Welcome to the Library Reading Corner for

April 2026

A Note from City Librarian Elizabeth Saucedo:

Welcome to April, a month full of treasure for library lovers! Celebrate National Library Week with us and find your joy in so many ways. We'll be honoring National Poetry Month with community partners and special readings, sharing Earth Day inspiration through our vibrant seed libraries, and stocking our shelves with freshly picked books, films, and more to help you spring into new stories all season long!

In Our Newsletter:

Programs

Storytime

Buellton Library

Solvang Library

Bookvan

Updates

Interior Design Capital Campaign Update

Goleta Valley Library has raised almost 52% of its $1,700,000 goal for interior design improvements! You are invited to help us write the next chapter at Goleta Valley Library to continue our story for generations to come. The campaign will run through December 2026. Thank you to our incredibly generous donors who are helping us reach our goal!

Visit Us at Goleta Valley Library Express

Have you visited GVL Express yet? Our temporary home during construction, this tiny-but-mighty library has something for everyone: children's and teen rooms, new release titles, free public computers, and more. The building is on the corner of Hollister Avenue and Los Carneros Way; our entrance is across from the Goleta Valley Athletic Club. See you soon!

Program Highlights

National Library Week

Sunday, April 19-Saturday, April 25

Goleta Valley Library Express

6500 Hollister Ave, Suite 105

Celebrate National Library week with GVL Express staff! We'll have a library-themed scavenger hunt for kids and some library swag prize giveaways. You can even sign our guestbook!

Community Poetry Reading

Wednesday, April 22

4:00-5:15pm

UCSB Library,

Instruction & Training Room 1312

Join UCSB Reads and GVL Express for an afternoon of poetry readings in celebration of National Poetry Month! The event will kick off with a reading by current Santa Barbara Poet Laureate George Yatchisin and UCSB Professor Emerita Shirley Geok-Lin Lim. Afterward, other participants will read their selected poems to the audience.

How to participate?

Please complete this form by April 13th with your name and the title and author of the published poem you’d like to read.

See our online calendar for more programs:

Senior Happy Hour - Thursday, April 2

Writers' Workshop - Saturday, April 4

Film Club - Thursday, April 16

Horror Book Club - Saturday, April 18

Poetry Club - Sunday, April 19

Mystery Book Club - Tuesday, April 28

Storytime

Storytime at Your Library

Goleta: Fridays

Baby & Me 10:00-10:30am,

Wiggly 10:30-11:00am

(check our calendar for locations)

Buellton: Mondays

10:30-11:00am

Solvang: Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10:30-11:00am

Join in the fun at Storytime! We'll share stories, songs, and activities. After Storytime, feel free to stay and play with others! Best for ages 6 months-5 years old.

Buellton Library

Buellton Library Bookworms

Friday, April 17

1:00-2:00pm

Join the Buellton Bookworms book club for a lively discussion of this month's bring-your-own-book theme. The theme is “Debut" – feel free to come to the front desk if you need any help finding something on-theme to read. We meet in the Buellton Library Community Room at 1pm. See you there! For adults and teens.

April Take-Home Craft

Wednesday, April 1 -

Thursday, April 30

For the month of April, make a free Popsicle Stick Eagle. Share your finished craft on Facebook and Instagram and tag us!

Solvang Library

Sewing Workshop

Saturday, April 11 & 18

2:00-4:00pm

Join our sewing workshop at Solvang Library. Make a coaster or ornament with artist Deb Dicken. Registration is required as space is limited; please email solvanglibrary@cityofgoleta.gov to sign up. For ages 9 and up, adults welcome.

Magpie Book Club

Saturday, April 25

1:30-2:30pm

Our theme for the month of April is the garden, and our recommended book is Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu. You are welcome to choose anything along the lines of our theme to discuss! For adults and teens. We meet on the fourth Saturday of every month at 1:30pm.

Bookvan

Patrons throughout Isla Vista and beyond are encouraged to bookmark the Goleta Valley Library Bookvan schedule, available online at GoletaValleyLibrary.org/Bookvan

Plus, follow us to parks throughout Goleta at our Friday morning Storytimes.

We can’t wait to see you on our route!

Goleta Valley Library is a member of the Black Gold Library Cooperative System. Patrons can use their library cards at other Black Gold libraries and request to borrow their titles. Black Gold libraries include Blanchard Community Library, Carpinteria Community Library, Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries, Lompoc Public Library, Santa Maria Public Library, and Paso Robles City Library.

Visit www.goletavalleylibrary.org for the latest information on all our programs and services. If you received this e-newsletter from a friend and would like to subscribe, click here.

Thank you for your interest and support in our libraries. Happy reading!

Goleta Valley Library

2026 Reading Corner Newsletter

The Library Reading Corner - April 2026