Every May the SLO Friends of the Library holds their annual meeting.  In 2025 this will be held May 17, at 1:00. in the Community Room at the Library.

In past years the annual meeting featured a no-host luncheon for members and guests, highlighting a local author as speaker.

Previous guest speakers have included:

2023 Victoria Kastner, author of Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect.

2022 Matt Ritter, Cal Poly Botany Professor and author of California Plants: A Guide to Our Iconic Flora and A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us

2019 Joe Carotenuti, local historian, on the 100th anniversary of the county libraries

2018 Jim Gregory – author of Central Coast Aviators in World War II, and other books on Central Coast history

2017 Jeff Wheelwright – author of The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess

2016 Franz Wisner – author of Honeymoon with my Brother

2015 Sue McGinty – author of several murder mysteries set in a fictitious local area

2014 Felicia Prekeris Brown – author of God, Give us Wings

2013 Leigh Rubin – cartoonist, author and speaker

2012 Mike Cowdrey – author of Horses and Bridles of the American Indians

2011 Liu Yu – author of Awakening the Sleeping Tiger

2010 Gordon Snider – author of Sigourney’s Quest

2009 Sue McKee – author of Days like Floating Water

2008 Gale McNeely – author of Archie and Mehitabel

2007 Roderic (Rick) Schmidt – author of Out of Bodie and other books

2006 Barbara Wolcott – author of David, Goliath and the Beach Cleaning Machine

2005 Pam Taylor Copeland – author of I liked you at Ten I’ll like you again and other poetry books

2004 Jodi Compton – author of The 37th Hour, and others

2003 Carol Hoffman – author of The Barrymores: Hollywood’s First Family

2002 Ingrid Teri – author of Steinbeck Country Revisited

2001 Catherine Ryan Hyde – author of Pay it Forward and many more