The Friends of the Library

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.