The Friends of the Hercules Library is a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to:
- Support, promote, and advocate for the library as a vital community asset
- Extend and enhance the library’s services and resources
- Establish close relations between the library and the people it serves
FOHL volunteers operate a bookstore inside the Hercules Library, run an online book sales program, and hold used book sales twice a year. The money we raise through these activities, as well as donations and membership dues, is used to:
- Provide funds to help the library build its collections of books and other materials
- Sponsor programs and activities to entertain and educate both children and adults
- Assist the library staff with special projects
A Bit of History
FOHL was formed in May 2000 to support the effort to bring a library to our city. In the years before the library opened, we held semi-annual used book sales and sponsored a yearly booth at the Cultural Festival that the City of Hercules used to sponsor in Refugio Park. Our aim was to raise awareness of the coming library and its importance to the community. To date FOHL has donated close to $250,000 to the Hercules Library.
We proudly presented the Contra Costa Library with $25,000 for the Opening Day Collection—the books and materials in place on the shelves when the Hercules Library held its grand opening in November 2006. Since then, we have continued to support the library as an outstanding resource that provides free education, entertainment and cultural enrichment to our community.
