About SAPLF
No. The Book Festival started as a program of the SAPLF in 2013 with the Texas Book Festival, the Central Library, and the Southwest School of Art as partners, and became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2021.
Founded in 1983, the San Antonio Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen the library in service to our community. Additionally, the Library Foundation hosts various fundraising and “friendraising” events throughout the year that benefit our Library system.
Bexar County – San Antonio and surrounding areas.
Yes. You may specify which branch you would like to support under our Make a Donation section of the website. There are 25 branches in the Public Library System plus the Central Library.
Yes. Your bequest or trust creates a legacy to the library and the entire city of San Antonio. Contact Amy Hone at 210.225.4728 (EXT: 11) or Amy.hone@saplf.org for more information.
Yes, your donation to the Foundation is 100% tax deductible if you receive no goods or services. Once you make your donation, you will receive a tax credit letter for your personal files.
To receive mailed and electronic information from the Foundation, please contact Katerina Pourliakas at Katerina.pourliakas@saplf.org and she will add you to our list.
- Born to Read, an early literacy program awarded national recognition by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that provides all babies born in Bexar County with a literacy bag containing a bilingual book, library information and a list of library locations, and an easy-to-read pamphlet with reading strategies for different stages of growth.
- Literacy Caravan, a mobile “classroom” that visits places where families go on a regular basis such as schools, child care centers, grocery stores, libraries, community centers, businesses, festivals, and other special events, and provides research-based literacy activities to children and their caretakers.
The Library Foundation supports a wide range of San Antonio Public Library programs targeted to all ages, with new programming introduced regularly to meet the growing and changing needs of the San Antonio community. Additionally, the Foundation supplements the Library’s offerings through collection development, technology, facility enhancements, art and awareness.
The Foundation accepts children’s books for our Literacy Caravan. The Caravan needs around 10,000 books to operate during a program year and the customer demand is as follows:
- 20% infant/toddler board books
- 50% picture books
- 20% chapter books (some for younger children and some for 5th or 6th graders)
- 10% Spanish-all age groups (infant/toddler, preschooler, chapter books)
Additionally, books can be donated to the Friends of the Library. The Friends operate the Book Cellar, a used book store located at the Central Library on the Lower Level. Book sales are the main source of income for the Friends, and the profits are donated to support Library activities and materials. The Book Cellar is managed by a salaried employee of the Friends and staffed by volunteers from Friends of the San Antonio Public Library.
Regular prices for adult books are $1 for hardbacks and 25 cents to $1 for paperbacks. Children’s books sell for 25-50 cents. Some uniquely valuable books, like art books, are priced a little higher (usually from $2 to $5). However, the Book Cellar often has clearance sales on books.
The Friends of the San Antonio Public Library promote public use of the San Antonio Public Library and appreciation of its value as a cultural and educational asset to the community, and encourage the extension and improvement of its services.
