Happy new year!  The East Bay Children’s Book Project humbly offers a few New Year’s resolutions that we hope will make your lives, and those of the East Bay’s children, happier and more book-filled in 2010:

• Come see us! The East Bay Children’s Book Project will re-open on January 5, 2010. We’re at 2008 Park Boulevard in Oakland and we’re open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 6.  You can get free books every time we are open, so come early and often!
• Tell a friend, bring a friend!  Our whole purpose is to get as many books as possible into the hands of children in need.  Help us spread the word!
• Help us help you!  Do you know someone whose children have outgrown their books?  A teacher who is retiring and doesn’t know what to do with his classroom library?  Someone who might want to do a book drive?  We accept new and gently used books for children of all ages (for more details: http://www.eastbaychildrensbookproject.org/donate-books/) Or drop a couple of bucks in our jar, or tell a rich relative about us …
• Join our team!  We’ve always got things going on; just email eastbaycbp@gmail.com if you’re interested in joining our terrific all-volunteer team.

And two more, not really related to the Book Project, but near and dear to our heart:

• Go to your local branch library and take something out.  Don’t have a card?  Get one.  Don’t know what to borrow?  Talk to the librarian.  Our libraries are under-utilized treasures, and if we don’t use them, they won’t get funded, and then we won’t have them.  And we will surely miss them if we lose them!
• If you can afford it, buy something at an Oakland bookstore.  Brick-and-mortar stores are having a hard time, but without bookstores our city would surely be a poorer place.  That’s true both metaphorically and literally – money you spend locally stays in the local economy, unlike money you spend online.  Oakland has many terrific stores selling new, used and specialty books: go browse and take something home.  Books are treasures in your home.

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon –

Your friends at the East Bay Children’s Book Project