We are thrilled to share with you our 2025 Annual Report! The Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library had a phenomenal year in 2025. Our book sales were the strongest in the organization’s 72 year history. We are delighted to share our results with you and highlight what your support has made possible for the Library. Everyone who shops at our book stores, donates to our organization, or volunteers their time can be proud of what your efforts have meant for our community.
In 2025 our gross income reached an all-time high of $486,066, which includes book sales, contributions, and investment gains. After the cost of maintaining our retail stores and administrative expenses, including rent and insurance, we generated net income of $159,815. Nearly all of our 2025 net income, $140,958, was used to make grants to the Library for a variety of resources and programs. Here is what your support made possible:
This support plays a critical role in helping to make the Pleasant Hill Library a vibrant community gathering space that provides a diverse array of resources and programs to help people learn about the world around them, cultivate new skills, and interact with others in the community. Our Library saw more than 300,000 visitors last year and 64,000 participants at the many programs the Library offers. New Library cards were issued to more than 6,000 patrons. Check-outs of physical material and e-books totaled over 500,000. Pleasant Hill Library is the busiest in the county, and Friends support is a key element of what brings people to it and makes that possible.
We have seen a continuing flow of high-quality donations of books and other merchandise that our many dedicated volunteers sort and display every day. We are especially seeing significant donations of recently published books that are in high demand. Our online sales continue to grow, and our newest Book Friends location in Walnut Creek continues to see increased customer traffic. Reviews from our customers rave about the great selection and friendly staff at our stores.
Below you can see our complete income statement for 2025 with a comparison to our 2024 results. Our 2025 book store expense is higher compared to 2024 because 2025 was the first full year of operation for Book Friends in Walnut Creek. Our contributions for 2025 declined somewhat because 2024 saw the last year of installments of a grant from the County. However, contributions from private donors have remained steady.
We are immensely grateful for all you do to help make the Friends of the Pleasant Hill Library such a success story for our book store customers and Library patrons. Thank you for all you do to make the Pleasant Hill Library such a special place!
