
• Sponsors cultural and educational programs, such as author talks, writing workshops, and the Quiz Show trivia contest.

OUR BOARD

Winters Friends of the Library board members  are dedicated, unpaid volunteers who work together to run the organization and the exciting programs we offer. The WFoL board consists of 11 officers: five elected members and six appointed members. The board meets on the first Monday of the month, at 7 pm, in the Margaret Parsons Room at the Winters Community Library. If the first Monday of the month is a holiday, the meeting will move to the Wednesday evening of the same week.

Fundraising, Program Chairs

• Books for Babies: Carol Scianna
• Book Sales: Revalee Hemken
• Fruit Tree Sale: Jeff TenPas
• Library Advisory Board: Jeff TenPas
• Big Day of Giving: Sonya Godinez
• Little Free Libraries: Rebecca Fridae
• Garden Liaison: Revalee Hemken
• Family Holiday Festival: Mary Lou Linvill
• Winters Shakespeare Workshop: Mary Lou Linvill
• Speakers: Diane Cary
• Summer Concerts: Diane Cary

OUR HISTORY

Winters Friends of the Library was first formed in response to the temporary closing of the local branch of the Yolo County Library after the passage of Proposition 13 in 1979. A group of concerned citizens understood the importance of a library to the education and well-being of a small rural community and decided to do something about it. The group raised funds and advocated for the continued operation of a Yolo County Library branch here in Winters.

As the community grew, the group responded to the need for library support and lifelong learning opportunities. Winters Friends of the Library incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1985.

WFoL members worked for over ten years to advocate and raise funds for a much-needed new library and increases in library hours and services. Our beautiful Winters Community Library opened in November 2009. We celebrated our library’s tenth anniversary in 2019 and continue to adapt, innovate, and grow to strengthen the our library and community.