Library Partners

We are an all-volunteer group that provides financial and volunteer support to our library so that it may fulfill its literary, educational, technological, community, and cultural purposes.

Fundraising

We work directly with library staff to fulfill day-to-day operating needs by supplying funding for programs, materials, and equipment.

The Friends of the San Diego Public Library is a California Tax Exempt Non-Profit Corporation under IRS 501(c)(3). FEIN: 95-3313747. Tax deductible membership dues and donations may be matched by the City of San Diego.

Advocacy

As a member of the LibrariesTransformSD coalition (San Diego Public Library, Library Foundation SD, the Friends of the SanDiego Public Library, and the City of San Diego Board of Library Commissioners), we engage in advocacy at the City level.

President: Isabel Schechter

Isabel Schechter (She/Her) has been a library fan since childhood. She is originally from Chicago and has lived in University Heights since 2014. Isabel has served on the boards of several library-related organizations in Chicago and San Diego, including the Friends of the San Diego Public Library and the Friends of University Heights Library. In addition, she is a writer, and her essays have been published in Argentus; Invisible 2: Personal Essays about Race and Representation in ScienceFiction and Fantasy; Uncanny: A Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy;and several volumes of The WisCon Chronicles. Isabel is also Co-Editor of The WisCon Chronicles Volume 12: Boundaries and Bridges.

Vice President: Janet Tait

Janet Tait has been a resident of University Heights since 2015. She has loved libraries all her life, and credits them with making her an avid reader. A former department head at the UCSD Library and a Marketing Manager for a local telecommunications company, she’s now semi-retired and writes and edits fantasy and science fiction. Janet has prior experience working on non-profit boards, including the San Diego Comic-Con. She has an MBA from UC Irvine and in her spare time enjoys walking around UH with her dog, playing games with friends, and cooking.

Treasurer: Bren Breithaupt

Bren Breithaupt (he/him) has been a resident of University Heights for 16 years. He has an MBA in Finance and Accounting and 22 years of local experience as a life agent, securities broker, and financial advisor. He has previously served as treasurer and board member of 2 non-profit organizations, worked in the Americas Marketing Center for Hewlett-Packard, and as a small business consultant for Michael Gerber (author of "The E-Myth. Bren currently owns and runs "Bren Michelle Inc.," a digital marketing and productivity solutions agency.

Secretary: John Hyatt

John Hyatt is a US Navy veteran transferred to San Diego in 1986. After leaving the Navy, he stayed in San Diego and began working for the Postal Service as a letter carrier. He has been a resident of Normal Heights since 1997. He has been a member of the House of Ireland and Irish Congress of Southern California organizations sharing Irish heritage and culture serving on the board of the ICSC as parade chairman in 2009 and President in 2010. Since 2004 he has organized the Dutch San Diego community group. As a supporter of reading and libraries as a resource for all residents, he is happy to be a member of the Friends of the University Heights Library.