The Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library is a nonprofit, charitable organization that supports the library’s vital role in our community. For over 50 years and through the generosity of our community, the Friends have helped the library offer a variety of enhanced services and creative programs for all ages.

As a member of the Friends, you have access to booksale pre-sales, receive news highlighting library happenings, special program announcements, as well as invitations to member events. Our members elect our Board of Directors at our Annual Meeting each May. We rely on countless volunteers help our operations continue. Sign-up as a volunteer today!

To join the all-volunteer Friends, please either download and return our membership form, below. Or become a member online. Membership must be renewed annually. 

Come to the Friends' Annual Booksale on the main library lawn on June 10th, rain date June 17th.

Current Friends Officers:

Aiyana Currie, President
Matt Boger, Vice President
Stephan & Faith Bader, Co-Treasurers
Janet Kaminstein, Booksales
Richard Fahlander, Membership
Betsy Levinson, Publicity 
E. Glenn Mitchell, Poetry Series
Rebecca Lemaitre, Events​
Hayley Maybury, Events
Erin Piro, Clerk
Amy Beamer, Member at-large

Connect with us!

Program Offerings

  • Book Sales and Donations

    Book Sales:

    This year our Annual Book Sale will take place on June 10, 2023!

    ​Our year-round book shelves - The Friends Book Shop - is open at both our Main & Fowler branch libraries. Self check-out your choice of both children's and adult assortment of gently used books for sale year-round.

    The Friends' Holiday and June book sales are our biggest sources of revenue as well as being much loved community events. The heart and soul of this year-round operation is a team of over a dozen enthusiastic volunteers who sort the many volumes donated to the Friends each year and prepare them for the book sales.  

    Book Donations:

    Our community Books Sales are a success thanks to the generosity of community members who donate their gently used books year round. If you would like to donate your books, you may do so at the Main Library near the Sudbury Road entrance. If you have a large donation of books, please borrow the rolling bin from our Circulation Desk to wheel to your vehicle. For assistance or inquires about donations, please email the Friends of the Library to coordinate an appointment. Books may be donated year round.

    Sorters Needed!

    Donated books are curated year-round by our dedicated group of Sorters. We are looking for new Sorters who might be able to help ad-hoc or weekly during the following times. Please email us to volunteer!
    9:30 - 11:30AM Tuesday and/or Friday mornings for Adult Books
    1:00 - 4:30PM Thursday afternoons for Childrens Books

    The Sorters select books for our sales based on many criteria including condition, demand, and quantity. Books not chosen for the sales are further donated to other community organizations in Concord and surrounding towns.

  • Museum Passes

    All Passes (unless otherwise noted) are funded by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and may be used for free or reduced admission. Please contact the library if you have suggestions on museums that you would like to see added to our list. Existing passes include Boston Children’s Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, and many others.

  • Film Series

    Films at Fowler

    Films at Fowler is a FREE event sponsored by the Friends and have traditonally included popcorn and refreshments when we were meeting in person.  Now that we leverage Kanopy (free app from the library) for self viewing, you may join the lively discussion of the movie with our resident film expert in the comfort of your own homw. All films are critically acclaimed international films carefully selected by the Film Program Coordinator that invite conversation after each film.

    Please refer to the Events calendar for an upcoming schedule. 

  • Poetry Series

    The Poetry at the Library Series brings established and emerging poets to the Concord Library community. Each year, the Friends host six to seven readings with Q and A, followed by book signings and light refreshments.  Most readings occur on Sundays at 3 PM in the Main Library, with an occasional Saturday evening poetry event.

  • Music Series

    Music on the Lawn or Concert on the Lawn is a free enjoyable, notable and diverse music offerings on the Main Library front lawn on select Wednesdays during the summer at 7:00 p.m. Please refer to the Calendar for further details on this summer's series.

    Additionally, Music from the Library every year since 1997 from late January through March/April.  Notable musicians from the greater Boston area and other parts of the country perform at the Music from the Library series. 

  • Author Series

    Inspiring and topically relevant author readings throughout the year. We have hosted distinguished historians such as Drew Gilpin Faust, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Doris Kearns Goodwin, as well as recipients of the Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History.

  • Festival of Authors

    Please visit our Concord Festoval of Authors dedicated website for further details on past and future line-up of authors.

    To Volunteer for the Festival, please visit the Sign-up Genius.

    Or email: friends@concordlibrary.org for any other volunteer interests.

  • Miller Award

    The Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History has been presented by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library annually since 2001. The award was offered to the Concord Library by Concord resident Richard Miller, to honor the legacy of his mother, a founding member of the Holocaust Commission and Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Dr. Ruth Ratner Miller believed that learning history was not merely desirable but a civic and religious duty.

    We are pleased to announce the 2022 winner: Sean Wilentz. 

    Videos of many of can be seen on the YouTube Ruth Ratner Miller Award playlist.

    Past Miller Award recipients:
    1998 Stephen Ambrose
    1999 James M. McPherson
    2000 Thomas H. O'Connor
    2001 Daniel J. Boorstin
    2002 Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
    2003 Sandra Day O'Connor
    2004 Edmund S. Morgan
    2005 David Halberstam
    2006 Doris Kearns Goodwin
    2007 John Hope Franklin
    2008 David Hackett Fischer
    2009 David Herbert Donald
    2010 Bernard Bailyn
    2011 Pauline Maier
    2012 Eric Foner
    2013 Drew Gilpin Faust
    2014 Nathaniel Philbrick
    2015 Robert Dallek
    2016 Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
    2017 Gordon S. Wood
    2018 Annette Gordon-Reed
    2019 John Stauffer
    2020 Jill Lepore
    2021 Heather Cox Richardson
    2022 Sean Wilentz

  • Media

    Movies on DVD

    Every year, the Friends purchase hundreds of films. The Library is a perfect (and free!) place to discover new movies and find your old favorites.

    Audio Books

    Audiobooks offer the convenience of listening in your car or on the train, while exercising, or because reading is physically challenging.

    Music CDs

    Find classics and new hits in this collection of music.

  • Childrens Programming

    A host of programs organized by the library for the children in our community are sponsored by the Friends, including the Sing-a-long day with Ed Morgan programs, CCHS study days. In addition the Friends provides books for the children of the guests at Open table in Concord and Maynard as well as to the Prison Outreach Program.

  • Professional Development

    The Friends fund professional development opportunities to our beloved library staff each year.