Freedom to Read Nevada

In Summary:

• December 14 members’ meeting cancelled
• December 17 Library board meeting cancelled
• Friends of the Library upcoming book sale: January 10-18
• The Librarians film screenings February 1 and February 21

Events updates

We have cancelled our Dec. 14th members’ meeting.

In February, we will be screening The Librarians, a documentary showing how “librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights.”

Screenings will be: 2:00 on Feb. 1 at the Downtown Library; 2:00 Feb. 21, at the Sparks Library; and one other place and time, to be determined.

Library Board Meetings

The December 17th library board meeting has been cancelled; the next meeting will be January 21st, 2026 at 5:30 at the Downtown Library.

The library director job has been posted, and the job description was changed. See the original version and the new version.

At the next library board meeting, we will also be looking for any news on whether the library board plans to request the $1.3 million that the county set aside for libraries. A good option would be for the board to request some or all of these funds to complete the collections budget so that WCLS can meet the state standard of 10% of budget being dedicated to collections.

Check out our guide to giving public comment to help express yourself to our library board!

Upcoming Friends of Washoe county libraries book sale

Did you know that the Friends of Washoe County Libraries has raised about $3 million for the Washoe County Library System over the years? These funds have been used for library programs, books and materials, staff trainings, technology, marketing, and an endowment fund.

Individual memberships are only $15 for seniors (65+), students, and WCLS Staff; $25 for Individuals; $35 for two people; and $40 for a Family. Members get early access to the book sales, a great tote bag, and the Friends’ newsletters.

They raise funds by selling donated books. So, you can help out in three different ways: donate books, buy books, or make a monetary donation.

The next book sale will be January 10-18 from 10 am to 4 pm, next to the Sierra View Library inside the Reno Town Mall, 4001 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502 (at the corner of S. Virginia, near the Atlantis Hotel and Casino).

Free resume and cover letter help

Please spread the word! Every Wednesday, from 1-2pm at the Downtown Reno Library, members of the steering committee with editing expertise post up to help job seekers or others with resume and cover letter editing. Don’t have a resume or cover letter? We’ll help you create one from scratch!

Interested in FtR-NV merch?

Our member-artist Figbar Lonesome has a Redbubble page where you can purchase official FtR-NV merchandise. Whether you’re looking for a t-shirt, tote, tank, or something else, this is our only merch page. We’ve gotten wind there are scam pages out there. PLEASE make sure you are using this Redbubble link before purchasing anything!!

Local Mutual Aid & Activism Events

(What’s mutual aid?)

• Good Neighbors Warming Centers are up and running for the winter. If you want to volunteer and help keep women and families warm this winter, email: goodneighborsreno@gmail.com.
• Every Saturday, 10-12pm, Bennett Park: Biggest Little Food Not Bombs serves free meals.
• Every Sunday, 4:30pm and 6pm, Hampton House Gardens: Reno Family Dinner, and all are welcome.
• Every other Sunday, 12pm, Center of Influence food pantry; 2pm, parking lot at Evans Ave and East 6th Street: Reno Burrito Project rolls burritos at the food pantry and distributes them in the parking lot. 
• Every Monday, 6-7pm, Our Center: Mutual Aid Network Northern Nevada hosts Mutual Aid Mondays to discuss what local mutual aid groups are up to and how we can support each other. They also post a weekly mutual aid calendar on their social media.
• Every Tuesday, 6pm, Believe Plaza: Family Soup Mutual Aid distributes hot food and necessities to anyone in need, no questions asked. Check out their LinkTree to sign up for their newsletter, donate via Venmo, or volunteer to bring food! 
• Every Tuesday, 6-8pm, Our Center: Trans Support Reno hosts meetings for 18+ trans, nonbinary, gender questioning, gender nonconforming, and other gender fuckery folks. The first, third, and fourth Tuesdays are for emotional support; the second an informal topic-based meeting. The LGBTQ+ support group is every other Wednesday from 5:30-7pm; sign-ups are at the link.
• Every other Wednesday, 6-7pm, Holland Project and online: Reno Sparks Tenant Union meetings, where new members are always welcome. They released a zine to help organize your neighbors! (IG)
• CodePink Reno hosts regular meetings. 
• Every Friday from 12-1pm: Laundry to the People offers a laundry service to our unhoused neighbors at Champion Laundry Center (1301 S Wells Ave). They’re always in need of supplies like laundry detergent, heavy-duty trash bags, color-safe bleach, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. If you can’t meet up with them on Friday, you can bring donations to The Rad Cat!
• Other local mutual-aid or similar organizations worth following:
• Wild West Abortion Fund, funding abortions in Nevada (IG)
• Reno Sunrise Movement, empowering community to fight against the climate crisis
• MaskBloc Reno, providing KN95/N95+ masks and rapid antigen tests to fight the continuing spread of COVID-19
• Biggest Free Little Pantry, stocking food pantries for those in need at multiple locations (IG)

In Solidarity,

FtR-NV Steering Committee