The Friends of the Burbank Public Library are celebrating their 45th anniversary with a major investment in the city’s future: a $250,000 donation to fund a new library bookmobile.
The mobile unit, expected to launch in late 2025, will bring books, technology and programming to neighborhoods, schools and community events across Burbank—especially areas with limited access to the city’s three library branches.
The announcement was made during a Burbank City Council meeting on June 24th, where officials recognized the nonprofit’s decades of service.
Founded in 1980, the Friends of the Burbank Public Library began as a volunteer group dedicated to raising awareness and financial support for the library. Their first fundraiser—a book sale and open house—raised $1,500 and funded the library’s first answering machine.
Since then, the group has supported nearly every aspect of the library’s growth, from purchasing early Apple computers and launching children’s learning programs to funding compact discs, VHS rentals and DVDs. Today, the Friends operate two bookstores and host seasonal book sales, generating thousands of dollars annually for library programs.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the Friends of the Library for their consistent vision and generosity,” Mayor Nikki Perez said. “From their first donation in 1980 to today’s investment in a new bookmobile, they’ve shown what’s possible when neighbors come together to uplift our community.”
Louise Paziak, president of the Friends, said the group’s mission is rooted in access and connection.
“Our story is woven into every program we’ve supported and every book we’ve helped place in a reader’s hands,” she said. “Now, with this bookmobile, we’re putting wheels on our mission—literally.”
Library Services Director Eric Lashley called the Friends “true partners” in the library’s mission.
“Their investment in the new bookmobile will help us reach people where they are and ensure that access to knowledge isn’t limited by geography,” Lashley said.
A community contest to name the new bookmobile will be announced later this year at burbanklibrary.org.
For more information or to become a member, visit friendsofburbanklibrary.org. The group meets monthly at Burbank Central Library.
